Conservation Creation: Binturong Bonanza

This month in Jeansboro Junction we are creating seed bombs! Join us at the Greensboro Science Center (GSC) on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:30am, or keep reading to make this craft at home!

What animal at the GSC smells like buttered popcorn? The binturong! That’s not the only strange fact about these awesome creatures. Binturongs are often called bear cats, though they are not related to either animal. They are in the same family as another GSC resident, the fossa. 

Unfortunately, binturongs are greatly affected by habitat loss. They need trees not only for their food, but also for shelter. Binturongs are excellent climbers due to their flexible ankles and prehensile tail. Their tail is bare on the bottom to assist the binturong in gripping branches, and their ankles can rotate 180 degrees, allowing them to climb down tree trunks headfirst. Human development continues to fragment the binturongs habitat, making it harder for them to find a mate. 

Binturongs do their part to grow their own habitat. Although they are classified as carnivores, most of their diet is made up of fruit. When they eat fruits, the seeds are dispersed in their dung, which acts as fertilizer for new plants! One species of fruit, the strangler fig, needs to be dispersed by binturongs so that the seeds are softened enough to take root. 

While binturongs live thousands of miles away from us, there are things we can do for animals affected by habitat loss right here in North Carolina! Some of these animals include our local pollinators such as bees and butterflies. As we move into the cooler months of fall, we can begin planting flowers and other plants to help out these animals. To get started, we have a cool DIY activity for you to do at home that will be fun for you and beneficial to our local pollinators: Seed Bombs!

DIY Seed Bombs

What you will need: Air-dry clay, potting soil or compost, water, seeds, a large mixing bowl, a measuring cup of any size

To choose seeds that will be the most beneficial to your area, click here.

Seed bomb ingredients

Step 1: Take 1 part clay, 1 part water, and 2 parts potting soil or compost and combine them in your mixing bowl.

Combine 1 part clay, 1 part water, and 2 parts potting soil or compost

Step 2: Use your hands (or a large spoon) to mix the ingredients together, adding water as necessary. Your final mixture should be similar to Play-Doh in consistency.

Mix ingredients, adding water as necessary, until the mixture has a Play-Doh-like consistency

Step 3: Add your seeds of choice to the mixture and mix thoroughly.

Adding seeds to the mixed ingredients

Step 4: Form the mixture into balls or another fun shape of your choosing.

Forming the mixture into balls

Step 5: Allow 2-3 days for your seed bombs to dry and then toss them wherever you would like your seed bombs to grow! Seed bombs don’t require care or attention so they can be placed wherever you would like to see your flowers. Visit them often in the Fall and Spring to see if you have any insect visitors!

Completed seed bombs

Now your seed bombs are complete!

Conservation Creation: Pollinator Parade

This month in Jeansboro Junction we are hosting a pollinator scavenger hunt! Join us at the GSC on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:30, or click here to make this craft at home!

Butterflies and moths make up a large part of our local pollinators. North Carolina has 174 species of butterflies, and 2,000-2,500 moths! 

We are celebrating the reopening of our Cole Family Monarch Conservation Center and Butterfly House this May. Look closely on your visit and you may be able to find caterpillars munching on leaves as they prepare to metamorphosize into butterflies!

Caterpillars dine on leaves of specific host plants. For this reason, female adult butterflies will lay their eggs on the host plant. Monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed leaves, which makes them poisonous to some predators. 

Many caterpillars look very different from other species and their adult forms. Their appearance can vary from smooth to spiky, they can be brightly colored or camouflaged. The Tiger Swallowtail caterpillar looks like a snake to scare predators, while the Giant Swallowtail resembles bird droppings to look unappealing. Monarch caterpillars are black with yellow and white stripes. 

And now for our DIY portion. This month we will be creating a caterpillar finger puppet!

You will need: Construction paper, markers, scissors 

Step 1: Draw your caterpillar shape. The shape you are creating is 4 connected circles that make up the head and body segments. Be sure to include antennae! 

Step 2: Use markers to decorate your caterpillar with any pattern you choose, then cut it out. Look at different species of butterfly larva for inspiration.

Step 3: Carefully cut a slot for your finger by making two parallel cuts on the back. Make sure you do not cut all the way through.

Step 3: Slide your finger into the slot and move your finger up and down to inch your way along like a real caterpillar!

Share photos of your creations with us by tagging us on social media!

Reference

https://dickinsoncountyconservationboard.com/2017/10/09/make-your-own-caterpillar-finger-puppet/

Conservation Creation: Junk Jellies

Without a doubt, jellies are one of Earth’s strangest animals. They have neither hearts nor brains but have managed to survive on our planet for over 500 million years! Often called jellyfish, they’re not actually fish – instead, they make up their own group of incredibly diverse animals. For example, the smallest jelly, the Irukanji, only grows to about the size of a thumbtack, while the Lion’s Mane Jelly can reach lengths of over 100 feet! Some jellies use stinging for defense and hunting, others can clone themselves, and others still can glow in the dark!

At first glance, jellies may not seem to be up to much, but they’re actually doing a lot of good for our oceans! Not only do they provide a food source for many of our favorite animals, but they also help to stir the ocean, keeping it healthy. Unfortunately, climate change and plastic pollution are working against these amazing animals. If you’d like to help jellies and the animals that rely upon them, reduce your plastic usage and your carbon footprint. A couple of easy ways to do this? Switch from single-use plastic straws and bags to reusable options, and buy more local produce and products when available.

And now for our DIY portion. This month we will be creating some fun decorations with things you can find around your home: Junk Jellies!

What you will need:

• Glue
• String or yarn
• Leftover cups or bowls
• Paint or markers
• Junk (we use mostly craft materials for our examples, but anything you can find around your house will work!)

Supplies for Junk Jellies

Step 1: Paint your cup or bowl and allow it to dry

Step 1: Paint your cup or bowl

Step 2: Attach whatever material you are using for the arms. For our example, we are using clothes pins.

Step 2: Attach arms

Step 3: Use glue to attach whatever materials you want to use to decorate your jelly and allow to dry.

Step 3: Decorate your jelly

Step 4: Glue string or yarn to the top of your jelly and wait for the glue to dry

Step 4: Attach string or yarn to the top of your jelly

Step 5: Hang your junk jellies around your home!

Step 5: Hang your Junk Jellies around your home!

For an added challenge, research different types of jellies and try to make your Junk Jellies look similar to them using things around your home.