It's harvest time at Ijams!

The Ijams fall garden is ready to harvest! 

Thanks to Jeff and Soky Allen at Colonial Hardware on Chapman Highway, we have a bumper crop of jalapeño, cayenne, sweet green and hot banana peepers. 

Back in August, Jeff and Soky donated over 50 pepper plants to us. Our garden volunteers put them in the ground and we are enjoying their efforts with this our first of many pickings. 

Call Sarah Brobst  at 577-4717 ext 124 if you would like to volunteer at Ijams. Be part of our garden brigade and work in Alice’s Garden. We will be gardening on Thursdays this fall.

- Text and photos by Peg Beute

Ijams organic garden in August.

AEF rehabilitated redtails released at Ijams

John Martin, reporter from WBIR-Channel 10, interviewed Nancy and Hannah before the release.

This morning, Nancy Zagaya and intern Hannah Start with the American Eagle Foundation (AEF) located in Pigeon Forge, released two rehabilitated red-tailed hawks at Ijams on the main campus near the Visitor Center. 

Both birds are wild and were found injured in Knox County. They were treated at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine before being transferred to the American Eagle Foundation for rehabilitation.  

This is truly a labor of love to be able to return these birds to the wild. Seeing them fly was very inspiring.  

- Text by Pam Petko-Seus, photos by Stephen Lyn Bales

AEF intern Hannah Start from Birmingham, England releases first hawk.

Vet tech Nancy Zagaya, releases second redtail.

Rehabilitated redtail surveys her new home. 

Click for story on WBIR website: red-tails

'My Kid's First Canoe Trip' proved memorable

Billed as "My Kid's First Canoe Trip," the early morning outing on Ijams Quarry Lake turned out to be a memorable one this past Saturday.

It was beautiful. The sun hadn't risen above the low-hanging clouds to the east, so conditions on the water were dream like. It was a wonderful time for parent and child to bond. 

A good time was had by all. 

(Personal note: special thanks to Peg Beute and Kara Remington for coming to my aid. They really were a life saver.)

- Text and photos by Stephen Lyn Bales. 

Second Annual KTOS HummerFest held at Ijams

The second annual KTOS Hummingbird Festival was recently held at Ijams. 

Ruby-throated hummingbird specialists Bob and Martha Sargent spoke about what they have learned about the species after a lifetime of study. Chattanooga plant expert Chris Mahoney was also on hand to speak about the flowers that hummingbirds love, while Mark Armstrong held a hummingbird banding demonstration on the back terrace of the Visitor Center. 

Special thanks to Billie Cantwell and the rest of the KTOS members who organized the affair, sponsor Wild Birds Unlimited, Bob and Martha Sargent, Mark Armstrong, Jane Kading, Mindy Fawver and Vickie Henderson.

Mark Armstrong, Curator of Birds at the Knoxville Zoo, is a local licensed bird bander.

Before the bird is banded, it is weighed, measured and the gender is determined.

How big is a band that fits on a hummingbirds leg? 
Eighteen of the tiny metal rings will fit on one side of a small safety pin.

Male ruby-throated hummingbird.

And what would a festival be without food, plants, arts and crafts? Outside, on the plaza, a wide range of items were sold by local, smiling vendors. Here's a small sampling:

Thanks to Marcia Davis for writing about the event in her News Sentinel column

Photos by Linda McGill and Pam Petko-Seus. 

AEF fledges three birds-of-prey at Ijams

Broad-winged hawk takes its first flight.

Nancy Zagaya, president of The East Tennessee Wildlife Rehabilitation Council, fledged three young birds at Ijams two weeks ago. For all three, it was their first flight.

The young birds—two screech owls and a broad-winged hawk—had been rescued from crows and raised at the American Eagle Foundation in Pigeon Forge. Summer Day Camp kids on-hand that day were there to watch the birds first venture into flight.

- Stephen Lyn Bales

Budding young mycologist visits Ijams

Sofia Tomov is special. She's one of those 8 1/2-year-olds, who is smart and ebullient and mature beyond her years. Her curosity abounds. She loves nature. Whenever she visits Ijams, you know that there is a big smile exploring the premises.

I saw Sofia and her mother Beverly at last week's HummerFest and she showed me what she has been into recently. She's become a budding young mycologist. At a UT Fungi Camp this summer, Sofia visited the Ijams Discovery Trail. Here is some of what she discovered.

Sofia emailed, "Ijams is my favorite place in Knoxville, and provides amazing opportunities for viewing flora, fauna and fungi. This has been an excellent summer for fungi in particular.

Amanita muscaria by Sofia

Amanita muscaria normally has small white bumps on the cap in the early and middle stage. In this picture, you can tell that the mushroom is in a late stage because the gills are turned up and you don't see the white bumps. Amanita muscaria is poisonous, just like almost all species in the Amanita genus (most famously, the Destroying Angel, Amanita virosa.)

 

Coprinus comatus by Sofia

 Coprinus comatus is also known as the "lawyer's wig" or "shaggy mane"mushroom, and I think it looks like a sheepdog's head. It's not considered poisonous, but it's never a good idea to eat any mushrooms in the wild. Coprinus comatus doesn't spread out its cap when releasing spores.

