Robins Return

Every year about this time, you can find the familiar American robin returning from their wintering grounds in the southern United States and Central America. Males return about one week earlier than the females, and often come back to the same nesting area year after year. Robins will re-use their old nests, which can be found in trees or on buildings. A robin's nest is usually made of mud and plant material. The female is in charge of creating the nest, and will usually have two clutches of three or four eggs in it each year. She sits on the eggs for about two weeks, while the male defends the area. Of course the male will sit on the eggs every once and a while to give the female a break.

Once hatched, the young stay in the nest for about fifteen days, then it's time for the second clutch. The main diet of the robin is berries, along with insects, larvae, and worms.A robin's diet changes throughout the day. In the mornings they focus more on worms, but change over to berries later in the day.

Did you know? Even though a robin looks like he's "listening" for a worm when he cocks his head sideways, he's actually looking for tiny movements that would indicate a worm near the surface.  Also, did you know that the American Robin (Turdus migraatorius) is in the thrush family, which also includes bluebirds?

Learn more: Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Track this bird's northward migrations: Journey North

Hear this bird's song of "cheerily, cheer up, cheer up, cheerily, cheer up."

Watch for Earthworms Soon

These slimy creatures have spent the winter deep underground, hiding from frigid air temperatures. With warming days, they become more active and crawl towards the surface in search of better food: decaying plants and animal material. Earthworms are not native to Wisconsin and were not naturally present here after the last ice age. They likely came here as eggs brought in with soil by the early Europeans.

While these wriggling organisms are wonderful in gardens, they are having a negative impact on the northern hardwood forests across this region. When earthworms are in an area, they digest nutrients and leaf litter much more quickly than native bacteria and fungi. This means that soils become compacted and there are fewer nutrients available to growing plants. Consequently, some populations of plants are having a difficult time surviving. Take care not to introduce an exotic worm to an area by disposing of fishing bait in the trash and not moving soil from one ecosystem to another.

Did you know? If you cut a worm in half, there is a slight chance that one half will survive. Some species of worms can regenerate (regrow) their tails. So, if a tail segment is removed, the head half may survive. Earthworms have light sensitive cells near their “heads,” but have no eyes. Earthworms are also hermaphrodites, meaning they have both male and female organs.

Learn more: Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine (Worm Invasion Article)

The Adventures of Herman (Anything you might ever want to know about worms)

Sap Flows in Trees

Above freezing days and freezing nights are conditions that cause trees to begin pumping their sap upward, usually during the daytime. Sucrose stored in tree roots and made by last year’s leaves is sent high into developing buds. This allows new leaves to unfurl. Sap will continue to flow steadily upward for about a month.

Humans aren’t the only ones to take advantage of the sweet sap, creatures like red squirrels have been known to pierce branches and then return for the sweet sap congealed there. As you might expect, sugar maples are the trees with the highest sugar content in their sap.

Did you know? It takes 30-40 gallons of raw sap to create one gallon of the syrup we use for our tables.

Learn more: Cornell Sugar Maple Research and Extension Program

​