Drumming Log - Summer 2012

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NATURE & ARTS FESTIVAL | FOREST STEWARDSHIP | LADYBUGS | HUMMINGBIRDS

Annual festival offers somethingfor nature, art and music lovers.

Downby theRiverside

NED SMITH CENTERFOR NATURE AND ART176Water Co. Rd., P.O. Box 33Millersburg, PA 17061Phone: (717) 692-3699Fax: (717) [email protected] and Gift Shop Hours:Tues.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4 p.m.,Sun. 12 p.m.–4 p.m.(through Labor Day weekend)Office Hours:Mon.–Fri.,8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.——————————EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:Stephen V. QuigleyDIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION:Jane LahrDIRECTOR OF EDUCATION:Beth SandersADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR:Carmen VillaroseDIRECTOR OF CREATIVE PROGRAMMING:Alexis Dow CampbellDIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENTMichele HutchinsADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT:Carol ShoopGIFT SHOP COORDINATORS:Nancy Speidel, Tana DyerEDITORIAL COMMITTEE:Marcus Schneck (Editor),Joe Lewin, Scott Weidensaul,Alexis Dow CampbellMAGAZINE DESIGN:Susquehanna Design and Printing

BOARD OF TRUSTEESPRESIDENT:Blaine SteenslandFIRST VICE PRESIDENT:StevenWildsSECOND VICE PRESIDENT:James UlshTREASURER:Mary JohnstonSECRETARY:J. BruceWalterJohn P. Booth, Natalie Matter-DeSoto,Brad Faber, Pat Ferris, Trish Foulkrod,Robert Hall, Todd Hoover, DanHottenstein, John D. Laskowski, KevinLaudenslager, Joe Lewin, Andrew Lick,Scott McManamon, Grace MillimanPollock, Matt Roberts, R. Scott Swartz,Blair Trogner, Scott Weidensaul——————————The mission of Ned Smith Centerfor Nature and Art is to mergethe arts and the natural worldand foster a celebration of both.The Ned Smith Center for Nature andArt is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organiza-tion, operating under the provisionsof the Internal Revenue Service.Drumming Log is published quarterlyby the Ned Smith Center for Natureand Art Inc. and is mailed to theCenter’s members and supporters.Reproduction of any part of Drum-ming Logwithout written permissionfrom the publisher is prohibited.

PROJECTPROGRESSAs of March 2012

BUILDING FUNDGoal: $1.25 million

($700,000) 56%ENDOWMENTGoal: $575,000

4.7% ($27,500)

F E AT U R E S :

2 COVER STORY: 19th AnnualNature and Arts FestivalThis year’s festival has something foreveryone … fascinating programs, musicalperformances, great food and exhibits …join the fun!

6 Forest StewardshipLearn more about the forest managementplan for the Center’s 550 acres.

14 Ladybug! Ladybug!Fly Away Home!Cornell University’s Lost Ladybug Projectcollects international data on thesebeneficial “backyard” beetles.

20 HummingbirdsA detailed look at the tiny birds with uniquelifestyles and amazing aviation skills.

If your business is interested in earning tax credits while helping to underwrite the Ned Smith Center’seducation programs, please contact Beth Sanders, Director of Education, at (717) 692-3699.

DAUPHINCOUNTYOFFICE OF COMMISSIONERS

Brunner Island, LLC

Special thanks to our education program underwriters includingthe Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program.

Drumming LogSUMMER 2012

facebook.com/nedsmithcenter @nedsmithcenter nedsmithcenter.blogspot.com

NEWS AND NOTES :

10 Volunteer Spotlight

D E PA R TM E N T S :

12 Discovery Pages16 Coming Events18 From the Gift Shop21 From the Collection

Above photo ©Ned Smith CenterFront cover ©Brittany Cross

Summer 2012 Drumming Log 1

F R O M T H E D I R E C T O R

The first half of 2012 has been a very busy season at the Center. Ifyou keep saying, “I need to get the family out there,” you really

should. Or if you said, “I missed another great event” — you really did.January’s crew party put the exclamation point on the latest season

— our 15th — for our saw-whet owl studies. While we expected thatlast autumn would not be a banner migration for these birds, it wasthe start of a two-year experiment to decipher how and where thesmall raptors fly across central Pennsylvania. The team tested a combina-tion of radar and infrared imaging, and based on the results havedesigned an ambitious project involving six new banding sites, telemetry and a dozeninterns and technicians this fall — along with our faithful corps of 100 volunteers,who man our three long-running banding stations.

January’s gray was punctuated by the Center’s second annual sold-out “Chili andBlues” at the Wooden Nickel in Millersburg. In February, the staff and a troop of ourvaliant volunteers braved the crowds and weather at the Eastern Sports and OutdoorShow. The Center made the news when a new queen bee was flown in all the wayfrom Hawaii and introduced into our observational beehive.

March opened with a phenomenal evening trip to a vernal pool onthe NSCNA lands — one that brought the trekkers to a standstill whenthey discovered a huge snapping turtle. The month then came to acrescendo when Maestro Stuart Malina of the Harrisburg SymphonyOrchestra and guests performed a concert in the Ned Smith Gallery.

The month continued on a high plane with the opening of“Olivia’s Birds,” a new exhibit showcasing the art of 12-year-oldOlivia Bouler, who raised $200,000 for Gulf oil spill relief.

In addition, our speaker series has enjoyed record attendance. Recentprograms include a photographic journey through Africa, and a visit byCanadian naturalist Seabrooke Leckie, co-author of the new Peterson FieldGuide to Moths of Northeastern North America.

During the spring, director of Education Beth Sanders was in high gear. She usedthe deck at the Center to meet with members of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Com-mission, Trout Unlimited and many of our teaching volunteers conducting a “Trout inthe Classroom” program. Students from two Harrisburg schools raised trout andreleased them into the Wiconisco Creek as part of a day-long program on conservation.

Most importantly, I continue to thank you — our members and volunteers — foryour outstanding support of the Center. Every event brings higher praise for our dedi-cated supporters.

If you have not already done so, please renew your membership: it is critical toour budget in ways that go beyond your gift itself. Your contributions — throughmembership, annual appeal and special support for your favorite programs — makean enormous difference in confirming our mission.

