Annual Meeting and Lecture
Discovering Moths: Nighttime Jewels in Your Own Backyard
With Author, Photographer and Illustrator John Himmelman
North Madison Congregational Church
Thursday, November 9
7 p.m.
Meet the beautiful and under appreciated cousins of the butterflies...
This group of insects needs a better press agent! Less than 1% of the over 11,000 species in North America are considered pests. The rest show an AMAZING variety of color, shape and behavior missed by many of us, as we tend to be indoors at night when most (not all) are active. They're an ethereal thread in our faunal tapestry.
While you will learn about a couple of the pests (like, what's the connection between Gypsy Moths and a crater on Mars?) and how they got here, we'll mostly be celebrating the vast array of bewitching and beneficial species with whom we share our yards.
John is the author/photographer/illustrator of the book bearing the title of this program. A selection of John’s books will be available for purchase and signing after his talk.
Geocaching Hike
Summer Hill Preserve
Sunday, November 12
1:00 p.m.
Learn the popular sport of geocaching with incoming MLCT president and active geocacher Ian Taylor. There are geocaches hidden on every MLCT trail and Ian has found them all. He’s also created and hidden a variety of very clever caches, including those on the Summer Hill trail. Discover how to access the clues, then use your GPS or cell phone to navigate and locate these hidden treasures. Download the "Geocaching" app before the hike. Meet in the trail parking lot on Summer Hill Road, just north of Route 80. https://madisonlandtrust.org/trails/summer-hill-preserve/
Red-bellied Woodpecker
The Red-bellied Woodpecker is a common bird in the Land Trust forests. Its name is somewhat odd since the pinkish color on the breast area is seldom visible, but the red cap is prominent. Look for zebra-stripes on the back and flashes of white on the wings when it’s in flight. The male has the red all the way to the bill, but females only have a red crown and brown before their beak. The call is a quick quirrrr, and a ch-ch-ch-chirrrrrrr! Thirty years ago the Red-bellied Woodpecker would have been a rarity in Connecticut, but today it’s one of our most common birds.
Painting © Michael DiGiorgio