Woodpeckers whack on trees for a number of reasons. As cavity nesters, they will excavate a hole in dead and dying trees to house the incubating female, the eggs, and later, the growing nestlings. In order to feed those nestlings, woodpeckers will also visit these trees for reliable food sources, 

such as grubs, ants, and other insects. (Pileated Woodpecker photo by Peter Christoph)

Resonance is the key to broadcasting this audio message. A big, hollow tree is a reliable way to amplify the drumming, but even more effective is to drum on metal! As heard on National Public Radio (NPR), some of you may have experienced this heavy metal concert is your neighborhood woodpeckers have discovered this phenomenon. They have been known to drum away at plumbing vents, TV antennas, satellite dishes, drainpipes, gutters, chimney caps and metal poles or signs. (Photo of Northern Flicker courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

Woodpeckers pound their heads into tree trunks [and other things] about 12,000 times per day, at speeds of 6 to 7m/s. After all this head banging, how do woodpeckers avoid traumatic brain injuries?! Like all birds, woodpeckers have tongues tucked inside those large beaks. They all tend to have surprisingly long tongues, though, and storing an exceptionally long tongue inside a relatively small head is a challenge. Woodpeckers have some unique anatomical features to make this happen. (Northern Flicker photo by Ken Griffiths)

Researchers at the University of Antwerp showed adding shock absorption wouldn’t actually help protect the birds’ brains. If its head absorbed part of the impact, the bird couldn’t exert as large a force—meaning the woodpecker would peck less wood. In order to penetrate to the same depth with shock absorption, the birds would have to headbang harder, counteracting any built-in protection.

“The take-home makes a lot of sense,” says biochemist Thomas Roberts at Brown University. “If you’re driving a nail with a hammer, you don’t want to put a pillow between the hammer and the nail.”

That's a very good point!

-Dorothy McLeer, EIC Program Manager

The Pollinator Power Party is held in conjunction with National Pollinator Week, which has been running for more than 10 years. Fourteen years ago the U.S. Senate’s unanimous approval and designation of a week in June as “National Pollinator Week” marked a necessary step toward addressing the urgent issue of declining pollinator populations. 

On June 4th, fifteen faculty, staff, and student volunteers assisted with preparing and planting the new garden with nearly 170 native perennial plants belonging to two dozen plant species. In years to come, guests will enjoy spotting many native bee species, including bumble bees, mason bees, and carpenter bees, as well as many species of beetles, butterflies and moths, visiting the pollinator garden. (Photos by Grace Maves)

The Pollinator Photo Contest is Back!

The EIC and UM-Dearborn’s Bee Campus USA Committee are pleased to announce that they are now accepting entries for the 5^th annual Pollinator Photo Contest. Since 2020, hundreds of photos have been entered into the contest from 24 states in the US, as well as other countries, including Canada, Lebanon, Finland, Germany, and Chile. (2023 winner "Insatiable" by Curtis Coates)

For "Grown-up Kids"! *

Workshop: Pond Life Exploration and Identification

Friday, June 21, 7:00-8:30pm.

(Meet at EIC 6:45)

Water quality of aquatic habitats can be evaluated by the types of organisms that reside in them. Join us for a hands-on workshop to survey macroinvertebrate life in the Rose Garden Pond. You will learn how to identify these fascinating creatures, and what their presence reveals about habitat health. (Damselfly naiad by Jo Wilhelm)

*18 years and older only, please register for this program-- limited to 30 registrants.

Join us for an hour of fun!

Free & open to the public. Best for children 7 and under.

Music & Bubbles, Observe Wildlife, Nature Themed Books, Crafts or Activities

Wednesday, June 12th, July 17th 

4:00-5:00 p.m., optional walk afterward

For adults bringing children of various ages, there is an option for older kids (7+) to enjoy a nature walk with an EIC naturalist while younger kids. Please register for this program. Meet in the EIC Exhibit Area.

Our first Saturday bird walk met our early season migration expectations. We bumped into a very nice pocket of over a dozen Yellow-rumped Warblers along the Lakeside Trail. Other migrants included Palm Warblers, Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and a Brown Thrasher singing an uncharacteristically subdued version of its usually loquacious and boisterous song. (Yellow-rump photo by Marty Jones)

Despite the welcomed arrivals on May 11, of a male Indigo Bunting, displaying his cobalt blue plumage nearby, and other migrant arrivals as Red-eyed Vireos, and Great Crested Flycatchers, by May 18, we heard no new migrant arrivals. Although we enjoyed some very nice bird sightings during the following two Saturday walks, it was odd that we encountered no new arrivals.

(Indigo Bunting photo by Norm Townsend)

Having already missed a number of neotropical migrant species that would be expected in the first half of May, migrants during the latter half of the month were even more sparse. What gives? That is a question a number of folks—including myself—are asking about the overall scarcity of birds during this year’s spring migration.

Our final walk, on May 31, was wonderfully highlighted by the presence of a singing male Eastern Wood Pewee along the Orchard Trail. Everyone in the group enjoyed excellent views of this understated bird, who was clearly setting out to attract a mate and establish a nesting territory. It was a heartwarming reminder that the pewees, as well as other migrants that had made it through the perils of long distance northbound travel, were now engaged in the serious business of replenishing their populations. (Eastern Wood Pewee photo by Jim Simek)

"Lazy Gardening"

Although gardening can be a rewarding and relaxing pastime, it can also take a lot of work! However, gardening does not have to be an exact science, and there are many ways to make your experience much easier and less time-consuming. 

Find a small portion of your yard to focus on at first, and fill the area with native perennial wildflowers. Native wildflowers are adapted to the existing environmental conditions, so they require less water, fertilizer, and general maintenance. In addition, perennials will come back every year, so you can avoid continuous replanting in your garden. If you are more interested in growing vegetables, asparagus, tomatoes, pumpkins, beans, cabbage, onions, and radishes are just a few of the lower-maintenance plants to grow in Michigan.

(American Goldfinch on native sunflower courtesy Urban Ecology Center)

For more nutrient-rich soil, try adding organic material–such as compost or manure–on top of the soil while planting rather than continuously digging downwards.

Using raised beds can also help preserve nutrients for your plants to use. To both retain soil moisture and discourage weed growth, try growing plants a bit closer together than usual. Adding a light layer of mulch around your plants–whether it be woodchips, dry leaves, or other natural materials–can also prevent weeds. 

In Case You Missed These Articles...

Get Outdoors and Explore

From historic structures to native plant species, EIC experts point out a few interesting finds you can see on the campus trails. (Photo by Sarah Tuxbury)

A trail that leads to a more sustainable future.

Enjoy a scenic walk that highlights actions taken to improve the health of the Rouge River and wildlife populations.