The Backyard Naturalists

01/19/2025

Fyi!

If you see a turtle out in the winter, they probably need help. Turtles brumate during the cold weather and very seldomly come up only if there is extended periods of warmth. Things that keep them from brumation are injuries, respiratory illness and viruses, all of which are deadly in the cold. If you find a turtle during this cold weather, snap a photo and send it to us. This animal most likely needs help!

01/14/2025

The Repair Café is back for 2025! 🛠️✨ Bring your household items, and let’s fix them together. Save money, help the planet, and pick up a new skill along the way! 🌍💡

📅 When: February 15th, 12–4 PM
🔗 Sign up now—link in bio or on our website!

Let’s repair, not replace. See you there! 🙌

01/12/2025

Because “flock” is not enough.

01/11/2025

How many of these items can you find throughout the winter season?

01/09/2025

The Matthews Community Farmers' Market will be closed this Saturday.

01/08/2025

Heads up, Nebraskans!

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR SNOWY OWLS IN NEBRASKA!

December and January are prime months for spotting these elusive birds. Snowy Owls breed on the Arctic tundra, where females lay between 3 to 11 eggs, depending on food availability—if food is scarce, they may not breed at all.

Female Snowy Owls are darker than males, with dusky spotting, and never become fully white. Their favorite food is lemmings—lots of them! An adult Snowy Owl can consume over 1,600 lemmings in a year. These owls often migrate south to the U.S. when lemmings are hard to find, which is why you may spot one this winter.

If you see a Snowy Owl, please report it to: [email protected]

📷: Wikimedia Commons

01/01/2025

Wishing you a year filled with the wonders of nature!

Picture from NC Wildlife Federation of elk in Cherokee.

Happy 2025!

12/28/2024

A little dose of nature … and reality 🦉

12/25/2024

Wherever you are and whatever you celebrate, The Backyard Naturalists crew wishes you joy, peace and lots of nature!

Chris, Laurie and Debbie

12/23/2024

We’re not sure whoever does these posts for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is quite right but they are highly entertaining!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1B2DmzEFwY/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Scat snacks are here to brighten your holiday season. WAIT! Where are you going?!?!

The folks over at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge in Ohio have created a tasty and brilliant way to identify wildlife via scat. These chocolate shortbread cookies are a perfect treat for the wildlife nerds in your life and are sure to entertain the whole party!

To get the whole recipe on how to make number two coyote, beaver, raccoon, deer, and rabbit cookies, check out our comments below.



Photo by USFWS/Gawin

12/13/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Fss7reAQh/?mibextid=wwXIfr

12/12/2024

12/12/2024

Let's hear it! Nature is ______________!

12/11/2024

Here's some good news!

As of the first week of October, nearly 90,000 sea turtle hatchlings had emerged from sea turtle nests laid on coastal beaches in North Carolina.

There were 1,333 loggerhead sea turtle nests recorded in North Carolina this year, plus 24 green turtle nests, 7 leatherback nests, and 9 Kemp’s Ridley nests. The 1,333 loggerhead nests are just shy of the 10-year average of 1,378 nests per year.