Today April 15 I found a coopers hawk egg in my front yard under a nest that the hawks have used the past 2 or 3 years. It had a pecked hole in it and a reeky odor. When do these eggs typically hatch or was it predated? I ID'ed the egg from an internet picture which looked exactly like the egg I found. Thanks in advance for info you can give me about the egg.

When is the best time to see the fire flies [lightening bugs] in the observatory park woods?

The best time to see fireflies, sometimes called lightning bugs, is mid-June to mid-July. You can see them in yards and meadows beginning at sunset. Enjoy the show!

-Naturalist Denise Wolfe

I was hoping to come and stargaze in April, is 11pm late enough?

April should be a great month for stargazing!

Sunset will be around 8 PM at the start of the month, but will come at almost 8:30 by the end of April, and in general the later past sunset you stay awake, the more stars you’ll see!

Here’s a link to a terrific map of the April sky at around 10 PM, courtesy of SkyMaps:

However, there are a few highlights in the sky that are worth seeing before 11 PM.

Jupiter is a great sight to check for early in the evening: it will appear low in the west at sunset. (By the end of April, it will be setting by 9:20 PM, so catch it early!)

One last tip: don’t forget to take the moon into account!

• New Moon: Monday, April 8, 2024 (during the solar eclipse!)
• First-Quarter Moon: Monday, April 15 (visible in the early evening)
• Full Moon: Tuesday, April 23 (rises at sunset, visible all night)
• Third-Quarter Moon:  Wednesday, May 1 (rises long after sunset)

Best of luck, and happy stargazing!

-Naturalist “Astro-Nat” Chris Mentrek

Is it possible for a doe to have 4 fawns? I wish I had my phone on me to take a picture. We were quite shocked. I thought for sure another doe would appear, I never heard of quadruplets. but no other doe in sight. This doe was traveling with 4 frolicking fawns through our back yard. They all look the same size. They were here all this week. Middlefield Village

Wow, that’s a full house!

While it’s common for White-tailed Deer mothers to have a single fawn their first year, they often birth two or more fawns in later years.

One study from the University of Illinois found that the average litter size for a Midwestern doe was two, but that litter sizes as large as five were possible.  (That’s a lot of fawns!)

It’s possible that your doe is tending a large litter, or that she’s part of a group that has “herded up.” Keep an eye on them and see what they do as spring continues!

Thanks for sharing!

-Naturalist Chris Mentrek

What is the white curly thing in my photo?

Impressive tendril!

The pale, spiral object in your photo looks like a dried-up tendril from a plant vine. Plants that produce vines (such as wild grapes) will typically send out thin structures called tendrils; they grow opposite the leaves, and extend outwards to help support the plant as it climbs.

The tendrils grow in a whip-like, spiraling motion that helps them grab onto any nearby supports (like a lasso). Once they encounter something strong (such as the twig that your spiral seems to have wrapped around), their spiral growth helps them to hold on tight and reinforce the growing vine.

Once the growing season is over, the tendrils dry out and harden into part of the vine’s support structure. (Some crafty people will even collect the dried tendrils for wreaths and arrangement; some people even sell them on crafting sites such as Etsy!)

If you’d like to read more, here’s a great summary of wild grapevine growth from Michigan State University.  This guide from Massachusetts offers another photo-rich summary of vine structure.

The tendril in your photo might be a record-setting spiral, though!

-Naturalist Chris Mentrek

I recently moved to Chesterland; and have a woodpile on my concrete driveway I"d like to relocate. It hs been there for some time; and there is a habitat for snakes, toads, etc.. that I want to impact minimally as I move the wood. My question is - when (summer, fall)/ and how should I move it to cause the inhabitants the least amount of trouble? Thanks.

Congratulations on creating some cozy habitat space for backyard wildlife!

If you’d like to move your wood pile off of the driveway while minimizing the effects on any critters sheltering within, your best bet is to wait for a warm day in May or June. By then, most animals should be done with their winter dormancy, and they’ll be ready to be up and active. If “moving day” is warm enough, any animals sheltering in your wood pile will have plenty of energy to crawl off in search of new shelter.