Check the “Coming Events” pages in this issue, as well as our online calendar atwww.nedsmithcenter.org, and come out to the Center. As a member, there are manyways you can make an immediate and positive impact.

Stephen V. QuigleyExecutive Director

Stephen V. Quigley

ArtworkbyOliviaBouler©OliviaBouler

Photo©NedSmithCenter

B Y A L E X I S D OW C AM P B E L L

For the past 18 years, the Center has been hold-ing its annual festival, which began in 1994 as

the Ned Smith Tribute Festival. And, after nearlytwo decades, the event is still going strong,

bringing free family educational entertain-ment to thousands of people annually.

The first festival was held in October, to coin-cide with the late artist’s birth date of Oct. 9.

“That ‘tribute’ label lingered for acouple years before we made thewise decision to call it what it was,

the nature and arts festival,”explained Scott Weidensaul,

who co-chaired the firstfestival with fellowfounding member andlongtime volunteer,

Diane Hassinger.For the first few

years, the festivalwas held at

Seal Park in

1 9 T H A N N U A L

For thousands of nature, art and music lovers,the annual mother of festivals comes each yearon the last weekend in July.

2 Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art

N A T U R E & A R T S F E S T I V A L

Millersburg, adjacent to the MillersburgHigh School, and the school was used forprogram and exhibit space. Shuttles ranbetween Seal Park and MYO Park on thebanks of the Susquehanna River for addi-tional programs. But within a few years,it became clear that the festival had out-grown that space, and it moved to MYOPark permanently, a switch that allowed

the festival’s organ-izers to greatlyexpand the breadthof programsoffered.

“In the earlydays, the arts sideof the center took abackseat to natureand environmentactivities,” said TimWhelan, formerNSCNA executivedirector and cur-

rent festival planning committeemember. “By including extensive artsprogramming, it has allowed the centerto fulfill its complete mission of being abridge between nature and the arts.”

John D. Laskowski agreed. He hashelped coordinate the festival since thevery beginning, serving as program chair

of theplanningcommitteefrom 1998until 2010,when hebegan shar-ing thoseresponsibili-ties withDave andLinda Kutz.

“Themove to the MYO opened up numerousopportunities to expand our program-ming,” he said. Certain elements of thefestival have changed over the years,while some favorite activities have notonly stuck around, but become perma-nent fixtures, like the make-it-yourselfbluebird boxes and the famous fish printT-shirts at the Youth Pavilion.

“Although the first year we were usingreal fish, before we got smart and startedusing plastic molds,” Weidensaul said.

Um, what?“We had a bunch of freshly dead,

whole bluegills, yellow perch and maybebass,” Weidensaul continued. “That’s theway traditional Japanese fish prints on

Photo ©iStockphoto Summer 2012 Drumming Log 3

CONTINUES ON NEXT PAGE

The diversity ofthe programsoffered at the

festival providessomething foreveryone, as it

were, andeverything is

provided at littleto no cost.



rice paper were done forhundreds of years. Honest.”

Since its humble begin-nings at Seal Park, thefestival has grown intothe Center’s largest singlepublic outreach event,reaching an average of4,000 attendees peryear. The diversity ofthe programs offeredat the festival providessomething for every-one, as it were, andeverything is provided at little to no cost.

“It was conceived as a way to payback the community for its support,”Laskowski explained. “The festival alsoallows the public to catch a glimpse intothe life and interests of the Center’snamesake.”

“[The festival] showcases all theaspects of nature that Ned Smith wasinterested in, wrote about and paintedabout,” said Sandy Lockerman, whochaired the festival from 1996-2001, andis also the volunteer coordinator for theCenter’s northern saw-whet owl researchprogram.

Whelan agreed. “The festival offersan unprecedented opportunity for visi-tors to experience a wide-rangingnumber of educational sessions and per-

formances to enhance their appreciationof nature and the arts in one place, andfor free,” he said. “The Millersburg water-front and MYO Park are a super locationfor the festival, with great views of theSusquehanna River and central Pennsyl-vania mountains. There is no better placefor a family outing, and there is some-thing for every age and interest.”

Something for EveryoneOn Saturday, July 28, The Ned Smith

Center for Nature and Art will host its19th annual Nature and Arts Festivalalong the banks of the scenic Susque-hanna River at MYO Park inMillersburg. The festival will take placefrom 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission to activ-ities at MYO Park is free, with theexception of the “Butterfly House,” forwhich there is a $2 admission. Regularadmission fees apply at the Ned SmithCenter for Nature and Art.

At this year’s festival, we will featuremore than 50 programs on owls, nativeplants, honeybees and butterflies, as wellas many more nature and environmentaltopics. There are many activities and


1 9 T H A N N U A L

The Butterfly House


Illustration by Ned Smith ©Ned Smith Center

N A T U R E & A R T S F E S T I V A L

Summer 2012 Drumming Log 5Photo ©iStockphoto

programs aimed especially at children,making the festival a great outing for thewhole family.

The main stage will feature perform-ances by Neidig, Gehret, Koretsky andCampbell; the Pennsylvania RegionalBallet; Twin Valley Players; and VanWagner; as well as a family-friendly liveanimal presentation by Red CreekWildlife and Rehabilitation Center.

Throughout Saturday’s festivities,shuttle vans will run between MYO Parkand the Ned Smith Center. The Centerwill be open until 6 p.m. and will featureOlivia’s Birds in the Olewine Gallery andNed Smith: Nature through a Master’sHands in the Ned Smith Gallery.Exhibits are free to members and chil-dren under 12; regular fees apply tononmembers.

The Center also will feature the win-ning entries of our 2012 Youth ArtContest, as well as other educationalexhibits.

The wide variety of programmingand the unique blend of nature and thearts exemplifies the Center’s mission andthe vision of its late namesake, nationallyrecognized wildlife artist and naturalist,Ned Smith.

“This festival epitomizes the NedSmith Center’s continuing goal to honorthe life’s work of Ned Smith and his won-derful, supportive wife, Marie,” saidLaskowski. “Ned deftly fused nature andart in his cherished gifts on canvas, andwe are honored to continue his legacy.”

