Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve

It might seem like a branch at a first glance, but if you look closely, you can see the magnificent Green Heron. They stand motionless like statutes scanning the water for a tasty snack to swim by, and when the moment is perfect, they strike with their dagger-like bills. They often tuck their necks in tightly, making them look stocky, but they can suddenly extend them into a long, "S" shape to strike!

This Green Heron was spotted during our May bird walk! Check out all of our events at ClayPitPonds.Eventbrite.Com.

Source: Audobon.Org

This miniscule but vibrant Common Eyelash Cup, (Scutellinia scutellata), was found under a sodden log along the Ellis swamp trail. We half expected it to wink! These mushrooms are tiny, measuring between 0.2-1cm in diameter. Young specimens start spherical, expanding to reveal the mature disc/cup form. The inner surface of the cup is a bright red-orange color and contains fertile spores. The margins or edges contain dark, eyelash-like hairs around their rim hence their common name, Eyelash Cups. These hairs serve to retain moisture by trapping humidity within the cup as well as providing structural support. It is suspected that the hairs also help with spore dispersal by altering wind flow around the cup, helping spores become airborne. These hairs may also act as a physical barrier to small insects, preventing them from eating the fungus. Eyelash cups are commonly found growing alone or in dense clusters on rotting wood, damp soil and dung. Keep your eyes peeled and you might spot one!

Please enjoy the beauty and strangeness of our park’s fungi but remember foraging or tasting wild mushrooms is NOT allowed in any of our parks.
Resource: inaturalist.org

Swipe to see what’s going on in the park in June!
 
🌈 Tot Time. Every Tuesday, 10am-11:30am. Ages 0-5.
🌈 Gentle Yoga. Saturday June 6, 10am-11am. All ages. Registration required.
🌈 Tai Chi. Saturday June 6, 1pm-2pm. All ages. Registration required.
🌈 Qigong. Sunday June 7, 10am-11am. All ages. Registration required.
🌈 CPP Hiking Club. Sunday June 7, 1pm-3pm. All ages.
🌈 Bug Hunt. Saturday June 13, 10am-12pm. All ages.
🌈 FrogWatch Hike. Wednesday June 17, 8pm-9:30pm. All ages.
🌈 Seasonal Crafting for Seniors: Cupcake Liner Wreaths. Thursday June 18, 9am-11am. Ages 55+.
🌈 Pollinator Gardening. Saturday June 20, 10am-12pm. All ages.
🌈 Mud Day. Saturday June 27, 11am-3pm. All ages.
🌈 Art in the Park: Memory Wire Suncatchers. Sunday June 28, 1pm-3pm. All ages.
 
Register for our events at ClayPitPonds.Eventbrite.Com. DM us and we will add you to our mailing list!
 
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Walking along Clay Pit Road, keep your eyes peeled for a bright flash of reddish-orange with black wings flying around. That would be a Scarlet Tanager! These beautiful birds are found along the northeast during the spring, making their homes in high canopies. They often join mixed flocks of other songbirds to feed. The female Scarlet Tanagers are actually yellow with dusky brown wings. If you can learn this bird’s distinctive “chick-burr” call, it’s very useful for finding both males and females.

An interesting fact is that Scarlet Tanagers are often hosts to the sneaky Brown-headed Cowbird. When a pair of Tanagers notices a female cowbird approaching, they aggressively drive her away. But if they don’t notice, the Cowbird replaces the Tanager egg with one of her own, and the parent Tanagers can’t tell the difference between their own egg and the imposter. They are also unable to tell the difference between the hatchlings, so they will raise it like one of their own!

Source: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Scarlet_Tanager/overview

Thanks to everyone who came to Art in the Park: Geometric Wall Art on Sunday! We had a great afternoon crafting and creating beautiful works of art. We hope to see you at our next event!

Is that a dinosaur walking along the forest floor??? Nope! Take a look at this snapping turtle, the largest turtle that we have here at Clay Pit Pond State Park Preserve! Adult snapping turtles are typically 10-20 inches in length and weigh 10-35 lbs.

Snapping turtles have a fierce, powerful jaw that they use for defense! However, these turtles are not inherently aggressive and will not attack people unless provoked to do so.

Source: www.ncwildlife.org

Happy Fungi Friday! We found yet another species of inkcap fruiting from a straw bale near the Nature Center. These Flocculose Inkcaps (Coprinellus flocculosus) are in the Psathyrellaceae family and thrive in humid environments rich in organic materials. They are decomposers that fruit in scattered to gregarious groupings. The term flocculose is an adjective that describes the soft, woolly tufts often found on the caps. Like all Coprinellus, these caps are short lived; deliquescing into a into a spored-filled liquid in mere hours. This inky liquid can be used for writing or drawing.

Please enjoy the beauty and strangeness of our park’s fungi but remember foraging or tasting wild mushrooms is NOT allowed in any of our parks.
Resource: www.mushroomexpert.com

Repost from our friends at : “If you see what looks like a baby bird on the ground, don't panic! If it has feathers, it's a fledgling, or a teenage bird going through its awkward phase. These birds are learning to survive outside of the nest. This fledgling starling was hopping around in the grass, with its parent close by. Most of the time, it's better to leave young birds like this alone. Their parents are likely nearby to take care of them!”

Sharrotts Pond has finally gotten its spring decor. Spatterdock, or yellow pond-lily, as far as the eye can see!

Lily pads provide essential shade for fish to hide from the hot summer sun and help frogs and turtles camouflage from predators. These plants are excellent at keeping ponds healthy, as they remove excess nutrients and reduce sunlight access, which limits the growth of harmful algae.

Thank you to everyone who came to one of our events last week! Whether you created beautiful floral wreaths or looked and listened for birds, we appreciate you coming to our park!

Join us for our next event! Art in the Park: Geometric Wall Art will be on Sunday, May 24th from 1pm-3pm. Drop by anytime during those 2 hours to create some cool art! Register at ClayPitPonds.Eventbrite.Com.