Sing a Song of Salamanders...

Last week it was the Wibbly. This week it’s wiggly, squiggly salamanders. I knew I would love this book the moment I saw the cover, and I was right!

Salamander Song 

by Ginny Neil; illus. by Charli Vince 

40 pages; ages 4-8

Tilbury House Publishers, 2025

theme: citizen science, salamanders, nature

Autumn sings here, “Ready! Set! Swish!”

We meet the salamander at the end of salamander season – in the fall when it’s ready to burrow in for the winter. But soon, sleet raps and taps. The pond fills. Water slips and drips “into the deep and tickles the salamander out of its sleep.” Fortunately, there are people who are ready and willing to help the salamander and its friends cross the road to the safety of the vernal pool. 

What I like love about this book: The language is lyrical and luscious. There is rhyme without being a rhyming book, and there is a rhythm to this story that culminates in the chant on the last few pages… a chant that almost sounds like a salamander fight song. The illustrations invite children to spend time on the page noticing details. As a whole, this book encourages kids (and adults, too, I hope) to head outside on a wet night to check out the seasonal amphibians. And maybe get involved in Big Night, when folks help frogs and salamanders by slowing traffic for amphibian crossings. Back matter includes an author’s note and four community science projects that kids can get involved in.

I had to ask Ginny One Question.

Me: Your book has the feel of someone who's gone out and helped salamanders cross the roads. Have you?

Ginny: Although I have never participated in a Big Night salamander event, I am a Master Naturalist and as part of my training I visited vernal pools. Our leader, a salamander expert, netted various salamanders including a rare Jefferson salamander, and we saw balls of breeding toads (called toad balls) in which many males climb atop one female and the resulting mass forms a ball that rolls and roils in the pond. We also pulled up spotted salamander egg masses cemented to underwater vegetation, and our guide talked to us about the shrinking number of vernal pools available for these mass breeding events. 

Months later, I read an article about a citizen science project called Big Night, which takes place on the first night of a warm spring rain. This is when ordinary people gather and provide help for all the amphibians trying to reach vernal pools across the road from their wintering grounds. It was an intriguing idea and since I have done many citizen science projects with students I wanted to write about the idea of ordinary citizens working together to add data to the scientific community. Since all amphibians are counted as they cross, this was an interesting way to approach it. The book follows the salamanders and humans through the season until they meet on a night of salamander rain.

I love salamanders. My boys kept some red newts ( no longer legally permissible because of disease) in a terrarium  when they were growing up and we find them all the time around our mountain farm. All salamanders are considered an indicator species so when they begin to disappear we should be concerned.

Thank you for your salamander savvy. Ginny is a member of #STEAMTeam2025.  A couple of years ago we chatted about her book,  The Glorious Forest that Fire Built. You can find out more about her at her website, www.ginnyneilwrites.com

Beyond the Books:

Go on a salamander search. Choose a warm rainy night to go outside where you can listen for frogs croaking, toads trilling, and maybe see some slithery salamanders migrating toward their pond. If you don’t have salamanders living near you, check out these salamanders from North Carolina. So many kinds!

Why did the Salamander cross the road? You can find out in this article about the annual spring salamander migration in my neck of the woods.

Create a sensational salamander. You could use legos, carboard and paint, or crayons and paper to create a salamander that you’d love to see. You can even use the letter S as a salamander template, like this one from the San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum.

Today we’re joining Perfect Picture Book Friday. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Explore Outdoors ~ Feeder Watch

 When my kids were young, we set up a bird feeder and tacked the bird identification poster on the wall. We loaded a steel garbage can with bird seed and suet packets and made sure there was a field guide and binoculars on the windowsill. Then we signed up for Feeder Watch, a fun citizen science project through Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 

Carolina Wren by Ann Duvall (permission from CLO)

Back then, we filled out data sheets by hand and mailed them in at the end of the season. On days we weren't counting birds we came up with other things to study. Like how many kinds of birds made up the "feeder flock." And whether chickadees perching on the clothesline observed "social distance". And various ways to frustrate squirrels intent on raiding the sunflower seeds.