In keeping with the Center’s educa-tion mission, the Youth Pavilion will bein full swing — children can make a fishprint T-shirt, get their faces painted, cre-ate recycled butterflies and meet SmokeyBear. The famous Millersburg Ferry willhost four programs, and singer-song-

writer Van Wagner will be on hand in thenew “Sharing Traditions with Children”tent for an hour of authentic Pennsylva-nia culture.

“I’ve attended the Ned Smith [Cen-ter] Festival for the past 12 years, and

enjoy the family-oriented nature of theevent,” said festival planning committeechair Don Helin. “It’s great to watch howmuch fun the kids have at the YouthPavilion. For several years, I have broughtmy grandchildren, who have had a ball.”

In addition to the exciting programsat the festival, a wide range of vendorsand exhibitors will be in attendance, aswell as several fabulous food vendors.

For a complete listing of festival pro-gramming, as well as directions to MYOPark and the Ned Smith Center, visitwww.nedsmithcenter.org.

Red Creek Wildlife Center

Neidig, Koretzky,Gehret and Campbell


Photo©iStockphoto

Photo©Neidig,Koretzky,GehretandCampbell


B Y M A R C U S S C H N E C K

All of the Ned Smith Lands — about550 acres reaching out east, west,

and especially south from the Center —will be covered by a new forest steward-ship plan sometime later this year.

About half of the lands, a portionleased from the Millersburg WaterAuthority, are already covered by a 10-year-old plan, according to JerryHassinger, chairman of the Center’s foreststewardship subcommittee. The plan forthose tracts will be updated, and theremaining acreage, which the Centerowns, will be covered by new compo-nents of the overall plan.

Hassinger has been trekking acrossthe Ned Smith Center Lands to compiledescriptions of the dozen managementunits into which the lands have beendivided. Each description includes detailsof the terrain, plant life and wildlifeacross the unit; how the site is used; andchallenges and opportunities it poses.

Consulting forester Steve Jaquith ofMuncy has begun working with Has-singer’s descriptions and coursing acrossthe Ned Smith Center Lands himself,developing the management plans thatwill be designed to meet the extensiveresponsibilities and objectives outlined in

the operations manual for the Center.“We’re looking to get a fairly unique

forest stewardship plan,” explained Has-singer. “We don’t want your normallandowner forest plan.”

The management units have beendifferentiated as much for their uses asfor their plant and animal communities.

For example, while the mountainsidesouth of the Lykens Valley Rail-Trail willsee timber management, the rail-trail willhave a no-cutting buffer zone on eachside. The area between the rail-trail andthe Wiconisco Creek will be mostly leftin its natural state, and the area on theopposite side of the creek and west of theCenter will continue to be managed pri-marily for education.

Prescribed FireWith apologies to Smokey Bear, some firehas a place in modern forest management

While prescribed fire probably willnever be applied to the Ned Smith Lands,the habitat management technique is beingused more and more across Pennsylvaniaas old stereotypes and fears dwindle.

New legislation, along with a better

FORESTSTEWARDSHIPCenter will have a management plan for all the Ned Smith CenterLands later this year.

Photo ©Ned Smith Center


S T E W A R D S H I P

understanding of prescribed fire’s impor-tance as a habitat tool over the pastdecade, cleared the way for agencies suchas the Pennsylvania Game Commissionand the Department of Conservation ofNatural Resources, and landowners suchas The Nature Conservancy, to expandtheir use of the technique.

Prescribed fires are started onlywhen weather and landscape conditionsallow for a well-defined, heavily con-trolled burn within a predetermined andconfined area.

The Pennsylvania Game Commis-sion has brought the technique to lands arelatively short distance from the NedSmith Center, on the Greenland tract ofState Game Lands 210 on Peters Moun-tain south of Williamstown, DauphinCounty.

In early spring this year, a prescribedburn was conducted on about 86 acres ofthe tract, under the direction of a burnboss from Fort Indiantown Gap, wherethe Pennsylvania National Guard hasbeen using the technique to managetraining ranges for several years.

David Henry, regional forester withthe commission, said another two simi-larly size burns are planned, as precursorsto a much larger burn, to be started fromhelicopters, in the fall.

He said prescribed fire is being usedon SGL 210 to allow wildlife-benefitting

scrub oak and pitch pine to retake thelandscape from less beneficial species suchas black birch, red maple and tulip poplar.

Fire is an essential force that hasshaped life on Earth, but in many naturalareas, the role of fire has been suppressedby humans to the point that the ecosys-tems are now severely out of balance,with negative consequences for bothhuman and natural communities.

However, plants and animals thatlive in fire-shaped landscapes are resilientto the repeated fires that tend to be partof these systems. In fact, many species inthese areas depend on fire to survive andthrive.

“Prescribed fire promotes the overallhealth and structure of the forest andgreatly accelerates the restoration ofdegraded forest lands,” said Dylan Jenk-ins, a certified forester formerly withTNC. “Low-intensity, high-frequency fireis like rain. It’s very regenerative and cantransform a stagnant site into a healthy,productive forest.”

Researchers of Native American cul-tures in the pre-European era believethose native peoples had a thoroughunderstanding of the relationshipbetween fire and the health and produc-tivity of the eastern forest.

A growing body of evidence suggeststhat Native Americans had a much big-ger impact on the landscape than was

IllustrationsbyNedSmith©NedSmithCenter

believed and idealized for many years. Itnow appears that significant tracts of theforest were kept in the highly productive,early successional stage through exten-sive burning.

Earthworms, Friend or Foe?Earthworms emerge as threat to forests ofPennsylvania and north

Earthworms — those common crit-ters in our garden soil that for years havebeen viewed as a barometer and cham-pion of healthy soil — are another featureof our landscape that arrived in NorthAmerica with the Europeans.

There were worms in the soil ofNorth America prior to colonization bythe Europeans, but for thousands ofyears, those native species occurredmostly south of Pennsylvania, south ofthe land scoured by glaciers down to thebedrock.

From about 15,000 years ago tosometime soon after 1492, the forests ofPennsylvania and most of the rest ofnorthern North America evolved with-out earthworms. Fungi and invertebratesother than earthworms fulfilled the roleof breaking down the detritus in the for-est soils, converting it back into theorganic nutrients to fuel new plantgrowth. It is a slow process throughwhich the nutrients are held in leaf litterover several years and only graduallyreleased back into the soil. In a naturalnorthern forest, a healthy layer of leaf lit-ter is interwoven with and bound to thesoil by filaments of fungi.

