Winter at the ODC

Can you believe that one week ago, we had so much snow, that we had a snow day???  Michigan weather certainly keeps us on our toes!  Fortunately, we were able to get to the ODC while the snow was there to learn about plants and animals in the winter season!

We began our visit in the pavilion area in order to hear the guidelines and join up with our guide, Mr. Tom.  He was our guide for our fall visit as well, and will be our guide when we visit in May!  He always teaches us so much, and is wonderful with the kids!  He told me that in the past, he used to be a teacher, and was a substitute teacher for awhile, but he LOVES his job at the ODC and we love him!

 

 Our first stop was Founders Hall, where Mr. Tom taught us about what some animals do to survive in the winter.  First, he showed us a painted turtle!  Did you know that turtles dig a hole in the wet mud near or in a pond and hibernate all winter?  They can breathe by taking in oxygen through their tail area.  Mr. Tom then told us that children should not keep turtles for pets.  They live for a long time, and by the time children grow up, parents often end up releasing turtles back into the wild, and very few survive after being pets for so long.

Next, Mr. Tom pulled out a Black Rat Snake! He told us that these snakes are tree climbers, and are becoming scarce due to their natural habitat (trees) being cut down for farms, to build homes, and more.  Black Rat Snakes eat rodents, small birds and maybe small squirrels.  They are cold blooded, which means they warm up using outdoor temperatures and objects.  When Mr. Tom pulled it out, the snake immediately wrapped itself around his arm to warm his body!  In fact, it was difficult for him to pull the snake off of his arm to put back into the bag!

We spent a few moments looking at some more turtles, a few lizards and a barn owl in the front room of Founder's Hall before going over to their NEW building!

In the fall, we did not get a chance to go into the new building.  This time, we spent some time looking at the taxidermy animals inside!  We did not get a chance to spend a long time inside, so I highly suggest you go back to visit with your family!  It is well worth the trip, plus you can explore the trails as well!

Leah and Kylee check out the taxidermy bear and mountain lion!

Jayden, Sean, Maddy, Kylee and Molly stand in front of the taxidermy animals.

Checking out the snakes and lizards.

Talon, Keira, Molly, Kylee, Reece and Bailey look at the taxidermy animals.

Reece in front of his favorite animal, a mountain goat.

Mr. Tom explains that many animals adapt for the winter and their coats turn white, which helps them hide from their enemies and also sneak up on their prey!

We then moved back outside, and went off to the meadow!  We had so much snow the day before, and no one had walked on the trails, so we were tromping through 6 inches or more of snow!

We gathered just off the trail in the meadow.  Mr. Tom taught us that there is a layer just under the snow where many meadow animals live.  The snow insulates them to keep warm, so that they can survive the winter.  There are also animals such as hawks, foxes, and more, who watch the meadow to catch their prey as well! 

 

We also stopped in the next habitat, which was a lake frozen over.  Mr. Tom taught us that fish live at the bottom of the lake 'doing fish stuff' all winter long.  Although they do slow down because the water is cold, they are able to breathe air from the water, and find enough food to survive.  We also learned that ice is lighter than water, which is why there is still water at the bottom for the fish!

 

On our way to our next stop, Mr. Tom showed us a 'gall'.  There are certain flies that lay eggs on different plants.  The larva that comes out of the egg does not like the cold weather, so it burrows into the plant.  The plant, in turn, creates a large 'cyst' to protect itself.  This benefits the larva by protecting it from the elements.  It also provides food for the larva when it emerges from it's resting state!  Nature is pretty amazing!

Here is an example of a 'gall'.  The gall on different types of plants look different, and flies lay their eggs on the plants that their larva need to eat!

Our final stop of the day was another place we did not get to visit in the fall.  The Birds of Prey area!  Mr. Tom told us that birds of prey do eat meat, but the reason they are classified as birds of prey is because they have talons and catch and hold their prey with them!  Mr. Tom also told us that all but one bird in this area have been brought to the ODC because they were hurt in some way, and could not survive in the wild on their own.  Many have damaged wings due to being hit by a car.  Some have a bad eye due to an injury. But one bird, a Kestral, is an ODC animal because of humans rather than an injury.  It seems a family caught him and made him their pet. When they tired of him, they let the Kestral go, and he never learned to find food for himself.  So, the ODC keeps him safe and feeds him, along with all of their other birds of prey. 

Talon by the Barred Owl enclosure.

Mr. Tom takes the Kestral out of the cage and tells us about him.

After so many stops, our two hours at the ODC were over!  We would like to than Mr. Tom for teaching us so much about nature in the winter.  We look forward to our final visit in May!