Wild About Utah

May 5, 2025May 5, 2025

Fireflies Find Love in Utah

My name is Kate and my name is Carlos. Today’s Wild About Utah is in both Spanish and English. The Spanish version will be read by Carlos Ramos. You can also listen to this story in Spanish this Wednesday evening between 9:01-9:06 or online.

Against all odds, fireflies find love here in Utah. Out at places like Firefly Park in Nibley, you can watch these dazzling lanterns dance and bounce, starting around early June. Watching these fireflies is magical, even more when you know what it took for them to glow each night.

The first challenge a firefly faces is finding a good wet habitat out here in arid Utah. Finding dark, wet habitat can be tough, but somehow fireflies have done it and have done so in Utah since potentially 1929. Once a firefly finds a good spot, now they have to find each other. Doing this requires precision and chemistry. In their abdominal lantern, the enzyme luciferase must hug both luciferin and a molecule of energy tightly to help combine their parts. Then luciferin combines with oxygen to form the energetic Oxyluciferase. Much like a kid with too much candy, Oxyluciferase is now desperate to release some energy before it’s too much. It does this by releasing a light-emitting photon and we see the magic before our eyes. As if creating light inside one’s body wasn’t tough enough, now they must attune their signal to their species and find each other. Each species has a unique Morse code of light they need to blip in order to find each other.

Now, let’s say a firefly makes it to a marshy habitat and they meet the love of their short 3-week life, now the romance can begin. Males and females copulate for hours, remaining still and stuck end to end. During this time, the male gives the female what’s called a nuptial gift full of protein along with his sperm. If that isn’t romantic, I don’t know what is! The females will store this gift and digest it over several days to help her get the protein to lay her eggs. Once laid, these eggs will take between a few months to 2 years to become adults where they will light their heart out to repeat the process.

For me, thinking about all the chemistry involved, both molecular and romantic, is moving. I hope we can protect their light for generations to come.

My name is Kate and my name is Carlos and we’re Wild About Utah.

Credits:
Spanish Version: Las luciérnagas encuentran el amor en Utah, https://wildaboututah.org/las-luciernagas-encuentran-el-amor-en-utah/
Images: Courtesy Pixabay, Francisco Javier Corado, Rivera, Contributor, https://pixabay.com/photos/insect-nature-yard-firefly-5151913/
Featured Audio: Courtesy & Copyright Anderson, Howe, & Wakeman
Text: Kate Hunter & Carlos Ramos, https://logannature.org/staff
Additional Reading: Lyle Bingham, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/

Additional Reading

Wild About Utah Pieces by Kate Hunter https://wildaboututah.org/author/kate-hunter/
Wild About Utah Pieces by Carlos Ramos https://wildaboututah.org/author/carlos-ramos/

Strand, Holly, Firefly Light, Wild About Utah, June 20, 2013, https://wildaboututah.org/firefly-light/

Hellstern, Ron, June Fireflies, Wild About Utah, June 19, 2017, https://wildaboututah.org/june-fireflies/

Bills, Christy, Fireflies, Wild About Utah, May 15, 2019, https://wildaboututah.org/fireflies/

Heers, Mary, Fireflies at Nibley Firefly Park, Wild About Utah, May 23, 2022, https://wildaboututah.org/see-fireflies-at-nibley-firefly-park/

Join Stokes Nature Center for their firefly tours, from 9:15-10:15 at Virgil Gibbons Heritage Park/Firefly Park in Nibley, UT!
All nights are offered in English while June 6 and 7th will also have Spanish Tours
Dates and Links to Ticketing are Here:
– June 3rd-https://givebutter.com/firefly25-june3
– June 5th-https://givebutter.com/firefly25-june5
– June 6th-https://givebutter.com/firefly25-june6 (Tours offered in Spanish as well)
– June 7th-https://givebutter.com/firefly25-june7 (Tours offered in Spanish as well)

April 28, 2025April 27, 2025

May Day in Mendon

Mendon Glacier Lilly Courtesy & © Mary Heers, Photographer — Mendon Glacier Lilly
Courtesy & © Mary Heers, Photographer