The cool thing was that, by observing birds at the feeder we were providing scientists with data that could lead to a scientific discovery.

This year, Feeder Watch begins November 14. If you are new (and even if you're not) there's a webinar on Thursday, November 19 to help you get started: Winter Bird Feeding 101 with Project FeederWatch. Dr. Emma Greig and Holly Grant will answer questions about feeders, foods, and the birds that frequent our yards. You can sign up here. 

Check out earlier posts for birdy activities here and here.

Butterflies Belong Here!

As summer comes to an end, I’ve noticed tons of butterflies flitting around my garden and along the roadside: Monarchs, cabbage butterflies, sulfurs, blues, checkered, and cute, fuzzy skippers.

theme: butterflies, nature, environment

Butterflies Belong Here: A Story of One Idea, Thirty Kids, and a World of Butterflies 
by Deborah Hopkinson; illus. by Meilo So
68 pages; ages 5-8
Chronicle Books, 2020

Last spring, we took a class picture… I was a little like a caterpillar then: quiet and almost invisible.

When a girl moves to a new home, she learns all about monarch butterflies. But when she looks for them in the gardens of her neighborhood, they are hard to find. She hears about way stations – gardens filled with plants that monarchs like – and wonders if she could plant a way station at the school. All it takes is one person with an idea, says the librarian.

What I like about this book: I like that the main character, who remains unnamed, feels empowered enough to lead a class project in planting a monarch garden. It requires a plan, a presentation, and persistence. Planting flowers can sound so simple and small – but when it’s done to make the world a better place for butterflies, it’s huge. Back matter includes a guide to making a monarch way station, monarch facts, and resources for monarch activists of all ages.

Beyond the Books:

Do Monarch butterflies live in your neighborhood? Look for orange and black butterflies flitting around or nectaring at flowers. Then look closer to make sure it’s really a monarch. Here’s how to tell whether you’ve got a monarch.

Make a plan for planting a monarch way station. If you need some help, check out these articles here and here.

Draw or paint a picture of a monarch butterfly. Take a close look at its wings. Are they tattered? Maybe your monarch has been flying south for days.

Monarchs migrate in the fall. You can track the migration here.

Today we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Explore Summer!

Archimedes Notebook is taking a break from book reviews for a few weeks so I can spend this summer being a curious naturalist. I'll be counting bees, watching bugs, and searching out cool fungi ~ indulging in non-digital exploration of my world. I invite you to turn off your computer for a few hours each week so you can explore the world around you.

Need ideas? Check out the "things to do" list, revisit Wednesday explorer posts, or find a citizen science project to help out with (links in the "Get Involved in Real Science" list to the right). Write haiku, draw pictures, paint, put that sidewalk chalk to use, make slime, watch the stars - and remember to make s'mores. 

See you in August!

You're Invited to a Moth Ball!

You're Invited to a Moth Ball: A Nighttime Insect Celebration 
by Loree Burns; illus by Ellen Harasimowicz
40 pages; ages 5 - 8
Charlesbridge, 2020

theme: insects, STEAM, summer

You don’t know what a moth ball is? Please come anyway! You can learn as we go.

A moth ball, it turns out, isn’t a dance with tuxedos and long gowns. It’s a night-time party that celebrates moths! And this newest book by Loree Burns shows how you can get involved. You don’t need much: a light source, some moth food, and about a ton of curiosity. Ellen Harasimowicz provides wonderful photos of kids searching for moths and a moth-collecting station.

What I like about this book: It’s about bugs! I love the title page, designed as an invitation with an RSVP at the bottom. I love the playful approach: we’re going to have a ball! And I like the back matter where you can find out more about moths, how to set up your very own moth ball, and a recipe for moth bait. Loree includes an author’s note about raising moth eggs, and Ellen shares some notes about photographing moths.

Loree graciously answered One Question by email earlier this week:

Archimedes: Of all the moths you've met during your evening "Moth Balls", do you have any favorites? And what is it about them that you find so fascinating?

Loree: It's truly hard to pick a favorite moth, partly because there are so many fascinating and unexpected species and partly because I've only seen a tiny subset of the ones I know are out there. I am sure I'll have a different answer to this question at the end of the summer moth-watching season.

rosy maple moth ~ cute, fuzzy guy!

