Nature Guys

This is one of Bob's favorite birds. In the Cincinnati area it arrives in late fall and it leaves in early spring. Tune in to find out why this bird is often used in research projects and where to look for it in your neighborhood. Our sources for this episode include: Ordinary Extraordinary Junco (videos) - http://science360.gov/series/ordinary-extraordinary-junco/eb10b2e6-e126-42ab-b053-d94bb4099397 Dark-eyed juncos - a sure sign of winter -http://www.farmanddairy.com/columns/dark-eyed-juncos-sure-sign-winter/ 161998.html 10 Fun Facts - http://www.birdorable.com/blog/dark-eyed-juncos-10-fun-facts/ Dark-eyed Junco the Snow Bird - http://www.wild-bird-watching.com/junco.html

Bill says you should not have a skunk as a pet! You probably figured this out on your own but what if run into a skunk outside? Nature Guys will share what to do if you or a pet get sprayed. Spoiler alert do not use tomato juice! Our sources for this episode include: Pet Skunks - http://www.skunkhaven.net/StatesForm.htm Snuggling Skunks: Is It Better To Brave Winter Alone Or In A Group? - http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/12/061219170615.htm For the Love of Skunks - http://wildohioeducation.blogspot.com/2013/02/for-love-of-skunks.html Striped Skunk Foraging - http://emammal.wordpress.com/201a/05/a1/striped-skunk-foraging/

Bob finds out that not all snowflakes are unique. Bill remembers cutting out snowflakes in class after he walked though the snow to get to school. Bob hopes to take his grandson Drew to the hill he sledded down as a kid. Bill and Bob are excited to go out side and try to find different kinds of snowflakes. Our sources for this episode include: 15 Incredibly Cool Facts About Snow - http://mentalfloss.com/article/61089/15-incredibly-cool-facts-about-snow 9 Interesting Facts About Snow - http://snowbrains.com/10-interesting-facts-about-snow/ 10 Facts About Snow That Might Surprise You - http://weather.com/science/weather-explainers/news/ten-facts-about-snow Book that Bill Loves: The Snowflake: Winter's Frozen Artistry by Kenneth Libbrecht and Rachel Wing, 2015 -http://www.snowcrystals.com/ How to make a 6 pointed snowflake from paper - http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-6-Pointed-Paper-Snowflakes/

Bobʼs brother-in-law Al sends an email detailing his encounter with a groundhog in his garden. As Al found out groundhogs will put up a fight for garden vegetables. Our sources for this episode include: 9 Things You Didnʼt Know About Groundhogs - http://voices.nationalgeographic.org/2014/01/31/9-things-you-didnt-know-about-groundhogs Groundhogs in Your Garden - https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/01/groundhogs-in-your-garden_n_2593390.html Groundhogs by National Geographic - http://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/g/groundhog/ Groundhog Fun Facts - http://www.groundhog.org/about/fun-facts-faq/

Bob has a spider friend named Fred that does not survive a visit from relatives. These spiders can be really scary but they are pretty much harmless. They are also called fishing spiders and have interesting ways that they ‘fish' for food. Our sources for this episode include: Big Spiders Are a Little Scary - http://bugoftheweek.com/blog/2012/8/16/big-spiders-are-a-little-scary-fishing-spiders-and-wolf-spiders Fishing Spider - http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/fishing-spider Facts about the Fishing Spider - http://www.second-opinion-doc.com/facts-about-the-fishing-spider.html Common Fishing Spider - http://roadsendnaturalist.com/tag/wolf-spider/

We all live with house spiders! Find out why this is not such a bad thing. These little spiders have been living with humans for quite a long time. Our sources for this episode include: Bethany Barton's book "I'm Trying to Love Spiders" - http://www.bethanybarton.com/books Myth: Spiders bite sleeping persons - http://www.burkemuseum.org/blog/myth-spiders-bite-sleeping-persons 8 Facts about the misunderstood house spider - http://www.mnn.com/your-home/at-home/blogs/8-facts-about-misunderstood-house-spider 10 Fascinating Facts About House Spiders - http://www.care2.com/causes/10-fascinating-facts-about-house-spiders.html

Bill and Bob do their first podcast in front of a live audience at the amazing Roads Rivers and Trails store in Milford, Ohio (http://roadsriversandtrails.com/). Bill brought a bunch of bird feeders from Cincinnati Nature Center (http://www.cincynature.org/) and explains how to use them. Bob has a very special low cost bird ‘feederʼ! Listen in to find out what Bill thinks about Bobʼs feeder. Also donʼt miss the last part when our audience asks some great questions!

