October 1 - 7 is Banned Books Week, an annual event to celebrate the freedom to read and shine a light on efforts to remove or restrict access to books across the country.
The number of books being targeted for removal or restricted access in school or public library collections skyrocketed to over 2,000 in 2022.
Who visits the library campus after dark? Submit your thoughts on the most frequent mammalian visitors to lrubinacci@amesfreelibrary.org. Then, check back next Friday to see what my new trail cam recorded!
The library welcomes everyone; well, almost everyone. Last week, I escorted a young visitor to the door . . . and a little beyond. This individual was certainly charming and, for all I know, well-mannered, but the relationship just wasn’t “a good fit.” I hope it will settle down in the nearby brush and woods.
Congratulations to Joyce F. for correctly identifying last week’s “What Is It!” on the Ames Free Library’s Facebook page. This surrealistic creature is, indeed, a spicebush swallowtail caterpillar.
Have you wanted to join a book club but can’t find the time to make it to a meeting? Check out the Big Library Read hosted by OverDrive!
Daylilies are splashy, easy-to-recognize flowers. We might take them for granted simply because they are so familiar. This week, I encourage you to look closely at the entire plant and find a different species with similar features. Here are a few characteristics to notice:
–leaves with parallel veins
–long, narrow leaves
–flower parts in threes (or multiples of three)
Last week’s “What Is It!” apparently stumped A Glimpse of Nature’s readers. Such peculiar objects – bright-orange, gelatinous balls hanging from a conifer! Those in the photo were about 2 inches in diameter.
When my coworker, Christie, stepped outside her front door on May 8, she saw a nest. “When did that happen?”
May 8, 2023
I regret to say that no one correctly identified last week’s “What Is It!”. Guesses included a slug and a fossilized caterpillar. Nice try, but . . . . Let’s take a second look.
The subject of this closeup photo is a one-inch object. Here it is in the context of our reader’s backyard.