That said, I have a special affection for the rosy maple moth. It's the moth that first surprised me, because I stumbled on one during the day (it was resting on a daisy stem, and I happened to be in the garden cutting daisies) and because it is gorgeous. I've heard people call them cotton candy moths, and I think it's an appropriate moniker for a creature so yellow and pink! The other appealing characteristic of the rosy maple moth is that they're super common. Now that I routinely have lights on in my yard at night, I see them all the time. So it's a moth beginners can expect to see, too.

Beyond the Books:

Check out the differences between moths and butterflies at this page hosted by the Australian Museum.

Young moth-watchers can collect important data to help scientists understand more about moths. Here’s one study done by Grant, and here’s how you can get involved as a citizen scientist during National Moth Week.

Go mothing! Here’s tips to get you started from Science Friday.

Loree is a member of #STEAMTeam2020. You can find out more about her at her website.

Today we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy  provided by the publisher.

Books for Bird Lovers

Winter is coming and it’s the perfect time to watch birds ~ birds at the feeder, birds hanging around the park, birds creeping up and down trees as they hunt for insects hiding in bark crevices, and birds gleaning seeds from the garden flowers we never trimmed.

So today I’m sharing books about birds ~  here on Archimedes and also over at Sally’s Bookshelf. Theme for the day: birds, citizen science

Bird Count

by Susan Edwards Richmond; illus. by Stephanie Fizer Coleman

32 pages; ages 4-8

Peachtree Publishing, 2019

I shake Mom in the dark. “Wake up, sleepy head! It’s Bird Count Day!”

Ava is excited because this year she gets to keep tally of the birds “her” crew finds during the annual Christmas Bird Count. She’s dressed for the weather, and has the tools she needs: a notebook, a pencil, and most importantly, her eyes and her ears.

What I like about this book: We get to go along on the bird-finding field trip without leaving the warmth of our cozy home. Bird-by-bird we meet (and count) owls, chickadees, catbirds and geese. It’s a great way to become familiar with how the bird count works, in case we want to join a local census circle. Back matter tells more about each species featured in the book as well as additional information about the Christmas Bird Count. 

The Puffins Are Back (New & Updated)

by Gail Gibbons

32 pages; ages 4-8

Holiday House, 2019

A small boat comes close to an island of the coast of Maine.

Scientists have returned to study a puffin colony. Concerned about the population decline, they built burrows and brought chicks to the island. Now, years later, the scientists continue to observe the colony, learning more about the bird’s behavior.

What I like about this book: The illustrations are so inviting, and make me want to linger on the page. And the text tells a wonderful story of determination to save these iconic birds.

Beyond the Books:

If you have a bird feeder, you can become a Citizen Scientist by collecting data for Feeder Watch. Learn more at Feeder Watch.

Create your own back yard bird count. Keep track of all the birds you see during a 15-minute period of time. If you do that every month, you can get an idea of how bird populations change with the season. All you need are a notebook, pencil, and a bird guide (or two). You can also use  Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s online bird fieldguide and Audubon’s online bird guide.

Make a paper-plate puffin. Here's how. While the glue dries, learn more about the puffinresearch at Matinicus Rock.

 

Today we're joining other book bloggers over at STEM Friday, where you can discover other cool STEM books. And we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copies provided by the publishers.

Wednesday Explorers Club ~ Nest Watching

Great Blue Heron, by Scott Kinsey

Wherever you live – city, suburbs, country – birds around you are constructing their nests and raising families. And if they’re building those nests near your home or office, or even a local park you visit, you can help scientists by reporting nests to the NestWatch project at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

NestWatchers report nest location, the species using it, and number of eggs. The nest-watching citizen scientists can also report other important milestones, too, such as times they such as observations of adult birds raising and fledging their young.

"Every year, scientists use data collected by NestWatchers in published studies," says Robyn Bailey, NestWatch project leader. "For example, in 2018, two studies examined the effects of spring temperatures on the timing of nesting activities, and showed that birds nest earlier when spring temperatures are warmer. Such studies help add to our understanding of how climate change can affect the lives of birds."