European earthworms, whicharrived in the New World in the agri-cultural and horticultural materialsbrought by colonists and which spreadinto soil that hadn’t seen earthworms for

thousands of years, perform a similarfunction, only much faster.

The impact of what in reality are asuite of invasive, exotic species on thenorthern forests of this continent wasrevealed in the 1980s by researchers atthe Institute for Ecosystem Studies inMillbrook, N.Y. They were evaluating therelative health of the forests along a 100-

mile urban-to-ruralgradient from NewYork City to ruralConnecticut. In theprocess, they alsodiscovered an unex-pectedly thin layerof leaf litter on theground and largenumbers of worms.

Similar impactshave been discov-ered in other areaswhere earthwormshave begun to presstheir way into forest

soils, such as along lakes and streamswhere bait containers have been emptiedat the end of a day of fishing. The soilsand ecosystems there, dependent on aheavy, long-lasting layer of leaf litter, havebeen radically altered by the worms.

The invaders can plow throughmore than five tons of leaf litter andadvance more than 30 feet in just oneyear, leaving a depleted soil in their wake.That altered soil is ill-equipped to main-tain the native ecosystem of the forest.Suddenly a burst of nutrients has beenreleased into the environment, fertilizingthe growth of new species that begin to

F O R E S T


From about15,000 years

ago to sometimesoon after 1492,the forests ofPennsylvania

and most of therest of northernNorth Americaevolved without

earthworms.

Photo ©Ned Smith Center

Photo©iStockphoto


crowd out the native vegetation. Earth-worms also raise the pH of the soil,much closer to the neutral 7 than theacidic 4 to 6 that native trees and shrubs,ranging from oaks and hickories to blue-berries and mountain laurel, need tothrive. The exposed soil is also vulnera-ble to erosion, compaction and otherimpacts of weathering.

Some studies also have revealed apost-earthworm decline in overall diver-sity in the forest ecosystem. The impactof a changing soil structure on the rootsof native woodland wildflowers leads to adecline in those species and an increasein non-native plant species. This leads toa decline in insect pollinators and insectherbivores that evolved to take advantageof the native wildflowers, which in turnleads to a decline in insect-eaters, includ-ing forest bird species.

Research is under way into possibledeterrents and repellents to slow the pro-gression of earthworms into the northern

forests of North America.In the meantime, we can all help our

remaining native forests by not dumpingour fishing worms on the ground, butinstead tossing them into the water,where fish andother predatorswill eat them,or taking themalong home,where gardensoils arealready beingturned byearthworms.We can examine the root balls of anytrees or shrubs we plant and dispose ofany earthworms we find there. And, wecan avoid planting any potential sourcesof earthworms near woodlands.

Cub Scouts PlantTrees for Earth Day

The Center’s lands just got a littlegreener, thanks to Cub Scout Pack 156,based in Fisherville, near Halifax inDauphin County.

The scouts were working on a con-servation project in association with theirforestry badge. On Earth Day (Sunday,April 22) the pack joined volunteers fromthe Center’s lands and trails committee toplant white pine seedlings provided bythe Pennsylvania Game Commission.All Scouts were provided with a bookleton tree identification and planting tools,and a new poster of the Pennsylvaniastate tree, the hemlock.

“And they were promised ice cream,”added Jerry Hassinger of the Center’slands and trails committee.

The Scouts persevered through chilly,rainy weather, and, according to Has-singer, “a good time was had by all.”

Photo©JerryHassinger

S T E W A R D S H I P

Photo©JerryHassinger

IllustrationbyNedSmith©NedSmithCenter


If you come to the Center on aFriday, you’ll most likely be

greeted in the gift shop by LorenaLemons, one of the Center’slongest-serving volunteers.

Lemons is one of the Center’sfounding members, having beeninvolved, as she says, “since thebeginning.” A Millersburg native,she “went dashing around for 25years,” before returning to the areain 1990 and almost immediatelybecoming an active civic volunteer.She became involved in theMillersburg Historical Society,where she met several folks whowere discussing what wouldbecome the Ned Smith Center forNature and Art, which was incor-porated in 1993.

“Most people were familiarwith Ned’s art,” Lemons explained.“Many had gone fishing or hunting withhim, so the community really wantedthe Center to happen.”

Lemons’ own interest in the Centerstems from a life-long love of nature andthe outdoors, which she learned fromher parents. She has fond memories ofplaying with her family’s many animals,and working in her family’s garden as achild in the 1930s.

“My dad was a sportsman and out-doorsman … the combination of whichinspired my interest in Ned Smith fromthe beginning,” Lemons said. “Dad usedto take us on hikes, which he used aslearning experiences. We’d go out toShippen Dam to pick watercress and cap-ture tadpoles, which we’d raise to becomefrogs; to the Poconos for blueberries; and

to the woods for teaberries, which I stillpick to this day, if I can find them.”

Lemons loves the setting of theCenter, and enjoys sharing it with thepublic she meets every Friday.

“Being surrounded by the outdoorsis just beautiful,” she said. “Peopleshould appreciate what rural Pennsylva-nia means, and [the Center] is ruralPennsylvania at its best. It’s an extensionof my childhood garden.”

In addition to being a dedicated vol-unteer, Lemons is a generous contributorto the Center’s mission. The LorenaFeidt Lemons Education Suite in theBradenbaugh-Hottenstein CollectionsWing and the Lorena Feidt Lemons Pic-nic Grove are named in her honor.

“I just really love the Center,” shesaid.

Photos ©Ned Smith Center

V O L U N T E E R S P O T L I G H T

MeetLorenaLemons

V O L U N T E E R

If you enjoy spending time outdoors,consider volunteering to help maintain

the Center’s lands and trails. Outgoing,friendly folks are always needed for the giftshop. And, volunteers are always neededfor special events throughout the year.

The Center is currently in particularneed of several volunteers to help weedand maintain the various native plantgardens on the property. Native plantknowledge is a plus but is not required.Contact Beth Sanders,director of education, foradditional information.

