Everything And Nothing

Birds of the Galapagos

Ken Hackman of Madison Central High School will present Birds of the Galapagos on Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. at the Clinton Community Nature Center. He will share his birding adventures in the Galapagos Islands through a slide show. (He takes a group of students each year to see Darwin's finches and many other creatures.)

The public is invited to attend free of charge. For more information, call (601) 926-1104, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.clintonnaturecenter.org.

Tagging the Monarchs

Tomorrow, Dr. Bill Stark will be tagging the monarchs at the Clinton Community Nature Center's Butterfly Garden from 9 a.m. until 9:45 a.m.

Dr. Stark will demonstrate the tagging and release of monarch butterflies and briefly discuss the scientific importance of tagging and the Nature Center's role in the international program. Also, a limited number of larvae will be available for adoption.

For more information, call (601) 926-1104 or visit www.clintonnaturecenter.org.

Your branch or mine?

One thing I love about walking in my neighborhood at night - besides looking into my neighbors' houses, I mean - are the fireflies. But did you know that their flashes are actually a form of communication (and sometimes even a mating dance)?

Fireflies live underground as larvae for about two years before emerging for a two-week, flat-out sprint through adulthood. They spend their adult lives courting and mating—they don't even stop to eat.

Fireflies aren't flies at all. They are beetles. And some have different colors. The ones in my neighborhood have yellow lights - but there are fireflies that shine orange and green. Some don't have lights but emit pheromones to attract mates instead.

A firefly's light organ, called a lantern, is in its abdomen. In males, two segments of the abdomen light up, and in females, just part of one. (As usual, the females are getting just as much done with half as much to work with.) ;) And, I am not making this up, the females tend to prefer males with faster and longer flashes.