Brown's Mount

Weather radar picks up bird movements

learn to identify Poison Ivy

Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) blooms from late spring through summer in the eastern US. You can find it along roadsides and woodland edges. Monarch ca...terpillars feed on the leaves and swallowtails, fritillaries, and bees pollinate the orangish-red flowers. If you’re looking for a native plant that grows well in sunny, dry soil, you might want to consider Butterfly Milkweed. Planting and retaining milkweed is a great way to help protect the Eastern Monarch Butterfly, which has shown a large population decline over the past 20 years. See more

Coronavirus cases in Middle Georgia are rising again. Please take precautions to protect yourself and others.

May 31 - June 5 is #BlackBirdersWeek! Here's how you can get involved (text included on graphic): May 31... #BlackInNature Celebrating Black nature enthusiasts everywhere June 1 #PostABird Challenge Post your best bird pictures using the hashtag June 2 #AskABlackBirder 2-hour Q&A with Black Birders on Twitter June 4 #BirdingWhileBlack Livestream tinyurl/birding-black-live June 5 #BlackWomenWhoBird Follow the amazing #BlackWomenWhoBird Please check with your local outdoor areas about the status of facilities, take precautions when outdoors, and follow social distancing recommendations.

An "abandoned" fawn may not be alone. The mother doe is often feeding nearby. The fawn will wait motionless until its mother returns. If you notice a young deer during your walk in the forest, please don't move it or attempt to save it. The mother may be watching and will return when the area is clear. Please do not approach or handle wildlife .

Perfect timing- Did you notice that the migratory birds timed their northbound journey to coincide with the height of the tree and plant flowering season? Flo...wers produce nectar for birds like the female ruby-throated hummingbird shown below, and flowers also attract butterflies, moths and other insects whose larvae feed on the flowers and leaves. The multitude of caterpillars and other insects that are feasting on the newly sprouted greens and flowers are feasted upon by warblers and other birds to fuel their journey north. Timing is everything and if the migrants left too soon, or too late they might miss the most opportune time to travel. Photo: Kristie Killam/USFWS Female ruby-throated hummingbird licking nectar from a Jamaica dogwood tree in National Key Deer Refuge

Poison Ivy Quiz You know to watch out for "Leaves of Three". Also look for the shape of the leaves and the plant they are attached to. The main vine has hairy roots that clings to the bark as it climbs a tree. Other vines may hang in the branches but don't cling to trunk like poison ivy does. If you see thorns, it is not poison ivy. Try this quiz to sharpen your skills. Click the buttons under each photo to highlight the differences. http://www.poison-ivy.org/poison-ivy-quiz

Prickly Pear, part of the Cactus family, is in bloom near the shelter at Brown’s Mount. Also known as Opuntia, it is native to the United States and can be found from as far north as Montana and Massachusetts. Instead of leaves, they have large pads that store water and have antifreeze properties that allow it to survive the freezing temperatures of northern winters. The plant can be shrub-like but most often sprawls on the ground. Yellow flowers are produced at the ends of pads in early summer. The reddish fruit is edible but covered in small barbed hairs that are painful and irritating to the skin. Some natural food markets sell the fruit with the barbs already removed.

Here's a good article on ticks which are plentiful on Brown's Mount. "Use an insect repellent that contains DEET or picaridin or spray clothes with permethrin. When you get home from a walk, do an immediate tick check and shower to get rid of anything that’s crawling on you. Put your clothes in the dryer, because ticks don’t like heat. And if you still find a tick on you, he recommends using sharp tweezers to grasp right at the skin level and pull it up."

The gopher tortoise is native to pine forests in southern Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. This video shows the many other animals that use the gopher tortoise burrow. How many can you see?