Mendon Glacier Lilly Close Up
Courtesy & © Mary Heers, Photographer

Mary’s Neighbor’s May Queen Crown
Courtesy & &copy’ Mary Heers, Photographer

Mendon Glacier Lilly Close Up Courtesy & © Mary Heers, Photographer — Mendon Glacier Lilly
Courtesy & © Mary Heers, Photographer

Mendon Glacier Lilly Close Up
Courtesy & © Mary Heers, Photographer

Mary’s Neighbor’s May Queen Crown
Courtesy & &copy’ Mary Heers, Photographer

Never have I seen the coming of spring celebrated with more flair than Mendon’s May Day.

On the first Saturday in May, Maypoles with 20 foot long ribbons appear in the Mendon town square. By ten o’clock a couple hundred residents have gathered around the poles. A piano in the gazebo strikes the first chords and the May Queen and her entourage step around the corner of the church and onto the green. Suddenly everybody gathered in the square begins to sing. “Come to the woodlands, away, away”. Most people know the whole song by heart.

The queen is crowned and the real showstopper, the braiding of the Maypoles, begins. Mendon’s young girls, grades 1-5, pick up the ribbons. Braiding the poles is complicated. The girls have been practicing after school three times a week since the beginning of April. Last week I dropped in on one of the practices and counted: 3 Maypoles, 64 girls, and a little bit of chaos. There’s a march, a minuet. More songs. Stepping in, stepping out, kneeling, skipping. The girls bob up and down as they sing ”Apples blossoms swing and sway..”

Mendon is one of Cache Valley’s oldest pioneer towns, tucked up against the Wellsville Mountains. Winters were long and hard, and the coming of spring eagerly awaited. The beginnings of May Day can be traced back to the days when the young girls in the pioneer settlement raced up the hillsides to gather spring wildflowers to put in their hair.

The first May Queen, Seny Sorenson, was crowned with a hand woven wreath of flowers in 1863. Since then, every year, rain or shine, a queen has been crowned in the town square, and the maypoles have been braided with the same songs and dance steps. 160 years, with only a few changes.

The queen’s name is now drawn out of a hat from a pool of the town’s high school juniors. And this year, for the first time ever, the young girls will be getting store bought dresses. In the past, the mothers were expected to sew the matching dresses for their daughters. Not knowing about this tradition, you can imagine how bewildered I was when I had just moved to Mendon and answered a knock on my door. A woman I didn’t know handed me a dress pattern and proceed to say something about altering the interfacing. I was pretty sure she was speaking English, but I couldn’t understand a word she was saying. Luckily my good friend and neighbor quickly brought me up to speed. This wonderful neighbor had actually been Mendon’s May Queen over 50 years ago. “Do you want to see my crown?” she asked as she opened the door to her hall closet. And there it was, a tight ring of pink and white flowers, secured to a tiny satin pillow with a fading ribbon.

I had one more stop to make. I hopped in my car and drove up to the Deep Canyon trailhead high above Mendon. A short way up the trail I found it– a whole hillside covered with curly yellow Glacier Lilies, the “early blooming flowers” from the May Day song “Maying and Straying…” And believe me, this was a sight worth singing about.

This is Mary Heers, and I’m Wild about Springtime in Utah.

Credits:
Photos: Courtesy & Copyright © Mary Heers, Photographer
Featured Audio: Courtesy & Copyright Mary Heers AND Courtesy & Copyright © Kevin Colver, https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections/kevin-colver
Text: Mary Heers, https://cca.usu.edu/files/awards/art-and-mary-heers-citation.pdf
Additional Reading: Lyle Bingham, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/

Additional Reading

Wild About Utah, Mary Heers’ Postings

Mendon May Day, https://www.mendonutah.net/may_day.htm

May Day Celebration, Mendon City, Utah, https://mendoncity.org/may-day-celebration/

April 21, 2025April 21, 2025

Meadowlarks

Western Meadowlark Courtesy US FWS, Peter Pearsall, Photographer — Western Meadowlark
Courtesy US FWS, Peter Pearsall, Photographer

I loved Mark Brunson’s recent Wild About Utah on spring bird song, his words resonating with my own. Continuing on with his melodies leads me to a bird song that lifts me to new heights as I trot along a meadow trail. A bird of the prairie and countryside, the western meadowlark releases songs synonymous with spring grasslands flush with balsam root, lupine, death camas, larkspur, prairie smoke, and wind tossed grasses that shimmer in morning sun.

