Nature Experienceship - Aspen Forests with Sam St. Clair

There’s no better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than in Utah’s beautiful mountains, especially at this time of year! Dr. Sam St. Clair hosted the Aspens Nature Experienceship last weekend, and if you weren’t there… you missed out! The drive up Alpine Loop was absolutely breathtaking. The fall colors are just incredible! Dr. St. Clair helped us expand our appreciation of these stunning forests with some amazing facts about aspen trees. Aspen trees are actually considered the largest living organism, because a grove of aspen trees is actually just one tree! Who knew? The reason why aspens have white trunks is because their trunks are covered in a white powder to act as a sunscreen for the tree. The shorter aspens have very bitter tasting leaves, so that elk and deer won’t eat them. But as you get higher up the tree, the leaves are less bitter tasting, because the animals can’t reach that high. (Smart move, aspen trees) We even talked about how forest fires aren’t all bad... in fact, they’re necessary to maintain the health of a forest over time! (But what about Smokey?! I guess bears can’t be trusted after all…) We then moved up the trail to talk about some evergreen trees that live in parasitic relationship with the aspens. The trunks grow right next to each other, practically intertwined with each other, and the evergreen steals the nutrients from the aspen. Since conifers have such soft trunks, bugs can often burrow into the trunks and feed off of the tree. To protect themselves, conifers have developed little pockets of sap that will explode and kill the bug if it tries to burrow in! Next time you see a soft-trunked evergreen tree, try pressing on one of the bubbles on the trunk and you can squirt your friends with sap! This Nature Experienceship was an amazing adventure, and everyone hung on to Dr. St. Clair’s every word. He is so passionate about what he does, you can’t help but feel the same way too! Join us next time on a Nature Experienceship, and see for yourself! 

Hailey, Museum Educator

This picture represents the parasitic relationship between the evergreen and the aspen. 

In this picture with Dr. St. Clair, you can see how a tree trunk that is bent over has sent up a branch vertically to get more sunlight.

Nature Experienceship - Insects with Shawn Clark

We had a great time during our insect adventure with Dr. Shawn Clark on Saturday, September 28, 2013.  We visited the area around Mill Race Creek, which is full of vegetation such as phragmites and bulrush.  In this amazing ecosystem we were able to go out and catch insects on our own, using nets provided by Dr. Clark.  After catching the insects, Dr. Clark identified several of the insects found and many of our patrons were able to start their own collections.  This trip was a lot of fun as we were able to go into the ecosystem itself, charging through the thick reeds, sweeping back and forth to capture new interesting insects.  Dr. Clark's love of insects was shared by many present, bringing lots of fun to the trip.  This is a great way to learn more about our small friends who help keep this world running and we hope you will be able to join us again in the winter and even start your own insect collection!

Heather Lee, museum educator

Nature Experienceship - Birding with Merrill Webb at Antelope Island

What an incredible time we had during our semi-annual birding adventure with the infamous Merrill Webb on Saturday, September 14, 2013. This event was even better than many other events we have had in the past because WE SAW A GREAT HORNED OWL!!! We visited the beautiful state park Antelope Island and saw thousands and thousands of birds. We even saw pronghorns, coyotes, and bison. What made the trip even more fun and adventurous was the on and off rain. True birders bird rain or shine and the group we had with us were true birders indeed. Mr. Webb brought his enthusiasm for the birds and it was truly contagious. For those of you who weren't able to attend, keep your eyes peeled for our next birding adventure in the winter. 

Michael Silva, museum educator

Here is a list of the different species of birds we saw on our trip:

1. Eared Grebe

2. White-faced Ibis

3. Northern Harrier

4. Sandhill Crane

5. Killdeer

6. American Avocet

7. Willet

8. Long-billed Curlew

9. Red-necked Phalarope

10. Franklin's Gull

11. Ring-billed Gull

12. California Gull

13. Caspian Tern

14. Great Horned Owl

15. Burrowing Owl

16. Northern Flicker

17. Willow Flycatcher

18. Hammond's Flycatcher

19. Northern Shrike

20. Cassin's Vireo (Extremely rare in Utah)

21. Warbling Vireo

22. Black-billed Magpie

23. Common Raven

24. Barn Swallow

25. Ruby-crowned Kinglet

26. Wilson's Warbler

27. Western Tanager

28. Green-tailed Towhee

29. Spotted Towhee

30. White-crowned Sparrow

31. Red-winged Blackbird

32. Western Meadowlark

THAT'S 32 SPECIES OF BIRDS!!!

We may be closed but that doesn't mean we can't show you a SNAKE!!!

The Bean Museum is ready for a new school year! We’ve updated several of our live animal shows this summer and we are excited to share them. These new and interactive shows provide all who participate with a fun and engaging learning experience. This is a great way to keep in touch with the museum while we are closed. 

We can present these shows as either:

an OUTREACH (for a small fee, we will come to you) 

or a WEBCAST (live video chat via Skype).

For more detailed information about these shows and other resources we have available, please download this "School Programs" guide.

Wildlife Hour - Thanks for a great summer!

Wildlife Hour

This summer while we’re closed, the Bean Museum has been putting on ‘Wildlife Hour’ at local libraries. We provide programs for kids 12 years and under about animal adaptations featuring Underwater, Underground, Nocturnal, Flying and Arctic animals. The hour usually includes games, crafts, live animals, and other learning activities. Jared, a 6 year old who has come to Wildlife Hour every week so far said that his favorite part of the program are the live animals that we feature, which demonstrate these adaptations. Wildlife Hour has been a great way to continue interacting with the community while our building is closed, and it provides a fun way to keep kids learning about wildlife diversity. Sandra, a parent at Wildlife Hour says she likes the “smaller, personalized, and more focused setting” that the activities provide, she said also, “If given the choice between animals or not, we’ll take it!”

 

Wildlife Hour will continue through August 9th. Check with your local library to see when we’re visiting!

Nature Experienceship - Conifers with Larry St. Clair

What a great adventure we had with Dr. Larry St. Clair during the Conifers Nature Experienceship. We had the opportunity to see beautiful trees all over campus. We can now tell you the difference between a blue spruce, a ginseng, and junipers. We learned about the different pine cones and how trees reproduce. We had the privilege of seeing the beautiful giant sequoias near the duck pond. Dr. St. Clair's love for these beautiful trees was contagious. We all walked away from the experience with a great love for our tree friends on campus.

Join us on our next adventure in the fall.

Michael, Museum Educator