Fill out the volunteersurvey on the Center’swebsite (www.nedsmith-center.org) — just click on“Volunteer.” Or, give us acall at (717) 692-3699 tolearn how you can help.

If You Like the Ned Smith Center,You’ll LOVE Being a Volunteer!If You Like the Ned Smith Center,You’ll LOVE Being a Volunteer!

Photos©NedSmithCenter


s

a Ladybird beetles are also knownas ladybugs and lady beetles. Most

people in the U.S. just call them ladybugs.a But ladybugs are not bugs — they are beetles.

The term “bug” refers only to “true bugs” inthe insect order Hemiptera (meaning half-wing) while beetles belong to the insect orderColeoptera (meaning sheath-wing). Just likeother insects, ladybird beetles have six legsand three body parts (head, thorax andabdomen). It is estimated that there are 5,000species of ladybird beetles. More than 500species live in North America — some ofthem native, while others have been intro-duced from other countries.

a As adults, most ladybird beetles have littledome-shaped red, orange or yellow wing cov-ers with black spots. Some ladybird beetlesare black with red spots, and a few have nospots at all. The hard wing covers protect thebeetle’s fragile wings. Their wings are so thin,you can actually see through them.

a A ladybird beetle will flap its wings 85 timesper second while in flight — which, comparedwith other insects, makes them slow fliers.

a Like all insects, they are cold-blooded and areunable to fly until the air temperature reaches55 degrees Fahrenheit.

a Ladybird beetles, in both their larval andadult stages, have a huge appetite for aphids,which can cause damage to many plants andcrops. Gardeners and farmers intentionallyintroduce ladybird beetles into their gardensfor the biological control of aphids and someother agricultural pests. Ladybird beetles havestrong mandibles (jaws), and the larvae ofsome species eat up to 500 aphids a day,which is more than they eat as adults.

a A female ladybird beetle can lay more than1,000 eggs in her lifetime. Oval shaped andyellow-orange, the eggs are laid on the leavesand stems of plants where aphids are found.That makes it easier for the larvae to findfood when they hatch out within a few daysof being laid.

a A ladybug larva does not resemble the adultladybug. A newly emerged larva is long andslender (about 1/8” long). Its skin is roughand segmented, dotted with red, yellow ororange markings, and each abdominal seg-ment has tiny, wart-like bumps with bristlyhairs. All in all, the larvae looks a bit like aminiature alligator. They also taste terrible topredators such as ants and birds.

a Ladybird beetle larvae can consume theirweight in aphids each day. As the larva rap-idly grows, it goes through three or fourmolts called instars.

a After the final molt, the larva is about onehalf-inch long.

a The pupal stage, which comes next, is a timeof incredible change. In the final instar, thelarvae seeks out a place where it can attachitself to a plant stem or leaf by using a glue-like substance and a disk found at the tip ofits abdomen and pupates. After a few daysof being secured to the plant, the old skinsplits, which reveals the adult, whose newlyexposed skin darkens as it dries and hardens.Initially, the wing covers are pale and yellow,and their spots are not visible. After a fewhours, the soft wings dry and the outer wingcovers harden and expand to protect thedelicate wings when the beetle is resting.Gradually the wing covers transform to theirfinal dark color, and the spots characteristic

Is it a Bug?orIs it aBeetle?

The Ladybird BeetleDo you love ladybugs? Do they make you

smile? Do they bring back happy memories ofyour summer childhood discoveries?

Right now is a fantastic time to inviteyour child into the room so that the two ofyou can sit down together and discover theworld of ladybird beetles. I encourage you todevote a little time with your child to explor-ing the wilder areas in your neighborhoodand discover the fascinating world of ladybirdbeetles. Happy exploring!

LearningFunforKids!

BETH SANDERS,Director of Education, Ned Smith Center

D*Bugs,Bugs,BugsbyDaly

DALadybug’sLife

byHimmleman

DTheLadybug

andOtherInsects-A

FirstDiscoveryBookDBrightBeetle

byChrustowski

D I S C O V E R Y P A G E SPhoto©iStockphoto

D Are You a Ladybug? by Humphries D What About Ladybugs? by Godkin D Ladybug, Ladybug by Brown12 Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art

DLadybugsbyCoughlan

DLadybugbySlade

DLadybugs:Red,FieryandBrightbyPosada

DLadybugbyAshley

D*Bugs&SlugsbyKavanaugh

of adult ladybird bee-tles begin to appear.

a Most ladybirds live fornine months, but somecan live for up to twoor three years.

a Ladybird beetles havesome very effectiveways of defending themselves. When a pred-ator disturbs them, they ooze a foul-smellingfluid from the joints of their legs, which thepredator will likely remember and associatewith the beetle’s bright markings, and willleave them alone. When threatened, lady-birds can also play dead by curling up theirlittle legs and remaining motionless for along period of time.

a After ladybird beetles have eaten all theaphids in a colony, they will move on to otherareas in a garden to search for food. If thereare no aphids to eat, they will feed on othersmall soft-bodied insects, insect eggs, pollen,

nectar, and even other ladybird beetles, ifthey are desperate enough.

a Ladybird beetles have special organs on their feetto help them smell. They also use their antennaeto smell, touch and taste. The antennae helpthem detect nearby insects for them to eat.

a Ladybird beetles possess sticky pads on theirlegs, which help them to climb. This allowsthem to crawl upside down on a leaf withoutfalling off.

a Ladybugs are active during the day and rest atnight. During the winter, when it begins toget cold, they will hibernate under groundcover, in between the nooks and cranniesfound on tree trunks, and sometimes inhomes, living off stored fat. (One invasivespecies, the Asian multicolored ladybird, jamsinto houses by the thousands, becoming apest.) In the spring, the cycle of life beginsonce again as adult ladybird beetles emergefrom hibernation to hunt for food and searchfor a location to lay their eggs.

This is an enjoyable project tocreate with your child. Using cardstock or poster board rather thanconstruction paper will permit manyhours of fun and will hold up betterespecially when your child “flaps”the outer wing covers of their littlecreation!Materials:b black poster board or cardstockb red poster board or cardstockb wax paperb plastic lids, coffee can, water

bottles to use as templateb pencilb hole punchb brass fastenerb black chenille stemb scissorsb glueb clear adhesive tapeDirections:1.Cut out one large (body), onemedium (head) and 2 smallerblack circles (eyes) on posterboard using household items suchas a coffee can or water bottle as

your template.2.Cut out one large red (wing cov-ers) poster board circle, thencut that circle in half.

