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Welcome to March's issue of the Dereila Nature Inn newsletter.
As we approach spring the Satin Flower, Sisyrinchium douglassi,
is one of the first flowers to bloom and brighten the hillsides.
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Greetings
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Hello everyone!
Welcome to another issue of Whispers, the newsletter of the Dereila Nature Inn - your virtual nature centre. This issue features some updates and news as well as trivia and tips that we hope you'll enjoy. There's also a joke about a couple of squirrels and some wonderful photos submitted by subscribers for you to enjoy. We send a special welcome to our new subscribers this month and our continued thanks to our long-time subscribers. We really appreciate your support.  Please join us on Facebook where we welcome your comments and ideas. |
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Trivia Time
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Which tree can take up to 50 years to produce seeds?
You'll find the answer at the end of the newsletter.
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What's This? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you know what this cropped close-up photograph is? You'll find the answer at the end of the newsletter.
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| New Features at the Inn
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Here are the latest additions at the Inn. Just click on the images and you'll be taken straight to the page. Photo Tips: Changing the Background
Here are some ideas to help you get great bird shots at your bird feeding station.  Provincial and State Birds Crossword
Test your knowledge of provincial and state birds with this crossword which features visual and word clues.
 Tales from the Deck: Breakfast for the Birds
The foods are all ready and now it's time for the guests to arrive for breakfast in this Tale from the Deck.
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Contributed by...
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We invite you to submit nature photographs to this section. This month we have another super variety of nature images. Dr. Rob Walker of Victoria, BC. sent in these two great underwater images taken in Egypt on a diving trip in the Red Sea. On the left is a Blue-spotted Stingray and on the right a Freckled Hawkfish.
This Bobcat was taken in a nature preserve in New Port Richey, Florida.
It was submitted by regular contributor, Marilyn Flanagan of Florida.
These lovely Bradford Pear Blossoms was sent in by Susan Asis, Flushing, New York.
 These curious Pronghorns were spotted in Chino Valley, Arizona
and sent in by W.C. Durnil, Chino Valley, Arizona.
John from Queensland, Australia, sent in this image of a Brolga, Grus rubicunda.
It's a member of the crane family and is the official state bird of Queensland.
What an amazing selection of photographs! Many thanks for sending them in.
If you would like to see your nature images in our members' section,
simply send us an e-mail. We'd love to hear from you! |
| Monthly Selections
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Here are this month's choices: Bug - Shield Bug; Wildflower - Bleeding Heart; Bird - Wood Duck   
Simply click on the images to visit the pages.
You can also check out the archives as they're just a click away:
Wildflower Archives | Bug Archives | Bird Archives
OUR MONTHLY PAGE
This month's feature is called "Lichens at a Glance."
You'll be surprised at the huge variety and diversity of lichens.
Visit the page by clicking here.
We have numerous At-A-Glance pages including flowers, birds, mammals, insects and marine life. Find them all by clicking here. |
| The Wandering Image
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This month wander through the forest and discover a moss. 
This is Apple Moss, Bartramia pomiformis.
You can clearly see its apple-like fruits which explain how it got its common name.
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| Caption This!
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Here's our monthly image ready for your humourous caption along with a couple of our ideas.
Number one: "Brrrr. It's still rather cold" Number two: "Wow. The rain really plays havoc with your feathers."
If this month's photo inspires you, please send us an e-mail. We'd love to hear from you and add your caption to our collection. You can visit the rest of the collections at the Inn: The Mammals| The Birds | The Insects |
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Snippets in Nature
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Emerald Pool in the White Mountains of New Hampshire is a favourite area of Julie Copenhagen of Van Etten, New York, who took this photograph. If you think you have a suitable nature photograph for this section please send us an e-mail along with a brief explanation. We look forward to your submissions. |
Behind the Name
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 Yarrow, Achillea millefolium, is a very common plant with a beautiful flower head made up of numerous florets. The Genus name, Achillea, is in honour of the Greek warrior Achilles who was invincible except for his ankle. Legend has it he used Yarrow to make an ointment to sooth the wounds of his warriors. The species name, millefolium, means "thousand leaves" which refers to the structure of the plant's leaves. |
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Joke of the Month ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Gray Squirrel was sitting on a old log. Next to him was a bag of almonds. A Rock Squirrel was passing by and sat down on the log. He spotted the bag of nuts and when the Gray Squirrel wasn't looking he took a couple. He did this a few more times and after a while he had eaten them all.
Feeling sorry he said, "I'm really sorry but I've eaten all your nuts."
"That's OK," said the Gray Squirrel. "I've already sucked all the chocolate off them."
"That was alright. I don't like chocolate anyway." |
| Notes, News and Tips from Around the Inn
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Facebook
 We invite you to post comments on our Facebook page. To visit, just click on the logo or here.
A Little Reminder
 As nesting time approaches in many areas, it can be helpful to provide some nesting material for the birds. You can simply place fluff or even hair in a suet feeder cage and hang it up in your bird feeding station.
Tips from the Inn
 
If you're running out of frozen berries to feed the birds, try chopping up a few grapes into 6 or 8 pieces for a substitute. Just pop them in a small container. You'll be really appreciated!
Get Ready to Celebrate Earth Day!
Every year we celebrate Earth Day which is on April 22nd. Watch out for a special invitation coming your way at the end of March inviting you to submit nature photographs from your area. You can check out the results of last year's celebration by clicking here.
Get an iGoogle Gadget
If you have an iGoogle page, why not add the Inn's image gadget to it? Here's a sample:
To get going with this, just click here.
Photo Notecards Now on Sale!
To help pay for the costs of running the Inn website and providing this newsletter we are now selling a selection of blank photo note cards. We have two sets - birds and special places and will be adding more in the future. They cost only $3 each or a real deal at 4 for $10 with free postage! For more information and to place an order using PayPal, please click here.
Picture of the Week 
Be sure to drop by the Inn every week to see the latest Picture of the Week. You can also do so by clicking on the image to the left or by clicking here.
Past Issues
We upload past issues of Whispers as new ones are issued. You can view them all with a simple click here.
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Great Rivers
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In Banff National Park, Alberta, the Bow River curves widely through the valley. The river starts high in the Rockies and gradually flows through the foothills and across the plains of Western Canada. It eventually feeds into the South Saskatchewan River which is part of a water system that drains into Hudson Bay.
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Did You Know...
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Did you know that sea sponges are amongst the simplest of animals? They have no internal organs, muscles or nerves. This is a Purple Sponge, Haliclona permollis. See more amazing marine life in our At-A-Glance Guide to Marine Life.
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| State and Provincial Symbols
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The Giant Sequoia, Sequoiadendron giganteum, is the state tree of California.
It is a member of the Cypress Family of trees and can grow
up to 250 ft/76 m high with a diameter of 20 ft/6 m.
To see our collection of state and provincial trees just click here.
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| Trivia Answer
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Some oak trees can take 50 years to produce acorns.
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| What's This?
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This month's close-up image is a nest of Tent Caterpillars. How well did you guess?
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| Nature Notes
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Spread the Word ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We hope you've enjoyed our newsletter for this month and that you'll forward it on to your nature-loving friends.
Watch for the next issue of Whispers in your inbox during the first week of April. See you then!
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