Cyathus sp. by Sofia

 Cyathus is a genus of birds' nest fungus. The egg-like structures are actually attached to the cup by a tiny thread, and contain spores. In the early stage, Cyathus looks like a tiny orange club.

Fomes fomentarius by Sofia

Fomes fomentarius is also known as 'hoof fungus," "tinder conk," or "Ice Man fungus," because the 5000 year old Otzi the Ice Man was found carrying four pieces of this fungus."

Thank you, Sofia for sharing your finds.

- Story by Stephen Lyn Bales and Sofia

ET Pro Photographers hold Youth Photo Camp at Ijams

Thursday, August 9: 9 am - 5:30 pm  

CHIDREN'S PROGRAM: Youth Photo Camp

(Ages 8-18) This terrific camp includes all day "hands-on" instruction from award-winning professional photographers and a Certified Scout Merit Badge Instructor. 

Participants will also receive lunch, a photo nature walk at Ijams, and even the opportunity to photograph some of our animal ambassadors! There will also be a print competition with awards and camp souvenir items! Spaces are limited and pre-registration is required. Register online at: Youth Photo Camp 

For more information or questions, please visit the Professional Photographers of East Tennessee website. Click: Youth Photo Camp 

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Caden celebrates his 5th birthday at Ijams

A child's birthday party at Ijams is a wild affair. There can be butterflies or turtles or snakes or hawks. You never know.

Recently, Caden celebrated his fifth birthday with a Reptile & Amphibian themed party at the nature center which included a dip-net activity at the Plaza Pond.

"Caden absolutely LOVED having his party at Ijams!" E-mailed his mother Kylea. She sent along some photos to share.

To schedule a child's birthday party at Ijams call Kara Remington at 577-4717, ext. 115.


- Story by Stephen Lyn Bales, photos by Caden's mom Kylea.

Ijams Quarry Lake canoeists find a hummer of a nest

Ijams Quarry Lake

There's really nothing like an early morning canoe float on Ijams Quarry Lake before the heat of summer settles into the valley.

This morning we spent about two placid hours, carefree and tranquil. 

Our group searched the water and shorelines for natural minutiae, trifling details that hold the world together, managing to locate two prizes: empty nests: one a hard to find ruby-throated hummingbird tiny condo—the size of a golf ball—made of spun-spidersilk and lichen. (Peg Beute and the day campers actually found it last week, so I knew where to look.)



For a close up very of the nest go to: nest.

A peaceful time was had by all.

The next guided canoe trip is Friday evening, August 3.

- Stephen Lyn Bales

Lisa and Lynne point to hummingbird nest

Ruby-throated hummingbird nest

Eastern phoebe nest

We also saw a couple of black vultures

Chinese exchange students visit Ijams for an afternoon

Chinese exchange students with Ijams educator Sabrina DeVault

Yesterday, Ijams was visited by a group of foreign exchange students from Chéngdé, a prefecture-level city in Hebei province, People's Republic of China, situated northeast of Beijing.

The group of high school aged students were given a tour of the Visitor Center, a guided walk on the River Trail and a visit by the captive red-tailed hawk.

Their two-week stay in East Tennessee is hosted by Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church.

- Text and photo by Stephen Lyn Bales

Ijams hosts KTOS Hummingbird Festival: July 29

They are small, active and everyone's favorite bird to watch in late July.

Join members of the Knoxville Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society (KTOS: a local club that H.P. Ijams help establish in 1924) at the nature center for the second annual Hummingbird Festival, Sunday, July 29: 1 to 5 p.m.

There will be a hummingbird banding demonstration by licensed bander Mark Armstrong, talks by hummingbird experts Bob and Martha Sargent about the tiny birds' life history, and Chris Mahoney about favored backyard plants that hummers love.

Free admission to the vendor fair (arts, crafts, food, plants) and bargain barn (new or gently used bird and nature related items); $5 admission to the banding demonstration and indoor talks.

Children under six free. All proceeds go to KTOS and the Ijams education department.

Sponsored by KTOS, Wild Birds Unlimited and Ijams Nature Center. 

To register call 577-4717, ext. 119.

- Stephen Lyn Bales, senior naturalist

    

  

What does a chocolate spider taste like?

Birthday boy Gabe recently had an Insect and Spider themed birthday party at Ijams.

The educational program offered visits by a tarantula, black widow spider and a heaping handful of beetles, plus a sweep-net outing in the meadow just off the Universal Trail.

Afterwords, the party quests were treated to a spider birthday cake, complete with spiderling cupcakes, made by Gabe's grandmother Janelle.

Happy Birthday Gabe, welcome to the world of nine-year-olds.

For information about a birthday party at Ijams, call Kara: 577-4717, ext.115.


- Text and photos by Stephen Lyn Bales

Let the wild rumpus begin!

Ijams Where the Wild Things Are (Grades K-2) Summer Day Camp wrapped up last week with a Wild Rumpus through the plaza and meadow, ending at Jo's Grove, the nature playscape for kids. 

Led by educators Sabrina DeVault and Jen Knight, it was wild. It was raucous. It was as colorful as the Mardi Gras. 

- Our rumpus was a tribute to Maurice Sendak, writer and illustrator of children's books, who passed away last month.