3.Cut wax paper (wings)the same size as thelarge black circle(body). Then cutthe wax paper inhalf just like the redcircle.

4.Glue the medium black circle(head) onto the large black circle(body). After that, glue both smallblack circles (eyes) to the head.

5.Using a hole punch, puta hole through the redwing covers, waxpaper wings,and blackbody. Using abrass fastener,attach eachlayer togetherstarting withthe red wingcovers, then the

wax paper wings, then finally theblack body.

6.Cut out several smaller black cir-cles for the dots on the ladybird

beetle’s wing covers. Thenumber of dots is yourchoice, but keep in mind,that both sides should besymmetrical.7. To make the antennae,

fold the chenille stem (pipecleaner) in half to make a V. Usingtape or glue, secure the antennaeon the back of the head betweenthe eyes of the ladybird beetle.

GOOD BOOKS ABOUT LADYBIRD BEETLES:Summer is a fantastic time to learn more aboutladybird beetles. Plan a visit to the Ned SmithCenter’s gift shop or the library for additional booksabout ladybird beetles. Select several of the bookslisted around the border of the two pages to read withyour child as together you learn more about ladybugsand their important roles they serve in our gardens.After reading some good books, you might feel inspiredto take a walk outside to look for ladybirds and otherawesome insects. An asterisk (*) denotes books thatare available in the Center’s gift shop.

Ladybird Beetle Craft Project

BD I S C O V E R Y P A G E S


stockphoto

D The Grouchy Ladybug by Carle D Ladybugs by Rustad D*Caterpillars, Bugs and Butterflies by BoringSummer 2012 Drumming Log 13


C O R N E L L U N I V E R S I T Y ’ S

Ladybirds, ladybird beetles, ladybugs —whatever you want to call them, these

little orange or yellow aphid-eaters haveseen drastic shifts across North Americain recent years. Native species, estimatedat more than 500 across the continent,have declined and even become rare in

someplaces,

while show-ing up in some

new spots. Non-native species from

Asia appear to be claimingincreasing chunks of the

United States, Canada and Mexico.And, with substantial holes in the

known natural history of ladybugs, thereasons for the declines and shifts arenot fully understood, nor are possibleactions needed to slow or reverse thoseshifts.

Into that void, Cornell Universityentomologist John Losey launched theLost Ladybug Project 12 years ago, tobegin gathering data across the continentthrough a typically Cornell, “citizen-science” system.

He issued an international call fornature lovers to collect the small insectsin their areas, affix them to sticky cardsand send them to Cornell. In 2004, theprogram turned digital, allowing

Ladybug!Ladybug!

Cornell University’s Lost Ladybug Project draws on citizenscientists across North America to gainnew insight into the little beetles.

Photos ©iStockphoto

Cornell University,Ithaca, New York


L O S T L A D Y B U G P R O J E C T

participantsto upload photographs

of the beetles through thewebsite at www.lostladybug.org, and

then release them.More than 16,000 ladybugs of 80

different species have been registeredinto what has become the largestdatabase on the insects. Thousands ofpeople have participated, and the LostLadybug Project has National Science

Foundation funding through 2015.And — surprisingly in these times

of relentlessly bad environmental news— not all of the revelations to date havebeen negative. The nine-spottedladybug is New York’s official stateinsect, but it hadn’t been seen in the

Empire State in 29years — until last summer,when a few were found by acollaborator on the Lost LadybugProject. Overall, reports of ladybugshave been varied and widespread,including some species previouslythought to be extinct or nearly so.

There are indications, however, thatnon-native ladybugs, such as the Asianmulticolored ladybugs that infiltrate

homes each fall, areone of the causes ofthe shifting pictureacross the continent.The areas theyoccupy continue toexpand, while nativeladybugs seem to besmaller these days,possibly because ofcompetition for foodsuch as aphids.

The project alsohas built captivecolonies of somenative ladybugspecies, and found in

them another possible part of the puzzleof native species decline: pathogens innative ladybugs that seem to be unique toNorth America.

For more information onthe Lost Ladybug Project, go towww.lostladybug.org.

Wednesday and Thursday, July 11 and 12, 9a.m.-4 p.m. Christmas in July camp. Beat the

heat by joining us for this festivecamp session, where we will focus

on making holiday gifts anddecorations. We’ve com-piled our favorite holidayprojects that are sure to

spark the imagination! We will even learn tocreate “snow” so we can sculpt our owntabletop snowmen. Instructors: Karen Lee New-man, Lydia Piper, Beth Sanders. Ages 8-12.$38/student, $34 with member discount.

Saturday, July 14, noon-4 p.m. VolunteerAppreciation Picnic. Attention all Center vol-unteers! Please join us for this family-friendlypicnic at the Center, and let us show our appre-ciation for all your hard work. Free to volunteers;call (717) 692-3699 for more information.

Saturday, July 21, 3 p.m. The First Frontierbook signing and informative lecture withauthor Scott Weidensaulat the beautiful MidtownScholar Bookstore, 1302 N.Third St., Harrisburg. Co-pre-sented by the Ned SmithCenter and the MidtownScholar. Free admission; moreinformation at (717) 236-BOOK or midtownscholar.com.

Thursday, July 26, 7:30 p.m. Ned SmithNight at Twin Valley Players production ofOliver! Enter to win a Ned Smith print and

enjoy this energeticshow by one of theCenter’s cultural part-ners. Ticket information

at (717) 692-3453 or twinvalleyplayers.org.

Saturday, July 28, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.Ned Smith Center Nature andArts Festival at MYO Park inMillersburg. One of the mostanticipated events of the year,this fun-filled day features livemusic, great food and more than 50 excit-ing and informative programs. See page 2for details. Free admission. Sponsor: DauphinCounty Commissioners.