Bob has two plants growing in his backyard that Bill is not excited about. Bob decides it is finally time to do something about Winter Creeper and English Ivy. Join us to find out how and why these invasive plants are taking over. Our sources for this episode include: English Ivy: The Hazards and Removal Strategies - http://walamarestoration.org/resources/english-ivy-the-hazards-and-removal-strategies 5 Fast Facts About English Ivy - http://www.healthline.com/health/5-fast-facts-english-ivy Winter creeper isnʼt a keeper - http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/real-estate/2015/01/11/winter-creeper-isn-keeper/0wGoqJx6EMTGeJxuzOb8SJ/story.html Journey with Nature Wintercreeper -https://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/indiana/journeywithnature/wintercreeper.xml

Sassafras is a tree that produces a small blue fruit in the early fall. The fruit comes at the perfect time to help birds get ready for winter. This is a beautiful tree that has four different leaf shapes. Bill of course has a special word for trees that have different shape leaves. Our sources for this episode include: Sassafras Facts - http://www.softschools.com/facts/plants/sassafras_facts/1283/ Sassafras in America - http://appvoices.org/2003/11/01/2780/ Sassafras - http://www.psu.edu/dept/nkbiology/naturetrail/speciespages/sassafras.html Sassafras Tea Safety - http://www.drweil.com/diet-nutrition/food-safety/sassafras-tea-safety/

If you are not a birder you might think the yellow-bellied sapsucker is a crazy made up name from some movie. Join us a we explore the world of this wonderful woodpecker. Our sources for this episode include: All About Birds - http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-bellied_Sapsucker/lifehistory#at_habitat Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Natures 7-11 - http://infinitespider.com/yellow-bellied-sapsuckers-natures-7-11/ Audubon Guide To North American Birds - http://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/yellow-bellied-sapsucker

Opossums are really cute or really ugly. It all depends on your point of view. They are great at killing ticks. So they might be a good thing to see in your neighborhood. Our sources for this episode include: 10 things you didnʼt know about opossums - http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-opossums All About Opossums - http://www.wildliferescuerehab.com/all-about-opossums.html Opossums - killers of ticks - http://www.caryinstitute.org/newsroom/opossums-killers-ticks The ‘Possum Pages: FAQs - http://opossum.craton.net/faqs.htm Facts on Opossums Playing Dead - http://animals.mom.me/opossums-playing-dead-5274.html

This is a tree that may show up in your neighborhood as a volunteer. It is a great food source for birds. You might even have an old pencil made from this tree. Our sources for this episode include: Eastern Redcedar - http://www.gpnc.org/eastern.htm Juniperus virginiana - http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=juvi Eastern Redcedar in the Landscape - http://vnps.org/eastern-red-cedar-in-the-landscape/ Go Botany Juniperus Virginiana - http://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/juniperus/virginiana/

Carol emails Nature Guys about a problem with fox. Bill and Bob struggle to come up with an answer but are inspired to do a show on foxes. This is an animal that you can occasionally see in the daytime. You might even see a gray fox in a tree! Our sources for this episode include: Are Red Fox Native? http://www.dfwwildlife.org/foxes_th.pdf What Kind of Foxes Live in Ohio? http://animals.mom.me/kind-foxes-live-ohio-11057.html Fox and Surplus Prey - http://www.thefoxwebsite.net/faq/ruralfoxproblems Fox - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox Sarcoptic Mange In Red Foxes - http://www.foxwoodwildliferescue.org/2017/01/05/treating-sarcoptic-mange-in-red- foxes/ You Tube Video on Mange - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHe5ycjt-UI

Red tailed Hawks often do voiceovers in movies. Tune in to find out why hollywood loves this hawk. Bill shares some amazing hawk stories. Donʼt miss his last one about the hawk and the owl as Bill finds out it is not nice to fool Mother Nature. Visit our website http://www.natureguys.org for great photos thanks to John Howard. Our sources for this episode include: My Favorite Facts about the Red Tailed Hawk - http://centerofthewest.org/2013/09/30/my-favorite-facts-about-the-red-tailed-hawk/ Red Tailed Hawks Fun Facts - http://lansingwbu.blogspot.com/2011/12/red-tailed-hawk-fun-facts.html Red Tailed Hawk Facts - http://facts.net/red-tailed-hawk/

This is a bird that Bill thinks should have a new name. When Bob moved into his neighborhood hawks were a big topic of conversation. Tune in to learn more about the red-shouldered hawk. Our sources for this episode include: Protective Hawks go on Attack http://www.ohio.com/akron/news/protective-hawks-go-on-attack-near-nest-in-akron Red-shouldered vs Red tailed Hawk http://ecobirder.blogspot.com/2008/02/red-shouldered-vs-red-tailed-hawk.html Red-shouldered Hawk from BioKIDS http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Buteo_lineatus/ Red-shouldered Hawk from National Geographic http://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/r/red-shouldered-hawk/  

