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Protecting, Restoring, and Sharing Nature in the Bluegrass
Protecting, Restoring, and Sharing Nature in the Bluegrass
Protecting, Restoring, and Sharing Nature in the Bluegrass
Protecting, Restoring, and Sharing Nature in the Bluegrass
Protecting, Restoring, and Sharing Nature in the Bluegrass
Protecting, Restoring, and Sharing Nature in the Bluegrass

Floracliff Nature Sanctuary is a 346-acre nonprofit nature preserve located in the Kentucky River Palisades region. Our mission is to care for the sanctuary property, ensure its protection as a nature preserve and promote public education of the natural history of the Inner Bluegrass region.

Floracliff is only open for guided hikes and events. We offer a variety of programs, volunteer and research opportunities, and hands-on workshops to interested individuals and groups. Please see our Events page to register for an upcoming hike or program.

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Guided hikes available via scheduled programs or private tours by appointment; Please send messages to info@floracliff.org

This morning’s Christmas Bird Count effort at Fl

This morning’s Christmas Bird Count effort at Floracliff yielded 40 species and 313 individuals, which is our best Christmas Bird Count since we began participating in 2006. Highlights included a great-horned owl first thing this morning, three hawks (red-shouldered, red-tailed, and sharp-shinned), a fox sparrow to finish the day, and the species pictured here: yellow-rumped warbler (aka “butter butts”), brown creeper, white-breasted nuthatch, white throated sparrow, and Eastern towhee. All the numbers we compiled today were submitted to the Lexington count coordinator, who then sends the data to the National Audubon Society. The data from these counts provides important information for assessing long-term trends in early winter bird populations.

A special thanks to our scouters and counters: Cynthia, Ellen, Nathan, Josie, & Beverly

All photos taken at Floracliff in the past few months by Ward Ransdell.

‘Tis the season for winter bird community scienc

‘Tis the season for winter bird community science! Floracliff staff and volunteers have been contributing observations to Project FeederWatch and eBird, and we are looking forward to the Lexington Christmas Bird Count on Saturday, December 18th. Here are a couple of recent observations:

1) Cedar waxwing in a fruiting flowering dogwood tree; 📷: Ward Ransdell

2) Wild turkeys at the Trail’s End Lodge; 📷: Josie Miller

While the rest of our fall wildflowers are finishe

While the rest of our fall wildflowers are finished for the season, witch hazel is just getting started. With little floral competition this time of year, it provides a food source for late season pollinators. Researchers have observed a variety of small flies, bees, wasps, owlet moths, and beetles visiting witch hazel flowers. It is not a common plant at Floracliff, so we’re always excited to see it in bloom.

Volunteer Greg Doyle recently captured these “fr

Volunteer Greg Doyle recently captured these “frost flowers” in the pollinator field. These ice ribbons form when air temperatures are below freezing. The sap of plants like white wingstem expands under the freezing conditions, causing the stem of the plant to split. The water is then pushed out of the cracks and freezes upon contact with the air, creating beautiful sculptures!

In our forest and fields, October is a month of tr

In our forest and fields, October is a month of transition. In addition to the obvious changes of the tree canopies, many birds and butterflies are migrating south; other animals are preparing to over-winter here; the last flowers are blooming, providing an important nectar and pollen source for late-season insects; berry-producing shrubs and trees bear fat-rich berries for the migrating birds; nuts from trees are eaten and cached by mammals and birds; and mushrooms become more abundant with the arrival of cooler and wetter days. Here are a few highlights of our October biodiversity:

1. Eastern box turtle (10/11): our box turtles will burrow underground where they will brumate through the winter
2. Tagged monarch butterfly (10/4): this monarch was on its way to Mexico
3. Common yellowthroat (10/1): this warbler spends the breeding season in Kentucky, but overwinters in Central America
4. Northern spicebush (10/11)
5. Short’s aster with sweat bee (10/11)
6. Gray ratsnake (10/8): these snakes will hibernate below ground communally
7. Marbled orbweaver (10/27): most adult orbweavers will die with the first hard frost; their eggs overwinter
8. Beech rooter mushroom (10/28)
9. Giant puffball (10/29)
10. Hickory nuts: it has been a mast year for our native hickories; here are nuts from pignut (top), mockernut (middle), and shellbark (bottom)

Photo credits: Beverly James (1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 10); David Lang (3); Ward Ransdell (6); Josie Miller (7); Megan Buland (8)

This beautiful crowned slug moth caterpillar was f

This beautiful crowned slug moth caterpillar was found during one of last week’s Tree Week hikes. It is one of the last active caterpillars of the season and feeds on a variety of native trees, including oaks, cherries, maples, basswood, elms, and more. Like other slug caterpillars, this one has stinging spines that you do not want to touch. It will overwinter in a cocoon and emerge next year as a small, brown moth.

Tree Week starts today! We are thrilled to be part

Tree Week starts today! We are thrilled to be participating in this community event again. There are over 70 events happening throughout Lexington this week as well as events in Georgetown, Berea, Hazard, and Paducah. We hope you will join us in this celebration of trees!