Tuesday, Aug. 14, 9 a.m.-4p.m. Through the LookingGlass camp. Build your veryown kaleidoscope and othertypes of scopes, whilelearning about reflection and

the power of light. Discover how ordinarybeads combined with bits of nature can createbeautiful one-of-a-kind patterns. Part art proj-ect, part construction task, building akaleidoscope will offer an engaging way foryoung minds to learn about symmetrical pat-terns while creating their own timelesskeepsake. Kids will build multiple types ofscopes, while exploring their world from awhole new perspective. Instructors: Lydia Piperand Beth Sanders. Ages 9-12. $38/student, $34with member discount.


C O M I N G E V E N T S


HeatUpYourSummerWith events, programs, workshops andmore at the Ned Smith Center

It’s a hot summer at the Ned Smith Center; a summerof blistering workshops, blazing performances and sizzling

events. Learn more about all of them at www.nedsmithcenter.org. All events are heldat the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art unless otherwise noted.


Friday, Aug. 17, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Puppets! camp.Imagination comes alive at our puppet-paloozacamp. Discover the world of puppetry, as welearn to build our own unique puppets. Tradi-tional concepts used in creating puppets will beintroduced, as well as innovative ideas that willresult in some one-of-a kind creations. Instruc-tors: Jen Kilander and Beth Sanders. Ages 9-12.$38/student, $34 with member discount.

Friday, Aug. 24, 9:30 a.m. Ted Lick MemorialSporting Clays Classic at the Blue RidgeSportsmen’s Clubin Harrisburg. Pro-ceeds benefit theCenter. This annualtradition isdesigned to cele-brate our outdoor heritage, while raisingmuch-needed funds for the Center’s educationprogramming. Attendees will have an opportu-nity to meet and shoot with retired professionalathletes, expert target marksmen and mediapersonalities. $250 per person, $1,000 per four-person team. Sponsorship opportunities available.

Saturday, Sept. 8, time TBD. First annualTrail Run for Conservation and K-9 5K. This5K course will take runners along the scenicWiconisco Creek to a portion of the Lykens Val-ley Rail Trail and across our beautiful pedestrianbridge. All of the Center’s trails will be open forvisitors wishing to walk their own course

based on length and level of diffi-culty. The entire day also willfeature a celebration of our caninevisitors who frequently “walk theirpeople” on our trails. All proceedsfrom the event will directly benefitthe Center’s mission. Registrationfees: Individual $20 until Friday, Aug.10, $25 after Aug. 10 or on race

day; children 5-12 $12 until Aug. 10 or $15 afterAug. 10 or on race day; children 4 and under free.More information at nedsmithcenter.org.

Saturday, Oct. 6, 9:30 a.m. 19th annualWildlife Art Auction at the Ned Smith Center.The Center is proud to hold this event in thebeautiful Ned Smith Gallery for the very first

time. The sale features the largest collection ofNed Smith prints and works by Pennsylvaniawildlife artists at a single auction.

Saturday, Oct. 13, 12 p.m.-4p.m. Fall Family Fun Day. Thisannual event is designed toincrease awareness of the nat-ural world with many activitiesfor children and families. Seelive animal presentations, get your facepainted, visit the pumpkin patch, create a falldecoration at the Art Creation Station, try yourskills with a round of Pumpkin Bowling or strollacross the Wiconisco Creek on the footbridge.$5 for ages 2 and older, “Family Four-Pack” for$15. Coupons available in the Gift Shop and onlineat www.nedsmithcenter.org.

Saturday, Oct. 27, Halloween Owls program.Whooooo’s coming to this annualtradition? Celebrate the holidaywith the Center at the annualHalloween Owls program,which features live owls fromPenn State’s Shaver’s Creek

Environmental Center.Experts on nighttime raptors willexplore the facts and shatter themyths about these beautiful crea-tures. Licensed bird bandersfrom the Center’s Northern Saw-Whet Owl Banding Project willprovide owl banding demonstra-tions by netting wild migrantowls and sharing the excitement— and close-up looks at the tinyraptors that migrate through Penn’sWoods on cold fall nights. Kids’ pro-gram 6 p.m.-7:15 p.m.; regular program7:30 p.m. Free to members and childrenunder 12, $3 otherwise.

Friday, Nov. 9, 6:30 p.m. President’sCircle Gala at the Country Club of Harris-burg. Save the date for this elegant annualaffair, complete with fabulous food, silent andlive auctions, and entertainment for all. Spon-sorship opportunities available, contact the Centerfor details.


C O M I N G E V E N T S





N E D S M I T H C E N T E R G I F T S H O P

New Items in the NedSmith Center Gift Shop!Our gift shop is full of unique items perfectfor the nature and art enthusiast in your life.

Saw-whet Owl ResearchThe RJM Foundation has renewed itssuccessful 2011 challenge grantfor 2012— offering to match,dollar for dollar, all money weraise for our ground-breakingowl research program, up to avery generous $25,000. Formore information, please callDevelopment CoordinatorMichele Hutchins at(717) 692-3699.18 Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art

Exactimagesonprintvaryfromthoseshown.

The Hunting SnowFine Art Print: In the dim stillness of awinter forest, a bobcat pauses on wide-padded feet, ears pricked and eyes alertfor any sign of prey in the snowy silence.First created for the January 1971 coverof Game Newsmagazine, this acrylicpainting is one of the most closelyassociated with Ned Smith, since it hasappeared for more than 40 years on thecover of his iconic book, Gone for the Day.Finished size: 18.75" x 13"

Yellow-breastedChatGone For the Day Fine Art Print SeriesNEW!

The Ned Smith Center for Natureand Art is pleased to announcethe third in a new four-part,black-and-white series.

Fine Art Print: Ned was inspired notonly by the beauty of the yellow-breastedchat, but by the chat’s acrobatics andmimicry. This illustration accompanied aJune 1968 installment of Gone for theDay. Finished size: 11.5" x 16.5"Available Fall 2012

Visit the Ned Smith Center Gift Shopat 176 Water Company Road,

Millersburg, Pa., or call (717) 692-3699.Hours are Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

www.nedsmithcenter.org.

N E D S M I T H G I F T S H O PPlease

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Give a Membership Gift!The mis-sion of theNed SmithCenter is tomerge thearts andthe naturalworld and

foster a celebration of both. The Cen-ter offers gallery exhibits, educationprograms, performances and adventureafield for the sportsman, nature observerand arts enthusiast. Learn more aboutthe many benefits of membership on theCenter’s website at www.nedsmithcen-ter.org. Become a member, or give amembership as a gift by using the format right, calling (717) 692-3699 or visitingthe website.