Western Meadowlark Courtesy US FWS, John & Karen Hollingsworth, Photographers — Western Meadowlark
Courtesy US FWS, John & Karen Hollingsworth, Photographers

Western Meadowlark
Courtesy US FWS, Krista Lundgren, Photographer

Western Meadowlark
Courtesy US FWS, John & Karen Hollingsworth, Photographers

Western Meadowlark Courtesy US FWS, Krista Lundgren, Photographer — Western Meadowlark
Courtesy US FWS, John & Karen Hollingsworth, Photographers

Western Meadowlark
Courtesy US FWS, Krista Lundgren, Photographer

Western Meadowlark
Courtesy US FWS, John & Karen Hollingsworth, Photographers

It was a bit of shock when I learned this dazzling meadow beauty with a flashy yellow sunlit breast is a member of the blackbird family. I’m not alone in my reverence for this stunning songster. Six western states claim it as top bird, including our neighbor Wyoming.

A common and conspicuous bird across much of North America west of the Mississippi River, the Western Meadowlark was first officially described in 1805 by the famed explorer Meriwether Lewis. More than just a bird; it has captured the essence of open fields and wildflower meadows.

“Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn’t people feel as free to delight in whatever sunlight remains to them?” — Rose Kennedy

In Native American mythology, the Western Meadowlark is often seen as a messenger and a symbol of sociability and communication. The Sioux revered the meadowlark for its beautiful songs and considered its appearance a good omen, heralding joy and harmony. Some folklore tells of meadowlarks leading lost people back to their homes using their distinctive calls, embodying the spirit of guidance and protection.

The Western Meadowlark is widely distributed across western and central North America, ranging from British Columbia and northern Michigan to central Texas and northern Mexico. They exhibit partial migratory behavior depending on geographic location. Birds residing in the northern parts of their range migrate as far south as Texas and northern Mexico during the winter months. Populations in southern regions tend to be more sedentary, often remaining in their breeding territories year-round.

The Western Meadowlark significantly impacts its ecosystem through diverse feeding activities. By consuming insects like caterpillars and grasshoppers, it helps control pest populations, thereby supporting plant health and agricultural productivity. Additionally, the bird’s seed and berry consumption aids in seed dispersal, facilitating plant propagation and maintaining biodiversity in grassland and prairie habitats.

Furthermore, the Western Meadowlark’s ground nesting contributes to soil aeration and nutrient cycling, enhancing ecosystem health and resilience. Its presence serves as an indicator of grassland ecosystem health.

To attract females, males execute a variety of visual displays, including puffing out their vibrant yellow throats, flapping their wings, and engaging in a distinctive hopping behavior. Vocalization also plays a critical role, with males using a series of warbling and twittering sounds interspersed with whistles.

Ingeniously, the female weaves a roof of grasses and other plant materials to form a waterproof dome, which protects the eggs and young from rain and predators.

May you be blessed by its song and vibrancy!

Jack Greene for Bridgerland Audubon Society, and I’m Wild about Utah’s prairie bird!

