By Monica Macoubrie, Wildlife Education Specialist If you took a road trip from one side of Nebraska to the other, you will marvel at the change in landscape from east to west. In the east — aside from being home to 66 percent of Nebraska’s population – you will see deciduous trees, bluffs and the Missouri River. In the central portion of Nebraska, you have the Rainwater Basin, gentle rolling hills and tributaries of the Platte. And finally, just before …

Pollinator Week is June 19-25 By Alie Mayes, Community Science Specialist Most of us know the basics of what a pollinator is: an animal that moves pollen within a flower, or between flowers, in a way that aids in plant reproduction. We also understand that pollinators are vital to the health of ecosystems, and they provide invaluable services to humans, including pollination of many of the fruits and vegetables we eat. It seems fitting, then, that once a year we …

By Olivia DaRugna, Watchable Wildlife Biologist While birds are celebrated during the month of May, it’s time to transition our focus to other incredible animals to watch in Nebraska. Let’s take a look at butterflies in June, and unlike birds, you don’t have to wake up early to enjoy these pretty insects. Brunch and then butterflies, anyone? You don’t have to go far or search very long to see butterflies. Just sit in your yard or local park, and you …

By Alie Mayes, Community Science Specialist Lady beetles, also known as ladybird beetles or ladybugs, are common and widely recognized insects. They are marketed in popular culture as charismatic and “cute,” featured on a variety of children’s clothing, toys and even TV shows. But what do we really know about lady beetles in Nebraska? Life History Lady beetles belong to the beetle family Coccinellidae. They are commonly thought of as red with back spots, though different species have varying colors. …

By Monica Macoubrie, Wildlife Education Specialist Hawks are some of the most commonly seen birds in Nebraska. Often, all you have to do to find one is look up. These raptors, or birds of prey, usually perch on fence posts, overlooking branches and sometimes, at your bird feeder — any elevated spot where they can scan the ground to look for food. While each species of hawk has its own unique characteristics, they all have several features in common, such …

By David L. Bristow, History Nebraska What’s the proper way to break ground for the new home of the Cornhuskers? With a team and a plow, of course! University officials broke ground on Memorial Stadium on April 26, 1923. An estimated thousand people showed up to hear speeches and watch Chancellor Samuel Avery ceremonially plow a furrow. There was a recent precedent for this. A year earlier, Governor Samuel McKelvie had plowed a furrow to break ground for the new …

By Grace Gaard, Aquatic Ecology Education Specialist Adventure: an unusual and exciting, sometimes hazardous experience. While rarely risky, the word “adventure” fairly sums up field-trip season for the Trout in the Classroom program across Nebraska. Although the in-field portion of the program took a hiatus during the coronavirus pandemic, this spring marked the second year since the program’s full reboot. Program offerings hit their stride during the 2022-2023 academic year, and since the pandemic, the number of participating schools have …

At-risk Species Spotlight is a monthly blog post that highlights one Nebraska animal that is at-risk of extinction, with the goal of bringing awareness to the incredible diversity of wildlife we have in the state and their conservation needs and efforts as outlined in the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project. By Olivia DaRugna, Watchable Wildlife Biologist The inconspicuous, pale-brown, buff-breasted sandpipers (Calidris subruficollis), or “buffies” as some like to call them, are one of the more than 30 shorebird species that …

1,500 Miles and Going By Elsa Forsberg I zoom in again on my computer screen, just to make sure the image is of a small shorebird called a piping plover. Two plastic bands decorate the bird’s legs like bracelets, one gray and one blue. The combination of different colored bands serves as a coded name tag waiting to be deciphered. Squinting at the blue band, I read the white engraved text. 56A. I sit back and gape at my computer …

What makes a wetland a wetland? In Nebraska, a wetland is defined by three characteristics. One, a wetland must have a prevalence of water-loving plants adapted to grow in wet conditions. Two, the soil must be developed in these wet conditions. Three, a wetland must be saturated by water at some time during the growing season. In Nebraska, there are five types of wetlands that fit these characteristics: urban, playa, riverine, saline and sandhills, yet each of these do more …