Q&A

Q&A

By Allen Batt

“What do woolly bear caterpillars eat?” Woolly bears feed such plants as dandelion, dock, aster, goldenrod, nettle, lamb’s quarters, burdock, violet, plantain, clovers, birches, maples and grasses. They overwinter under bark or inside cavities of rocks or logs. When spring arrives, woolly worms spin fuzzy cocoons and transform inside them into full-grown Isabella tiger moths.

“When do loons leave?” Plants and animals must respond to seasonal changes. Biologists often summarize the changes with the acronym MAD: Move, Adapt or Die. Adult loons typically leave the state in early October and head to Lake Michigan, where they gather with other loons from Canada and the Upper Midwest. They spend about 28 days on the Great Lake, feasting on small fish, before heading to their wintering grounds on the Gulf of Mexico or Florida's Atlantic coast. The young birds stay longer, practicing the Minnesota goodbye, and even though no one taught them how to fly, they fly straight for southern Florida in November.

“How do flying squirrels fly?” Their "flight" is made possible by a fold of skin, a membrane that extends from the front to the hind feet. When their legs are outstretched, the skin stretches to form a large wing-like surface, which enables the squirrel to glide as far as 150 feet, though most glides are 20-30 feet.

 “What state has the most deer?” Texas has an estimated white-tailed deer population exceeding 3 million wild deer. If captive deer are included, Texas has more than 5 million deer. Other states with droves of deer are: Michigan (1.7 million), Alabama (1.7 million), Mississippi (1.7 million), Missouri (1.4 million), Wisconsin (1.3 million), Pennsylvania (1.3 million), North Carolina (1.3 million) and four states with 1 million: Minnesota, Arkansas, Georgia and Kentucky. Deer are crepuscular, so be watchful for them at the shoulders of the day.

“What’s the difference between a chrysalis and a cocoon?” Moths and butterflies go through a four-stage life cycle: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Butterfly caterpillars create a protective case called a chrysalis during their final molt, where they transform into a butterfly. The moth caterpillars produce silk from glands and spin a silky covering around itself before it forms a hard inner case in which it transforms into an adult. This is called a cocoon. Butterfly caterpillars make chrysalises and moth caterpillars make cocoons.

“Why do some owls have ear tufts?” There are about 225 owl species and about 50 have feathered ear tufts (plumicorns). They aren’t used for hearing. The exact function is uncertain, but there are theories galore. They may be for camouflage, helping a roosting owl blend into a tree by breaking up the owl’s shape. They might make the owl look like a broken branch. The tufts could be used for communication with others of its species–courtship, recognition, display aggression or territorial behavior. Perhaps the presence of ear tufts gives an owl the look of a mammal and appear more menacing to mammalian predators.

Allen Edward Batt, American writer, speaker, storyteller, tour leader. He and his wife have one adult son.