Great Horned Owl by Georgia Wilson

What do you get out of it? Besides that great feeling of being a part of scientific discovery? You get to witness the start of new life and help to preserve it with your valuable information. It doesn’t matter whether you’re reporting a massive web of sticks like the Great Blue Heron's nest, the compact twiggy cup nest of a Blue Jay, or a pair of bluebirds in a nest box – NestWatch observations are more important than ever in this changing world.

You can register for the project at NestWatch.org and learn more about how to monitor nests without disturbing the birds. You can download the NestWatch app in the Apple App Store or from Google Play.

photos used with permission by Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Join the Great Backyard Bird Count!

Evening Grosbeak by GBBC participant Ted Schroeder, Oregon

This weekend is for the birds! The 22nd Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC)  happens Friday, February 15 through Monday, February 18. You’re invited to join me and other volunteers from around the world. It doesn’t matter whether you’re an expert birder or just beginning to watch the birds hanging around your backyard.

The GBBC mission: to count the birds you see for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count, then enter your checklists at birdcount.org. You can do this by yourself or with family and friends.

This year, Cornell Lab of Ornithology says participants will probably see more finches and grosbeaks. They are moving farther south than usual in what's called an "irruption." This type of movement is often sparked by poor cone, seed, and berry crops in parts of Canada. It’s also a good year for sighting Red Crossbills, Common Redpolls, Pine Grosbeaks, Common and Hoary Redpolls, and Red-breasted Nuthatches.

 Downy Woodpecker by Charlie Prince, Alabama.

"The Great Backyard Bird Count is a great way for all bird watchers to contribute to a global database of bird populations," says Dr. Gary Langham, vice president and chief scientist for the National Audubon Society. "Participants in the Great Backyard Bird Count help scientists understand how things like climate change are impacting bird populations so we can better inform our conservation efforts."

Last year, GBBC participants submitted more than 180,000 bird checklists, reporting a record 6,456 species. That’s more than half the known bird species in the world.

How to get started:
1. Visit birdcount.org. There you’ll find instructions, a “How To” slide show, answers to your questions, and bird lists.

2. Check out the links, where you’ll find an online Bird Guide, tips for identifying “tricky” birds, and more.

3. And head over to Audubon for a great introduction to 15 common birds.

These Books are for the Birds!

The annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count is starting next week. Here's two books to inspire young readers - and potential bird-counting citizen scientists.

themes: nature, birds, conservation

Finding a Dove for Gramps
by Lisa J. Amstutz; illus. by Maria Luisa Di Gravio
32 pages; ages 5-7
Albert Whitman & Company, 2018

Mom and I slip silently out the door. Today we're going to count birds.

It's just Jay and his mom this year, because Gramps has "flown south" for the winter. They've got everything they need: woolly caps, bird guides, binoculars, and a clipboard.

What I like about this book: Lisa Amstutz plunks us right into a bird count. You can almost hear the snow crunching underfoot, the calls of chickadees and jays, the rat-tat-tat of woodpeckers drumming on a tree.  You can almost see that flash of yellow (kinglet) and a tufted titmouse "all dressed up in his suit and top hat." You can feel your toes freeze and, at the end, the warmth of a mug of hot cocoa.

I like how she sneaks in one brief sentence connecting Jay and mom's activities with how scientists will use the data.  Most of that info is at the back where there is plenty of Back Matter! There is more information about the Christmas Bird Count, and how to join plus a bird count check list you can copy and take outside when you do your own bird walks.

And there is the search for the dove.

Counting Birds, the idea that helped save our feathered friends
by Heidi Stemple; illus. by Clover Robin
32 pages; ages 4-8
Seagrass Press (Quarto), 2018

Frank Chapman loved birds.

He worked at a museum. and wrote books and articles about birds. He even started a magazine dedicated to birds. But not everyone cared about conservation. One Christmas tradition was to hold a bird competition, where hunters counted how many birds they shot. The winning team was the one that bagged the most birds.

Frank had a different idea: count the birds without shooting them.