2013Classic Series PatchHunger Moon ShadowsThe next patch in ourClassic Series isnow availableand is one ofour finest yet.Featuring NedSmith’s HungerMoon Shadows,this patch will be abeautiful addition to your collection. Availablein 4“ and 6“ sizes.

Saw-whet Owl AdoptionHelp support the Center’s Saw-Whet OwlResearch program by “adopting” an owl!Each adoptive parent will receive acertificate with a color photo of yourowl, its band number, and otherinformation. You will also be notifiedif your owl turns up again, whetherit’s in our nets or at another

research station. Please contactthe Center at (717) 692-3699for additional information.

Yellow-breasted Chat Traditional Fine Art PrintLast year’s print #: _____________Print Only (unframed) Issue Price $100.00 ____ ______

Member Price $70.00 ____ ______Shipping/Handling ($25.00 per print) $25.00 ____ ______

Framed Print (framed/mat) Issue Price $200.00 ____ ______Member Price $170.00 ____ ______

Optional: UV Glass ($15.00 per framed print) $15.00 ____ ______Shipping/Handling ($55.00 per framed print) $55.00 ____ ______

Gone for the Day Traditional Fine Art Print Set (4 Prints)Last year’s print #: _____________ Complete set includes: Leaping Buck,Mother’s Day Fox, Chat on Blackberry Bush, Yellow-Crowned Night Heron

Print Only (unframed) Issue Price $360.00 ____ ______Member Price $252.00 ____ ______

Shipping/Handling ($25.00 per print) $25.00 ____ ______Framed Print (framed/mat) Issue Price $760.00 ____ ______

Member Price $652.00 ____ ______Optional: UV Glass ($15.00 per framed print) $15.00 ____ ______Shipping/Handling ($55.00 per framed print) $55.00 ____ ______

The Hunting Snow 2012 Fine Art Print QTY. TOTALPrint Only (unframed) Issue Price $160.00 ____ ______

Member Price $130.00 ____ ______Shipping/Handling ($25.00 per print) $25.00 ____ ______

Framed Print (framed/mat) Issue Price $260.00 ____ ______Member Price $230.00 ____ ______

Optional: UV Glass ($15.00 per framed print) $15.00 ____ ______Shipping/Handling ($55.00 per framed print) $55.00 ____ ______

Frame options (please select one):�Walnut/tan � Dk.Rustic/blue/gray

Patches QTY. TOTALThe Hunting Snow 4” Patch $6.00 ____ ______Hunger Moon Shadows 4” Patch $6.00 ____ ______Hunger Moon Shadows 6” Patch $20.00 ____ ______Shipping/Handling $.50 per 4“ patch, $.75 per 6“ patch ____ ______

Saw-whet Owl Adoptions QTY. TOTALNon-Member Price $30.00 ____ ______

Member Price $25.00 ____ ______Ned Smith Center MEMBERSHIP Categories

� Student $15 � Individual $30�*Family $50 �*Benefactor $250�*Patron $100 �*President’s Circle $1,000 TOTAL�*Naturalist $500 (*household family members included) ______

NOTE: For gift memberships, please include information on a separate sheet.Subtotal: (must include shipping) $ ______Plus 6% tax: (Pa. residents only) $ ______Membership: $ ______TOTAL: $ ______

Name__________________________________________Address ________________________________________City _________________________State_____Zip ______Daytime Phone __________________________________E-mail __________________________________________� Check/Money Order Enclosed � VISA � MasterCard � DiscoverCard # ________________________________________Exp. Date ____ / ____ 3-digit code (on back) __________Signature ___________________________ Date ______

UNIT PRICE QTY. TOTAL

B Y S C O T T W E I D E N S A U L

There are times when it’s hard to believe that a hummingbird iseven a vertebrate, much less a bird; that the tiny, frenetically

buzzing object hovering a few feet away at the patio feeder isn’t justan overgrown bug.

Hummingbirds have one ofthe most unusual lifestyles among the

world’s birds, and a uniquely evolved physi-ology to make it possible.Take flight. A number of birds can hover

clumsily, but hummingbirds are not only able tohover with extraordinary precision, beating theirwings some 50 or 60 times a second, but they can

fly backwards — something no other bird canachieve.

That’s possible because their wing bonesare largely fused into a solid strut that canhandle the tremendous torque that suchflight exerts. At the same time, theirshoulder girdles are unusually flexi-ble, allowing them to pivot theirwings to flap in a shallow, horizontalfigure-eight to hover.

Powering that flight arebreast muscles that comprise a quar-ter of the bird’s body mass and aheart that beats as many as 1,200

times a minute. A hummingbird’senergy needs are therefore ferocious.

Fueling that metabolic furnace requiresextravagant quantities of food — not just sugar-rich nectar,but also insects and other small arthropods, which actually make upmost of a hummingbird’s diet.

Attracting hummingbirds is easy — but take the responsibilityseriously. Use only clear, colorless nectar made from one part purewhite sugar and four parts water. Don’t use honey, molasses and rawor brown sugar, which can be fatal to the tiny birds. Clean your feed-ers regularly with hot water and a brush, changing the nectar everycouple of days in summer.Weidensaul, a writer and NSCNA trustee, is also a field ornithologist who bands and studies hummingbirds,among other species.

A N A T U R A L C U R I O S I T Y


Hummingbirds

Photos©ScottWeidensaul

live an unusual lifestyle supported by a unique physiology.

Mallard DrakeNed Smith, undated, watercolor, NSC 4.116

This recent acquisition is a bit of a mystery. It is obviously an early work of Ned Smith’s,based both on the execution and the signature. An art teacher once told him that “serious”artists never used nicknames, so in the beginning of his career, he signed his paintings“E. Stanley Smith.” This work was recently donated to the Center by Ducks Unlimited,which had in turn received it as a bequest. Aside from an assumption that it was paintedin the 1940s, we know nothing about its history.

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NedSmithCenterforNatureandArt

176WaterCompanyRoad,P.O.Box33

Millersburg,PA17061

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Drumming Log - Summer 2012