Educational Resources

Macro Macros! Getting the Big Picture with Tiny Bugs

On the bottom of streams across the Chesapeake Bay watershed live hundreds of unique species of macroinvertebrates. From maylfies to stoneflies and caddisflies, to name a few, macroinvertebrates come in all shapes and sizes.

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A belted kingfisher hovering as it waits to catch some prey (Photo Credit: Ron Dudley).

Diving into the World of the Belted Kingfisher

Due to the abundance of fish and insects that a waterway provides, you can find a wide variety of birds while kayaking streams in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, including the belted kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon.

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The right side of a wood thrush perched upright on a rock.

The Forest Flautist: the Wood Thrush

Have you ever heard the flutey call of the wood thrush? These interior forest specialists are commonly found in our eastern forests, but they are vulnerable to habitat changes, like fragmentation, invasive plant infiltration, and herbivory in the forest understory.

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A garden in front of house

How you can help change the perception of a “messy” yard

A recent news story involved a homeowner along the Elizabeth River whose next door neighbor hadn’t cut or trimmed the vegetation in his yard in over four years. This colorful local dispute gets to the heart of a perception issue that is critical to the future of the Chesapeake Bay and its wildlife.

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Move Over Miscanthus, Three Native Grasses to Plant Instead

Non-native species aren’t inherently bad, and not all non-native species become invasive. However, we should thoughtfully consider our landscaping choices, particularly when heading to our local garden center.

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The Buffer Buck

Hunters, in general, are often some of our greatest conservationists. Their passion for spending time in the outdoors puts them in close proximity to the remarkable beauty of our Chesapeake forest ecosystems, helping to create a conservation ethic.

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Underwater view of the top of a fairy shrimp swiming in a creek.

What’s Swimmin’? Phenological Fun! Fairy Shrimp

What’s swimming right now? Fairy shrimp! These small crustaceans live in vernal pools and lakes and are an important food source for both fish and birds.

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Front view of a wood frog

Surviving Winter: The Amphibian Way

How do amphibians survive winter? These cold-blooded critters have unique methods for staying alive during the frigid winter months.

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Our Hidden Urban Neighbors: Macroinvertebrates

Beneath a creek’s waters lives an entirely different ecosystem of critters that would not look out of place from the movie franchise, Alien, clinging to rocks and crawling on the submerged substrate. Despite their less than loveable features, a stream’s aquatic benthic macroinvertebrates are great indicators of stream health.

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The view from inside of a kayak on a rive, with another kayaker to the left. Green trees in the foreground and sunny blue skies in the background.

Down the Winding Current: Paddling the Susquehanna River

Last September, I completed the fourth and final leg of my 444-mile kayaking journey, from North Branch of the Susquehanna from Cooperstown, New York, to Havre de Grace, Maryland with my dad.

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