What I like about this book: This book is like a field trip that starts at Frank Chapman's home and ends with counting birds in the field. Clover Robin's collage/cut-paper artwork pays incredible attention to detail. And of course there is Back Matter! You can learn more about Frank Chapman and how to get involved in the Christmas Bird Count and other birdy citizen scientist projects. And Heidi Stemple shares her personal story of owling and bird counting.

Beyond the Books:

Get involved in the Christmas Bird Count! Details are on the Audubon website. If the holidays are too busy for you, check out the Great Backyard Bird Count (on President's Day in February) or FeederWatch, which you can do on your own schedule. All of these provide data that tell scientists how birds are doing, so they can help protect birds.

Make a paper plate bird mask (directions here). For wings, keep it simple: pin streamers of ribbon or crepe paper to sleeves.

Watch winter birds hanging out in your back yard or neighborhood. Here's a list of 40 birds you might see, and here's the Feederwatch list of 100 common feeder birds you might see.

Today we're joining other book bloggers over at STEM Friday, where you can discover other cool STEM books. We'll join Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website - after the Holiday Story Contest is finished. Review copies provided by the publishers.

Wednesday Explorers Club ~ Counting Birds for Science

Photo by D. Brezinski, USFWS (Public Domain)

If you've followed this blog for a while, you know that I count native bees and other pollinators for the Great Sunflower Project.

But during the winter, there aren't any bees buzzing about. But there are a lot of birds active in the area. So this winter I hope to count birds - and the annual Christmas Bird Count is coming up soon!

Every year thousands of families head outside to tally up the birds they see on one of the days of the Christmas Bird Count. The Christmas Bird Count is a citizen-science bird census that has been going on for more than 100 years. People volunteer to count in a 15-mile diameter census area, and counts happen over a 24-hour period.

This year's Christmas Bird Count will happen between the dates of Friday, December 14, 2018 through Saturday, January 5, 2019.

The data collected during the Christmas Bird Count is used by scientists to understand more about distribution of bird populations and ecology. For example: how are different species responding to a changing climate?

Become a Citizen Scientist! To find out how you can get involved in this year's Christmas Bird Count, check out the official Audubon site here. You'll find a link to a map and other information. Then contact the leader for the group in your area, dress warmly, and remember to pack a thermos of cocoa along with your binoculars.

Drop by the blog this Friday for a couple reviews of recent books about the Christmas Bird Count!

Something's Rotten!

Something Rotten, A Fresh Look at Roadkill
by Heather L. Montgomery; illus. by Kevin O'Malley
176 pages; ages 9-11
Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2018

This week and next I'm highlighting the scary and gross in science. After all - it's Halloween season! A perfect time to read about what scientists are learning from roadkill.

Author, Heather Montgomery warns that her book is not for squeamish souls; this book is full of parasites, intestines, and bloody bodies. It's not for reckless readers either, because it's filled with things you shouldn't do unless (and until) you are an "authorized, bona fide, certified expert." And it's definitely not for the tenderhearted because it's full of death and tragedy.

But it is one of the most entertaining - and informative - books about roadkill that I've read.

Every book has a starting point. For Heather it was a squashed snake. With tire tracks. A rattlesnake. She started asking questions that led her to David Laurencio, the archivist of the DOR (Dead on Road) collection at the Auburn University Museum of Natural History. Every specimen bears a toe tag with an identification number that references a file. A file filled with notes about where the animal was found, when, how it was killed, its gender, and DNA information.

Turns out, scientists can learn a lot from dead animals. By mapping where animals are killed, they get a better idea of where the animals live. Are they migrating as climate change affects their traditional range? Analysis of stomach contents reveals what the animals are eating. This is important information for conservation scientists.

Throughout her book, Heather introduces us to many scientists - a snake scientist, a scientist studying genetics of coyotes and wolves, a roadkill ecologist - as well as people who salvage roadkill for the meat. Some folks use roadkill to feed animals, others grind it up for burger and slap it on the grill.

What I like most about this book: that there are things we can do to decrease death-by-car. As Heather notes: if we can wage huge campaigns to save sea animals from plastic straws, we can take positive action to reduce animal deaths on our highways. One thing everyone can do - starting now - stop throwing food out your window. It's like baiting the road.

