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Saddleback caterpillar

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Wesleyan Professor Elise Springer likes to takes long walks in the woods with her camera — check out this wild-looking caterpillar that she spotted near Wadsworth State Park! Elise writes,  “The rear end of the saddleback (Acharia stimulea) looks like the head of an alien. The head, meanwhile, looks like a porcupine crossed with the back of a retro bus. This one was a bit downstream of Wadsworth, munching on the leaves of the fast-spreading autumn olive.” You can see more photos of the saddleback here, and much more about Middletown’s plants and creatures on Elise’s blog, Outwalking. 

Calling all Kids!

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Hey Kids! What do you notice or wonder about the Earth around you? Send us your artwork, poems, photos, journals, and questions — we’d love to publish your work.

(This nocturnal owl was created by a first grader from Libson Regional School in Libson, New Hampshire).

The Matter of Dessert

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What do the phases of matter have to do with dessert? Earth Out Loud wants to know! Last spring, we visited a maple sugar shack to see how evaporation creates maple syrup. This summer, we dropped in to Vecchito’s Italian Ice to see how water freezes into our favorite summer treat.  Here’s Wes sophomore Aviva Hirsch with the Vecchito’s truck; Aviva and Rani Arbo with local kids interviewing Jack Vecchito in their Middletown store; and the final product (watermelon, in this case). Yum! Stay tuned for a sweet new EOL episode on the Phases of Matter…

Super Soils on WESU

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Spencer School second graders Ashley, Isaiah, Lily and Ronak meet Wesleyan students Hailey and Josh, farmers at Long Lane Farm in Middletown, CT. Listen in to hear lively conversation, songs, stories and poems about worms, loam, vegetables, compost, bugs, and farming. (30 minutes)

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Raptors on the Radio

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Earth Out Loud’s awesomest summer moment? Hanging out in the WESU studios with an American Kestrel, a Barred Owl, and a pile of people who wanted to learn about them. Christine and Todd brought the birds to visit with EOL staff and with James and Alissa, second graders from Macdonough School. We learned so much — check out the archive of our WESU show to hear the whole half hour conversation. 


Migrating Monarchs

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It’s September — and that means it’s time to start keeping an eye out for monarch butterflies on their way to Mexico! In recent years, monarchs have come through Connecticut in mid to late September, making a regular stop at Hammonasset State Park. To try to understand why monarch numbers are declining, scientists and citizens are carefully monitoring their numbers and locations as they travel. Get involved by keeping track of their migration at this web site and posting records of any monarchs you spot this fall!