(Since your wood pile is on concrete, you don’t need to worry about disturbing any burrows underneath.)

For folks who haven’t yet created some backyard shelter for wildlife, here’s a handy guide to setting aside a corner of your yard for animal shelter (from the National Wildlife Federation).

Thanks for sharing, and have a happy moving day!

-Naturalist Chris Mentrek

I am a huge Chimney Swift fan, and I actually donated an intact nest a few years ago with an egg that you guys put in a case (Since the Swift educational program was only using a sketch of a nest at that time).

Anyway- so my Q pertains to the nests that they make each year in my chimney.

I thought I read that it is important to remove their old nests so that they don't reuse them as they could be unstable. Is that true? Or do they build a fresh nest each year?

IF it is a worry that they would reuse and it potentially would fail them, then I will have it the old one removed.

If you could advise. ALSO is there anyone who would come out to remove the old nests if that should be done? I had been hiring a chimney sweep company but it gets expensive. I haven't needed full cleanings as I don't burn often.

Thanks for being attentive to the chimney swifts that have found a nesting site in your chimney.

I wasn’t sure about their nesting situation, so I went to my friend and naturalist-extraodinaire Judy Semroc. She has maintained a chimney swift tower on her property for eight years or more. Upon examination of her tower, she discovered four nests over that time period.

To answer your question, Judy said that the swifts will decide if a nest can be re-used. If so, they will add new material and new “glue” (ie. their sticky saliva) to them to make them more sturdy. So, yes, they may re-use an old nest. However, other years, they may choose to build a new nest.

Judy does not recommend removing the old nests just because they are old, and she doesn’t know of anyone outside of a chimney sweep that would do nest removal. Judy also recommends that you keep your damper closed during nesting time. The damper will become the “bottom” of the chimney and will catch any nestlings that may fall out of the nest; then, parents will still be able to feed and care for them even if they fall out.

Chimney Swifts come back to the same chimney each year, so you can look forward to the return of “your” birds.  The males usually arrive first and then the females to their nest sites. If you have more questions, click here for Judy’s website.

-Naturalist Linda Gilbert

This plant has made a widespread appearance in the garden this year. I also have observed it near the trails while walking at area parks. Any identification? Is this a native plant? Or an invasive recommended for removal. Thank you.

This plant is White Avens, scientific name Geum canadense.

It is a native plant and a member of the rose family.

The flower will turn into a small bristly ball that can stick to clothing and pets.

Thanks for asking!

-Naturalist Denise Wolfe

While walking in Big Creek Park I saw a neat snake which my husband and I have been unable to identify. It was a slender snake but when I 1st saw it from a short distance it appeared to have a zig zag body (like rick rack used for sewing projects), but as I got closer I saw that this was an optical illusion and actually the snack had alternating black then dark brown horizontal bands about 1/2 inch or slightly more its entire length. Any thoughts on what type snake we saw? It was about 18 inches long. Unfortunately I did not have my phone with me to snap a photo that day! Thank you.

It can be hard to identify snakes from a description, but it sounds like you saw a Black (Gray) Rat Snake. As juveniles, they are blotched and will appear to have alternating light and dark markings. They are also common at Big Creek Park and will sit across trails. As they age, their pattern obscures until they are nearly a uniform black color.

-Naturalist Andy Avram

Wondering if you have a list of locations and approximate bloom times for NE Ohio wild flowers like Virginia Bluebells, Marsh Marigolds, Blood Root, Spring Beauty and any others you might have on your wildflower radar...?

We have many wonderful parks that have great displays of wildflowers in the spring.

Here are just a few: Headwaters Park (Eagle Trail), Swine Creek Reservation (Valley Trail), Big Creek Park (Trillium Trail, Deep Woods Trail & Wildflower Trail).

Bloom times are variable based on weather conditions. Your best bet for timing is the second week of April through May. This year, with warm conditions, it may be even earlier than that.

I’m so glad you are interested in our native wildflowers, and hope you will enjoy many spring walks in search of our spring-blooming flora.

-Naturalist Denise Wolfe