Ijams Snake-ology class attracts curious naturalists, media

Ijams Snake-ologists

Ijams graduated a whole new group of snake-ologists yesterday afternoon.

Our Snake-ology workshop was great fun! After an indoor class where we learned how to identify the 12 most common snakes in our area and shared some snake-related yummy snacks, we ventured outside to look for snakes.

The mice-eating reptiles have been plentiful this season at the nature center, one even found its way into the Visitor Center. (But, naturalist tip #19: It's really hard to sneak up on a snake with 51 people.) Still yet, we managed to find one northern brown water snake in one of our ponds.

The -ology classes @ Ijams are light-hearted and informative for the young and young-at-heart. We schedule one a month on Sunday afternoons at the nature center. 

Correction: It was announced yesterday that in June it would be Hawk-ology, but the announcer (that would be moi) completely forgot about Turtle-ology. June is a very active month for the reptiles that carry their homes on their back. (And we thought we invented "mobile homes.")

Mark your calendar: Turtle-ology will be Sunday, June 26 at 2 p.m.   

 For the WBIR Channel 10 story about yesterday's Snake-ology class @ Ijams, click: Snake-ology!

Thank you, WBIR's Jerry Owens!


- Stephen Lyn Bales 

Young snake-ologists watch a rough green snake eat a cricket. Better than Animal Planet.

Northern brown watersnake

The great snake hunt begins!

 

Ijams Hiking Club meets to take on AC/DC

The Ijams Hiking Club met again yesterday to "Explore the Urban Wilderness!"

Volunteer naturalist Amy Oakey and Eric Johnson served as the hike's leaders; they picked the trail. And did they pick a doozie. The swirly, curvy AC/DC Trail, east of Ijams, which I am told was named by the bikers after the line from the quintessential rock group's 1979 hit, "Highway to...Hades." (Ijams is a family-oriented place, I can't say "Hell.")  AC/DC is a biker's roller coaster.

In all, there are now over 40 miles of trails built by the Appalachian Mountain Biking Club, and the Ijams Hiking Club plans to walk them all, yesterday we tallied 4.4 miles, on what my grandmother Pearl would have called a "drunkard's path." We also did a portion of Lost Chromosome and Chain Ring trails.

Our next hike will be on Sunday, June 19 at 2 p.m. And I'm sure Amy and Eric will find us a good one!

Thank you to all.

- Stephen Lyn Bales