Bob looks outside and notices that all the birds are suddenly gone from his bird feeders. He soon discovers the reason. A Cooper's Hawk is on the ground right next to the feeders. Learn all about this amazing bird in this episode. Our sources for this episode include: Kids' Inquiry of Diverse Species http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Accipiter_cooperii/ 8 Interesting Facts about the Cooper's Hawk http://www.withmephotographyblog.com/8-interesting-facts-about-the-coopers-hawk The Raptor Trust Accipiters http://theraptortrust.org/the-birds/hawk-facts/accipiters/ Cooper's Hawk Life History http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Coopers_Hawk/lifehistory Predator Management http://articles.extension.org/pages/71204/predator-management-for-small-andbackyard-poultry-flocks Hawk Mountain http://www.hawkmountain.org/raptorpedia/hawks-at-hawk-mountain/hawk-species-at-hawk-mountain/cooper-s-hawk/page.aspx?id=663

Bobʼs grandson, Drew is excited to be dressed up as an eagle for Halloween. If you check out our website http://www.natureguys.org you will find a picture of Drew as an eagle. He did not want to paint his shoes yellow so we have the very special Blue Footed Bald Eagle. Tune in to find out all about this unique bird. Our sources for this episode include: How did the bald eagle become Americaʼs national bird? http://www.history.com/news/ask-history/how-did-the-bald-eagle-become-americas-national-bird How a young birder started http://cincinnatiaudubon.org/calevent/notes-of-a-young-birder/ Cincinnati Zooʼs Bald Eagle (including video of Sam flying at the Red's game) http://cincinnatizoo.org/blog/animals/bald-eagle/ Bald Eagle at the National Zoo http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/bald-eagle Bald Eagle ODNR http://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/species-and-habitats/species-guide-index/birds/bald-eagle Lewis and Clark Trail http://www.lewisandclarktrail.com/eventdate/nationalbaldeaglewatch.htm

Even a naturalist can be a bit afraid of centipedes. There are plenty of reasons to welcome centipedes in your house. Bill can deal with them as long as they stay in the basement. Find out what bothers Bill about house centipedes and what these creatures are doing both inside and outside. Our sources for this episode include: House Centipedes http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/house-centipedes How to Tell the Difference Between a Centipede and a Millipede http://www.thoughtco.com/difference-between-a-centipede-and-amillipede-1968358 Sowbugs, millipedes, and centipedes in the home http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/sowbugs-millipedes-centipedes/ What Eats Centipedes and Millipedes? http://www.orkin.com/other/centipedes/what-eats-centipedes-and-millipedes/  

The paw paw has the largest fruit of any native tree in the United States. Learn how to identify this tree and when you should go looking for the paw paw fruit. For most people paw paw is the best food that they have never eaten. Find out what parts of the paw paw you want to eat and those to leave alone. Spoiler alert! Do not eat the seeds they will make you throw up. Our sources for this episode include: Paw Paw In Search of America's Forgotten Fruit by Andrew Moore http://www.chelseagreen.com/pawpaw Picking up Paw Paws http://unionoutside.wordpress.com/2012/09/26/picking-up-pawpaws/ What is Paw Paw? http://dish.allrecipes.com/what-in-the-world-is-pawpaw/ America's Forgotten Fruit Tree: The Appalachian Banana | Appalachian Magazine http://appalachianmagazine.com/2017/01/18/americas-forgotten-fruit-tree-the-appalachian-banana/ Paw Paws, A Uniquely American Fruit by Earthy Delights http://www.earthy.com/Pawpaws-A-Uniquely-American-Fruit.aspx Paw Paws: America's Best Secret Fruit by Serious Eats http://www.ser

Bill and Bob never saw deer when they were growing up in the 50s and 60s. This is an animal that many people now see on a regular basis. You may even see them in your neighborhood. Learn how to deal with them if you see them while driving. Find out what can happen if they lock antlers. Our sources for this episode include: Avoiding Deer Collisions http://www.geico.com/more/driving/auto/car-safety-insurance/seven-ways-to-avoid-hitting-a-deer/ The First Months Of A Whitetail Fawn http://www.tinks.com/publisher/whitetail-research/2010/11/5/the-first-months/ Tarsal Glands: What We Know | QDMA http://www.qdma.com/tarsal-glands-know/ Interesting facts about white-tailed deer http://justfunfacts.com/interesting-facts-about-white-tailed-deer/