​Mimus polyglottos
 
Mock (yeah)
Ing (yeah)
Bird (yeah)
Yeah (yeah)
Mockin'bird, now
 
There’s a reason there are so many songs about Mockingbirds – they sing A LOT. I remember my first real encounter with a Mockingbird was a nest outside my window when I lived in Davis, California. It was constant. If it wasn’t the parents, it was the baby. They also do an excellent impression of a car alarm, because those aren’t annoying enough on their own. I was starting to understand why someone would want to shoot one.

Thankfully, that is not the end of my story. We rehabilitated lots of them at California Wildlife Center, and I learned they are hilarious birds with quite the personality. They had these funny stretches and mannerisms, and I swear they had facial expressions. They are clever and can be sneaky.

Cornell’s All About Birds has the best description of Northern Mockingbirds; “These slender-bodied gray birds apparently pour all their color into their personalities.”  They do have striking white patches on their wings that they will display in alternating wing flashes.

They are brilliant mimics, which I initially thought was one of their most irritating qualities, but now I marvel at. Both their common name and scientific names reference this talent. Their scientific name, Mimus polyglottus, means many-tongued mime. I was visiting a friend who lived next to a high school football field, and the Mockingbirds in her neighborhood could do a spot-on impression of the coach’s whistle.

Northern Mockingbirds are found from the Southern United States through Mexico, and they eat fruit and insects. Even though they are a very common species, their numbers are still in decline. Habitat loss, insecticide use, feral cats, and window strikes are all taking their toll.
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Next time you see a Mockingbird, stop and listen. And if it is in the middle of the night, maybe just close your window.

Pepsis spp
 
Tarantula Hawks are 100% #NatureIsMetal. They are neither tarantulas nor hawks but are actually a species of Spider Wasps. They can be quite large, up to five inches long! They are pollinators and normally dine on nectar, but the mother Wasps find a more morbid source of food for her offspring. She will sting a spider, paralyzing them, then lay her eggs inside the still-living spider, which the hatching larvae will eat from the inside out!
 
Last week, I saw one hauling a massive huntsman spider that was at least twice the Wasp’s size. I went in for a closer look because you don’t see that every day, and the Tarantula Hawk was having none of it. She started chasing me, even landing on my pants at one point. Since they have one of the painful stings in the world, I noped right out of there.
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Tarantula Hawks are found from the Southern US through South America. While I don’t recommend keeping one as a pet, they are actually quite beautiful. They have iridescent blue or black bodies and bright orange or amber wings. I honestly enjoy seeing them, but from a distance!

Gymnogyps californianus

It is not for lack of trying that I have not seen a California Condor in the wild. I’ve been to the Grand Canyon multiple times. Nothing. I would look for them on my drives to and from Ojai, where there had been numerous reported sightings. Nada. Now I live in a state where they aren’t native, so I really won’t see one. I guess that is what vacations are for.

The first time I saw one in person was at the San Diego Zoo. I cried. These massive, beautiful birds are a testament to wildlife conservation. In the 1980s, there were only 23 individuals left in the world. 23. That’s it.
Condors eat carrion, so they would get lead poisoning from shot animals. They were also impacted by DDT, which caused their eggshells to be so soft, they would be crushed when the parents would try to incubate them. Also, humans, being who they are, would shoot the large birds for fun.

The remaining Condors were all captured and brought into captivity. Through a multi-entity effort, which included the Los Angeles and San Diego Zoos, they began breeding them. In the early 1990s, they were able to start releasing them back to the wild. There were some hiccups. Condors didn’t know what electrical wires were, so institutions had to teach the birds that the wires were bad before release. Today, there are more than 500 California Condors.

I really do think they are beautiful. Yes, they don’t have feathers on their heads, but you wouldn’t want feathers on your head either if you were going to stick it in a carcass. The undersides of their wings are black with white along the leading edge. They also look like they are wearing a glamorous coat from the 30s with a lovely collar of black feathers around their necks.
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Condors are located in Arizona at the Grand Canyon, in Utah at Zion NP, and in places along the California coast, most notably Pinnacles NP. I’d better start booking my trip!

Marmota monax

The first wild and actually the first-ever Groundhog I saw was being stalked by a leopard. Yes, you read that correctly. I was working an evening event at Sunset Zoo and Annika, the Amur Leopard, was in her habitat enjoying the evening when we both saw movement along the fence line. It was a Groundhog. He had her FULL attention. She went up to the fence, but the Groundhog was out of her reach. It took a moment for him to realize that danger was very close by and run away.