Things I love about this book: Footnotes! At the bottom of most pages are extra notes that, in other books, would have been text boxes and sidebars. This is fun. Back Matter! There are lists of books, videos, other resources. There are directions for how to do your own bugsplat windshield bug count. There is a list of citizen science projects, like this one.

Today we're joining other book bloggers over at STEM Friday, where you can discover other cool STEM books. Review ARC from the publisher.

Wednesday Explorers ~ Great Backyard Bird Count

Common Redpoll, photo by Missy Mandel (used with permission)

Time to get up, shake the dust off, and head outside (or to the big picture window) for a bird count.

Next week is Great Backyard Bird Count!  From February 16th to the 19th, people all over the world will be heading out to check what birds are hanging out in their backyard or neighborhood park.

All you have to do is tally up the numbers and kinds of birds you see. For 15 minutes. On one day or all three.

Can you count birds longer? Sure!
Can you tally birds you see while hiking? Absolutely!

Why do this? Because the data you collect helps scientists learn more about how changing weather and climate change affects bird populations. The data helps scientists compare timing of migration from one year to the next. It helps us understand how diverse the bird community is in urban, rural, and forested locations. Also it's great fun and you are contributing to science.

So, what do you need to do this? A bird guide or ID app is helpful. A pencil and notebook useful. And you definitely need to create your own GBBC account. Click here to get started.

Wednesday Explorers Club ~ Christmas Bird Count

 Audubon's 118th annual Christmas Bird Count will happen this coming season beginning tomorrow (December 14) and going through Friday, January 5, 2018.

Even beginning birders are welcome to join in. The 24-hour count provide data that scientists use to understand how bird populations are changing over time.

Find out more about the Christmas Count and maps of count locations at this Audubon website.

Wednesday Explorers Club ~ Be a Bird Scientist

Downy Woodpecker by Errol Taskin/Project FeederWatch

Hang a feeder in our yard and here’s who shows up to nosh on the goodies: blue jays, cardinals, chickadees, downy woodpeckers, goldfinches, hairy woodpeckers, juncos, mourning doves, nuthatches, red-bellied woodpeckers, sparrows, turkeys … and squirrels. Not everyone perches on the feeder; turkeys and doves strut and peck below, gleaning seeds that get dropped.

Regardless of where they feed, watching the birds is a lot of fun. Not only do you learn who is hanging out in your backyard, but birds can be entertaining. And by keeping track of birds that come to your feeder, you can help scientists.

How? Get involved in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Project FeederWatch. Beginning in November (once the bears are hibernating), you load up the feeders and a couple times a week count the birds that visit. Feeder Watchers submit data from November through April. That data helps scientists track movements of winter bird populations as well as long-term trends in the bird populations. The data has shown how some populations have expanded their northern range as the climate has warmed.

Beyond Feeder Watch:

• What do the birds visiting your feeder do? Do they eat seeds or carry them away?
• Watch where individual birds land, and write down where they hide their seeds. If they push seeds into bark crevices on the trunk of the tree, how high? Maybe some birds hide seeds near the top and others closer to the ground. If they cache seeds on branches, do they tuck them under bark chips on the upper side of the branches or the undersides? Do they hide seeds near the tips or closer to where the branches join the trunk?
• Do different birds collect seeds at different times of day?
• Does weather affect feeding behavior?

Wednesday Explorers Club - unseasonal observations

Walking through town the other day I saw some trees blooming. Even my forsythia is blooming again. It's October! Granted, we've had a lo-o-ong summer, but the red on trees should be leaves turning color.

Which brings me to phenology: the study of cyclic and seasonal natural phenomena. According to the US National Phenology Network, "Changes in phenological events like flowering and animal migration are among the most sensitive biological responses to climate change. Across the world, many spring events are occurring earlier—and fall events are happening later—than they did in the past." 

You can help scientists by keeping track of flower blooms, bird migrations, insects emerging, and other natural phenomena by becoming a citizen scientist through Project BudBurst. All you need is a journal, a pencil, and insatiable curiosity. Despite its name, you don't have to wait until spring to make observations. You can start now. Have fun!