Tryon Creek Naturalist Notes

I took a quick hike this afternoon and noticed two woolly bear caterpillars along the trails.  Ranger Karen and I tried to recall the old theory about how the Isabella tiger moth larva predicts the severity of winter.  The old Farmer’s Almanac used to rely on these fuzzy creatures to forecast the coming winter weather.  More black means a hard winter, while majority light brown indicates a mild season ahead.  Both specimens that we encountered today were both black and brown.  I’d have to say, this one is a hard call.  More black or brown??  Keep on the lookout for those woolly bears moving around the forest in search for a safe place to spend the winter.  We’d love to hear from you, if you encounter one of your local meteorologists!

How's that for size comparison?

As I stepped out of my car this morning, the first thing I heard was three Great Horned owls hooting from their respective corners of the forest.  I could hardly get into the nature center fast enough to pick up the camera and binoculars! 

One of the owls seemed really close so I headed down Center Trail to see if I might be fortunate enough to find it in the trees.  I only had to travel a few hundred feet to see this magnificent bird perched up in a Douglas fir.  I wondered, “What are they hooting to eachother?”  I guess they were saying goodnight after a long Saturday night hunt.  A few minutes after filming the forest resumed its usual Sunday morning quiet and the owl flew on. 

Check out this short video clip that my friend Dianne helped edit so that we could finally post it to the blog.  Enjoy! 

Ranger Christal

Click here for owl video