No place like home!

This is what a groundhog igloo looks like! 

Top On!

Top Off!

They love to construct a den of hay to sleep in with one very small hardly recognizable opening. It’s amazing how it molds to the dog house!  (one more pic coming)

Can you identify?

Guess whose feather and pellet these are?

Sunbathing on cold days

It’s sunny and cool! Look who likes the sun! 

What a typical cat!

A pellet per meal!

Did you know that all raptors spit up a pellet after they eat? 

If you find a pellet that has only fur in it, then a hawk spit it up. If you find a pellet that has bones and fur in it, then an owl spit it up. 

This is a picture of a barn owl pellet – they are always black and scientists are unsure why. We do an owl pellet dissection class with school children. It’s always fun to see what bones you find and sometimes build a skeleton! Below are our two Barn Owls!

Dear Season=Meaty Treats

Guess who got  this for dinner? 

It’s deer season and our animals love deer meat!

Only three different wolf species!

So many folks don’t know that there are only three wolf species in the US. Check out these pictures to see some of the visual differences.

They are the Canis lupus (the gray wolf):

Canis lupus lycaon (the eastern wolf):

Canis rufus (the red wolf):

If someone speaks of a timber wolf or arctic wolf, these are gray wolves, just a subspecies.

Powerful Noses!

Did you know that wolves have a Jacobson organ in their nose (a patch of sensory cells within the main nasal chamber that detects heavy moisture-borne odor particles. Airborne odors, in contrast, are detected by the olfactory sensory cells located in the main nasal chambers)  and smell 100 times better than humans do!

Humans have approximately 5-6 million smell receptors in their nose while domestic dogs have 100-200 million. Wolves would have even more than that!

Photo by Nancy McCurdy

Scarecrows in the Wild!

It’s fall and we’re having a scarecrow contest at the Chattanooga Arboretum and Nature Center at Reflection Riding. This is the wildlife department’s submission! 

It was designed and created by my daughter and me. He is currently greeting our visitors at the front walk! Come out and cast your vote for the best scarecrow through Oct. 30th! For more information see our Scarecrows in the Wild page!

All About Wolves!

It’s Wolf Awareness Week! 

This is one of male Red Wolves. Isn’t he gorgeous? He is one of six Red Wolves that we house. 

Fall colors begin!

I went for a walk today on the back property and I saw some small indicators of the upcoming fall color! 

 I’ve heard because we had a wet summer and dry fall, the colors should be awesome! 

Can’t wait to see!

Our young crow goes nuts for peanuts!

Master Gardener David Hopkins grows a variety of crops here at the Volunteer Garden at Reflection Riding. He is donating his recent crop of peanuts as a special treat for our ambassador crow, who serves as part of our educational programs here at the Nature Center. 

Thank you, David! 

Chillin' Out!

Cool weather + cool animals = cool job!

I love my job all days, but it is especially nice when the weather cools down and I don’t sweat all day while I work outside with the animals. 

Welcome Fall!

We have a new animal ambassador!

A new groundhog!

This groundhog was suffering from neurological issues which have significantly improved, but not enough for him to return to the wild. He has a wonderful disposition and personality. 

We are excited to have a new animal ambassador to help spread the word about his species! I’ll write more about groundhogs as Groundhog day approaches in February!

A Perfect Fit!

When you visit the Wildlife Wanderland to see our collection of native animal ambassadors, there are several things to keep in mind:

All of our animals have permanent injuries that prevent them from returning to the wild. When an injured animal is found, it usually goes to a wildlife rehabilitation facility where the injuries are treated and the animal is released. Some injuries are not treatable and the animal must be euthanized. If an injury is not detrimental to the quality of life of the animal, then the animal is placed with an education facility like the nature center. When the animal arrives at our facility, we are prepared to house the animal in the correct size enclosure based on the animal’s needs. 

There are captive animal enclosure guidelines that we follow and often times our enclosures are larger than recommended size.

If we receive a non-flighted bird meaning it cannot fly, the enclosure that bird(s) is in will be smaller than a fully flighted bird. Furniture such as perches, platforms and nest boxes are appropriately placed for the abilities of the animal.

So as you tour our Wildlife Wanderland that is snugly nestled in the natural woods, remember the trauma some of our animal ambassadors have been through and the wonderful life they have now. A nice enclosure, quality food and care and the admiration and love of its keepers.