Credits:
The Wonders of Bird Migration
Picture: Courtesy USFWS, Peter Pearsall, John & Karen Hollingsworth, & Krista Lundgren, Photographers
Audio: Courtesy & © Kevin Colver https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/ as well as J. Chase and K.W. Baldwin.
Text: Jack Greene, Bridgerland Audubon, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/
Additional Reading: Lyle W Bingham, Webmaster, and Jack Greene, Author, Bridgerland Audubon, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/

Additional Reading:

Jack Greene’s Postings on Wild About Utah, https://wildaboututah.org/author/jack/

Wilde, Steve, Western Meadowlark: Mythology, Habitat, Diet, and More, July 17, 2024, Global Birding Initiative, https://globalbirdinginitiative.org/bird-species/western-meadowlark/

Western Meadowlark, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Western_Meadowlark/overview

Western Meadowlark, Utah Birds, Utah County Birders, http://www.utahbirds.org/birdsofutah/ProfilesS-Z/WesternMeadowlark.htm
Other views: http://www.utahbirds.org/birdsofutah/BirdsS-Z/WesternMeadowlark.htm

Colver, Kevin, Recording Artist and Copyright Holder, Wextern Meadowlark, Western Soundscape Archive, Marriott Library, University of Library, https://collections.lib.utah.edu/details?id=1119499&facet_common_name_t=%22Western+Meadowlark%22&fd=title_t%2Csetname_s%2Ctype_t&facet_setname_s=uu_wss&facet_type_t=%22Sound%22

April 14, 2025March 4, 2026

Balancing Academic Focus and Student Exploration when Learning Outdoors

Academic Focus in the Outdoors Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer — Academic Focus in the Outdoors
Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer

A recent educational outdoor experience (I’ll call field experience) with a homeschooled family, prompted me to reflect on the balance between academic focus and student-exploration when teaching outdoors. Yes, some balance of the two is necessary. In the extreme case of too explicit of academic focus, why be outdoors at all and not just at school in desks? Why all the logistics and planning to transport kids to some outdoor location then sit them at a picnic table to complete worksheets about some science-based academic standard, when you could do that all at school? In the other extreme, if you ‘let kids run free’ for the entirety of the field experience, they’ll have fun and make discoveries, but they will likely miss the intentional connections to curriculum that made the trip academically justifiable. So, when you take kids to learn outdoors, what is the right balance between academic focus and student-exploration and how can the instructor support such a balance?

In my experience, the way to think about this balance isn’t so much as a mixing of the two, but more of a time sequence. Here’s what I’ve found works well.

Prior to the field experience, formal academic focus should be the priority. Students should engage in academic activities that set them up to make explicit academic connections when they go to the field.
Then, when in the field, emphasis should be on student-exploration, and priority should be given to fostering children’s wonder, discovery, and inquiry about nature. Importantly, the instructor plays a vital role in in the field in helping refine student-exploration so it leads to academic connections. One major role of the instructor in the field is to arrange an outdoor experience that will likely lead to an encounter with the academic material that was previously focused on. For example, if you had academically focused on animals taking advantage of their habitats to survive, you may want to take children to a specific area that might have downed trees from a gnawing beaver so as to naturally lead kids to make their own nature to academic connections. Another major role of the instructor in the field needs to be expertly observing the kids engaging in the environment and noticing when there is an opportunity to highlight a child’s nature-to-academic connection, or prompt children to make such connections.
Finally, after the field experience, attention should shift back to academic focus in the form of documentation, which will help children formally connect their experiences in the outdoors to the academic topic they are learning about.

So, whether you’re a homeschooled family, related to the public- or private-school sector, or even just a parent considering how to make the most of an outdoor opportunity, consider this balance between formal academic focus and student-centered exploration in the wild Utah outdoors.

This is Dr. Joseph Kozlowski and I am Wild about Outdoor Education in Utah!

Credits:

Images: Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer, Used by Permission
Featured Audio: Courtesy & Copyright © Kevin Colver, https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections/kevin-colver and including contributions from Anderson, Howe and Wakeman
Text: Joseph Kozlowski, Edith Bowen Laboratory School, Utah State University https://edithbowen.usu.edu/
Additional Reading Links: Joseph Kozlowski & Lyle Bingham

Additional Reading:

Joseph (Joey) Kozlowski’s pieces on Wild About Utah:

Experiential Education Archives, Wild About Utah https://wildaboututah.org/tag/experiential-education/