Welcome to September's issue of the Dereila Nature Inn newsletter.
This is our 60th issue!
Some appropriately-named Orange Peel Fungi, Aleuria aurantia, welcome you this month. |
Greetings
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Hello everyone!
Welcome to another issue of Whispers, the newsletter of the Dereila Nature Inn - your virtual nature centre. We hope you've had a fantastic summer and were able to get out and explore the world of nature wherever you may be. Thank you so much for subscribing and supporting this project. We hope you'll enjoy the photos, trivia and tips in this month's issue.  Please join us on Facebook where we welcome your comments and ideas. |
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Trivia Time
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A poult is the young of which creature?
You'll find the answer at the end of the newsletter. |
What's This? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you know what this cropped close-up photograph is? The answer is at the end of the newsletter.
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| New Features at the Inn
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Illustrated Bird Sayings
This is a humourous, nonsense photo tale we hope you enjoy. It features sayings which involve birds .  |
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Contributed by...
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We invite you to submit nature photographs to this section. We hope you enjoy this month's terrific selection. Belted Kingfisher, Herman Veenendall, St. Mary's Ontario 
Pig's Ear Mushroom, Frank and Sandra Horvath, Grimsby, Ontario
Spruce Grouse, also by Frank and Sandra Horvath
Rain Lily, taken in Pasco County Florida by Marilyn Flanagan, Florida
Fulvous Whistling Duck, also by Marilyn Flanagan
Thank you so much for submitting these fantastic photographs!
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!
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| Monthly Selections
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Here are this month's choices: Bug - Beewolf Wasp; Wildflower - Drummond's Cinquefoil; Bird - Killdeer   
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 selected page is called Special Places in the Natural World. It is the starting off point to virtual tours to two dozen parks and natural places in Canada and the US. You can visit the page by clicking here.
Moraine Lake, Banff National Park |
| The Wandering Image
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This month we wandered into the forest again and came across something rather interesting.  Slime moulds are rather difficult to study. This colourful specimen is a Sporing Slime Mould. |
| Caption This!
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Here's our image ready for your humourous caption along with a couple of our ideas. This month we have a very interesting Decorator Crab.
Number one: "I am definitely number one in the fashion parade." Number two: "If I were a little bigger I could have added a few more accessories."
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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This month we have a glimpse of the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. Many thanks to Joyce Cahill of Winslow, Arkansas, for sending in her picture. 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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The very pretty flower Bronzebells has the scientific name of Stenanthium occidentale. The genus name Stenanthium comes from two Greek words: steno (narrow) and anthos (flower). The species name, occidentale, simply means western. |
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Joke of the Month ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few birds were hiding in a pond as it was hunting season. A Mute Swan met a Black Swan from Australia and said, "Have you come here to die?"
The Black Swan with its Australian drawl answered, "Naw. I came here yester die."
"They are so friendly asking about my well-being." |
| 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
 It's never too early to start to plan ahead and prepare for the autumn and winter by geting those bird feeders ready. They may need a little sprucing up, perhaps you'll need to clean off the cobwebs and dust as well as give the suet cages an extra scrub. We have lots of great ideas for making feeders - just click here. You'll also find some great suet recipes and other ideas here.
Tips from the Inn
When visiting feeding stations, many birds often use the same spot to land. This Pileated Woodpecker made many visits and used this rail around the sun deck.
 Placing a lichen-covered branch on the rail, secured with a couple of pieces of cord or wire, will give us a more pleasing image when the Pileated drops by next time.
The result is a great shot of the Pileated Woodpecker using the photo prop.
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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The River Almond creates a pleasant scene as it meanders through the countryside of east-central Scotland. Submitted by Eileen of West Lothian, Scotland. |
Did You Know...
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Did you know that according to legend, a Norse invader once stepped on a thistle while sneaking up on the Scottish army? He cried out, alerting the Scots to the invaders. As a result, the Scottish Thistle, Onopordum acanthium, was honoured and selected as an important symbol of Scotland. |
| State and Provincial Symbols
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The bright and cheerful California Poppy, Eschsholzia californica, is the state flower of California. You can see other state and provincial flowers by clicking here. |
| Trivia Answer
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A poult is the name of a young turkey. It is also used to refer to a young pheasant. |
| What's This?
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Our mystery image is the seedhead of the common dandelion - everyone's favourite weed! |
| 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 October. See you then!
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