Other Groundhogs at the Zoo have been less lucky. We’ve had a few wander into the Tiger habitat. They did not wander back out again. I’ve heard that the Cheetah is less motivated, and they have been known to escape. Groundhogs also apparently look like Beavers to the general public. On Wednesday last week, we had three separate guests report that our Beavers had escaped. We don’t have Beavers. The Groundhogs were just extra active that day.

Like Beavers, though, Groundhogs are rodents. More specifically, they are massive ground squirrels, although they have a short tail. They have strong jaws and ever-growing teeth, which they use to munch plants, fruits, and vegetables like my favorite internet Groundhog, Chunk. They will also eat insects, eggs, and other small animals when they have the chance.

I was shocked to learn that Groundhogs can climb trees and are also excellent swimmers. They are crepuscular, being active at dawn and dusk, but like our Beaver-impersonators, can also be out during the day. 

The most popular Groundhog is Punxsutawney Phil, who can predict how much more winter there will be each year on February 2. If he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If not, spring will be early. 
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I love these chonky rodents and hope they can keep clear of the Leopard habitat.

​Mimosa quadrivalvus
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I learned about this plant on a prairie wildflower walk. It has adorable pink, pom-pom flowers, and when touched or blown by the wind, its leaves fold up. Here is a video of that happening. It’s another example of how awesome nature is.
 
I thought it was called cat’s paw because of the flowers, but it is actually catclaw because the briars are shaped like, well, cat claws. If you see it in a garden center, it might also be called “pink sparkle,” which suits it perfectly. It is related to the mimosa tree, with which you might be more familiar.
 
It is a relatively common prairie flower that is a legume, so related to peas and beans. However, if an area is over-grazed, it won’t grow, making it an indicator of a healthy grassland.
 
It is always fun to learn a new wildflower, especially one that does magic tricks!

Corvus ossifragus

The first time I heard the call of a Fish Crow, I thought an American Crow had been sucking on a helium balloon. I think I even said out loud, “What a weird sounding Crow!” I had never even heard of Fish Crows. It wasn’t until I was using Merlin to identify some other birds that “Fish Crow,” popped up. It was then that it clicked that I hadn’t heard an American Crow with laryngitis, but that this was a completely separate species.

Of course, the first thing I did was look up this anomalous bird to see what the deal was.  I was told they look pretty much identical to American Crows and can usually only be identified by their call. It did make me feel better that I didn’t realize it was a separate species. They are found in the Southeast and, according to All About Birds, not in Kansas. It did mention that their range was spreading north and east along rivers. Well, we have two rivers in town, so that would make sense.  One fun fact they shared was they rob other birds’ nests and dig up turtle eggs. Kind of a bummer, but thanks for the info.

Other than tending to live near water and sounding like Fran Drescher, they are mostly like other corvids, smart, will eat anything, and hold a grudge, probably. They do defer to American Crows when in a territorial dispute because they are every so slightly smaller.
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So, there you have it! What looks like an American Crow, acts like an American Crow, but isn’t an American Crow? A Fish Crow, apparently.

​Tayassu Tajacu
 
When my mother moved to Arizona, we would talk on the phone and she would tell me about the Javelina she would see wandering their neighborhood. I didn’t recognize the name, so I asked what they were. She said they were rodents that looked like pigs, smelled like skunks, and were bristly like porcupines. I had no idea what she was talking about until she said they were also called peccaries. The lightbulb went off. I remembered learning about them and that they were the new world relative of old world pigs. “They aren’t rodents,” I informed her. “Everyone here says they are rodents,” she replied. She was correct in that many people in Arizona do think Javelina are rodents. They are not. They are artiodactyls, or even-toed ungulates. This Order includes deer, hippos, giraffes, cows, and many others. They are as closely related to rodents as we are.

Like their not-so-close relative, pigs, Javelina do have a snout which they use to dig around in the soil for food. These include roots, bulbs, and my mother’s tulips. They are named after their sharp tusks, which look like javelins. They use these built-in weapons for defense, as they are mostly herbivores; however, I have personally seen one kill and eat a squirrel. Maybe let’s say they aren’t very picky.

Yes, they do smell like skunks. You can usually smell them before you see them because they have a musk gland on their lower back. Herd members will rub this on each other to help them stay together, as they have an excellent sense of smell, but their eyesight isn’t very good.

They do have long, coarse hair which stands on end when they feel threatened, making them look much bigger than their 18 inches tall. They also have short legs with teeny tiny hooves to help them get through dense brush. The babies look like potatoes on stilettos.

After moving to Arizona myself, I became very familiar with Javelinas. I loved watching entire families grunt and clip-clop their way across the street looking for the next flower bed to raid. You also couldn’t leave your jack-o-lantern out on Halloween, as pumpkins are one of their favorite snacks. Your elegant holiday display could quickly become an orange massacre!

If they don’t live where you are, you might be in luck! Javelina are moving northwards as temperatures warm. They were not historically even found in Arizona. This is a relatively recent phenomenon. Today, they are found from the Southwest through Central and most of South America.

As for why people think they are rodents, I still have no idea. It is suggested that it is because of their tusks, but rodents don’t have tusks! They have large incisors! I may never know the reason for this misidentification, but I will always be that annoying person who pipes up to provide an unsolicited natural history of this underappreciated animal.

Eriogonum fasciculatum

Earlier this week, I wrote about how everything in Southern California turns brown in the summer. Of course, there are always exceptions, and the hearty California Buckwheat is one.

This scrubby evergreen shrub can bloom from May through November. Its clusters of white to pink flowers are always a welcome sight on a hike. Luckily, they are quite prolific throughout the Santa Monica Mountains and much of Southern California. Even after the flowers have bloomed, the heads turn into a lovely deep rust color.

You’d also be hard-pressed to find a blooming California Buckwheat plant not absolutely teaming with bees. Apparently, the nectar produces a rather exquisite honey. However, don’t try to make pancakes from them. According to Nancy Dale in Flowering Plants, The Santa Monica Mountains, Coastal & Chaparral Regions of Southern California, “Even though the buckwheat of flour fame belongs to the same family, an attempt to make anything palatable of this plant is probably doomed to failure.”
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Blooming California Buckwheat is a great excuse to head out on the trails in Southern California in the summer and fall!

Hemaris spp.
 
What’s that in the flowers? Is it a moth? Is it a hummingbird? Yes and no. It’s a Hummingbird Moth!

I love these massive moths. They do look and move just like hummingbirds and feed on the same nectar-producing flowers. Instead of a long beak, they have a long tongue which they can curl up and keep under their chin when they are not feeding.

They are often referred to as Hawk Moths and Sphinx Moths. The sphinx name comes not from the adults but the caterpillars. They are known to raise their heads off the ground like a sphinx.

As I mentioned before, they are large. Their wingspans can be up to two and a half inches. The antennae of moths, including Hummingbird Moths, are fuzzy, differing from those of butterflies. Their wings also usually have clear parts.

Like all moths and butterflies, Hummingbird Moths have specific host plants where they lay their eggs. These include honeysuckle, dogbane, and some stone fruit trees. And, to the frustration of many gardeners, the Five-Spotted Hawkmoth has a penchant for laying eggs on tomato plants. Yes, the tomato hornworm will turn into a sphinx moth, although they are a separate genus from the traditional Hummingbird Moth.

Still, Hummingbird Moths are fun to find! I love seeing their cubby, furry bodies flitting in and out of flowerbeds like their namesake.
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Next time you see a Hummingbird, look twice. It might actually be a Moth!
  

Some people believe summer ends on August 2 with the first harvest festival of the season, welcoming in autumn. It kind of makes sense. Why would the equinox be at the beginning of the season and not the middle? If you are of this belief, then I apologize for this post being late.

I admit that I’ve been putting off writing about summer because I don't particularly like it. I am very heat-sensitive, and it can trigger migraines. And as a ginger, the sun and I have never gotten along. In California, everything would die off, and it would be brown and hot and smoggy. The beach and the pool didn’t provide relief because it was hot, crowded, and I would be the cool kid wearing a T-shirt over my bathing suit to swim in. These are the days before super cute rash guards, of which I now own many, despite the fact I rarely go swimming.

The things I do like about Arizona summer – the thunderstorms and cicadas – exist in Kansas, too! I really do love a summer storm, and even though the cicadas are so noisy I can’t use my Merlin app to identify bird song; there’s something about them I find so cheerful. And everything is so GREEN! Arizona and Colorado were mostly evergreens, so seeing all the plants and deciduous trees in peak chlorophyll production is new and exciting!

Of course, in between the storms, it is hot and very humid. I’ve given up on my hair. I’m just a giant frizz ball and nothing I have tried has fixed it. I guess that’s what hats are for.

I feel like I am being reintroduced to summer in Kansas, a kind of summer I have never experienced before. On days when it isn’t so hot, it is lovely to be out and see the wildflowers and listen to the cicadas and occasionally catch the high-pitched peeping of baby birds in a nest. Maybe this is the beginning of an appreciation for my least favorite season.

Stay cool out there!