More info: https://ufi.ca.uky.edu/treeweek

Saturday is October Big Day! Anyone can join this

Saturday is October Big Day! Anyone can join this 24-hour event by observing birds and sharing their observations on eBird, which provides important information about bird populations during fall migration. Here are some recent observations from Floracliff, all photos by Ward Ransdell, Volunteer Naturalist:

1) male summer tanager
2) Tennessee warbler
3) yellow-bellied sapsucker
4) cedar waxwing

More information: ebird.org

A few late summer friends we have encountered this

A few late summer friends we have encountered this week:

1) Rough greensnake
2) white m hairstreak
3) five-lined skink missing its tail
4) arrow-shaped orbweaver
5) monarch butterfly nectaring on white crownbeard
6) End band net-winged beetle

A yellow-billed cuckoo attempted to eat an annual

A yellow-billed cuckoo attempted to eat an annual cicada during this morning’s bird walk with our Volunteer Naturalists. Photo by Ward Ransdell

Floracliff Field Technician Quinn Towery provides

Floracliff Field Technician Quinn Towery provides a backdrop for a blooming Wood’s bunchflower (Veratrum woodii). This State Threatened wildflower was first found at Floracliff in 2016 along a steep ravine, but this is the first year we have seen it in bloom. They can go years without flowering, so it was a treat to finally see the flowers as well as a couple of pollinator visiting them.

One of our trail cameras captured over 50 images o

One of our trail cameras captured over 50 images of this inquisitive bobcat!

On Saturday, we had a beautiful evening for #natio

On Saturday, we had a beautiful evening for #nationalmothweek. Visitors helped us document over 90 species attracted to UV light stations. This community science event continues through Sunday, the 25th. To participate, you can share photos of moths on iNaturalist.

Highlights from the evening pictured here (clockwise from left):

Giant leopard moth (Hypercompe scribonia)
Small mossy glyph (Lithacodia musta)
Bissected honeylocust moth (Syssphinx bisecta)
Waterlily leafcutter moth (Elophila obliteralis)
Imperial moth (Eacles imperialis)
Scarlet-winged lichen moth (Hypoprepia miniata)

On Saturday, July 10, we organized the 5th annual

On Saturday, July 10, we organized the 5th annual Central Bluegrass Butterfly Count in Fayette County. Despite an hour of rain in the morning, 38 butterfly counters visited 11 different sites in the 15-mile count circle and counted over 2,000 individual butterflies. We finished with 43 species observed. Meadow fritillaries and clouded sulphurs were the most abundant species for the day. The sites with the highest abundance of butterflies were Talon Winery (779 butterflies) and Hisle Farm Park (671 butterflies). The sites with the highest diversity were Floracliff (26 species), a private property in east Fayette County (23 species), and Hisle Farm Park (22 species). Thanks to our partners at @naba_centralky, @kentucky_nature_preserves , @lexkyparks , and @ukarboretum for supporting this count year after year!

This count is one of 400+ butterfly counts throughout North America. These counts provide important information about the geographical distribution and relative population sizes of the species counted. Comparisons of the results across years can be used to monitor changes in butterfly populations and study the effects of weather and habitat change on North American butterflies.

A few highlights of the day:

1). Viceroy at Floracliff (Josie Miller)
2). Red-spotted purple at Hisle Farm Park (David Lang)
3). Great spangled fritillary at Raven Run (Karen Michul)
4). Clouded sulphur at The Arboretum (Katherine Zimmerman)
5). Sachem at The Arboretum (Ward Ransdell)
6). Meadow fritillary at Floracliff (Josie Miller)
7). Zebra swallowtail at Hisle Farm Park (David Lang)
8). Monarch caterpillar at Raven Run (Karen Michul)

A trail camera recently captured this North Americ

A trail camera recently captured this North American racer catching a toad!

We are hosting a butterfly identification webinar

We’ve received a few requests for more trail cam

We’ve received a few requests for more trail camera photos, so here are some recent highlights:

1-2) long-tailed weasel: while we suspected this species was at Floracliff, this is the first record we have for it.
3) coyote pups
4) Eastern screech owl
5) hairy woodpecker
6) Eastern bobcat
7) white-tailed deer fawn
8) wood thrush
9) fox squirrel
10) scarlet tanager

A plant, an animal, and a fungus seen at Floraclif

A plant, an animal, and a fungus seen at Floracliff this week:

1). Flower of the eastern prickly pear cactus, Kentucky’s only native cactus. This plant is found on rocky outcrops on Floracliff’s uplands. While a colony of prickly pear can bloom for days or weeks, individual flowers bloom for only one day. Our native bees are often seen visiting the flowers for pollen and nectar.
2). Eastern pondhawk dragonfly: This one was found near one of our upland ponds, which they use to breed. Adults are aggressive hunters of other insects.
3). Pink fringed faery cup: This beautiful fungus is pretty small, so can be easily overlooked. It may be confused with the stalked scarlet cups, but the hairs on this one make it easy to distinguish. It can be found on decaying hardwood twigs and logs.
📷: Beverly James

At first glance, this insect looks like an ichneum

At first glance, this insect looks like an ichneumon wasp. However, it’s Necydalis mellita, a longhorn beetle whose very slender body and short elytra give it a fantastic disguise! This is a great example of Batesian mimicry, where a non-harmful species has evolved to mimic a harmful one, providing protection from predators. This beetle is also a new record for our species list and was the first Kentucky observation of this species on iNaturalist. To date, at least 275 beetles have been documented at Floracliff, thanks to a survey conducted by Paul Baker.
Photo: Beverly James

We’ve been seeing a number of zebra swallowtails

We’ve been seeing a number of zebra swallowtails lately, both adult butterflies and caterpillars. The butterflies are seldom seen far from their hostplant, the pawpaw tree. Pawpaws are found in rich, deciduous forests and bottom lands, but are also planted in urban landscapes. They produce annonaceous acetogens, chemicals that protect the plant from many herbivores. That chemical protection gets passed on to the feeding caterpillar and persists through the swallowtails’ adult phase.
Butterfly photo: Josie Miller:
Caterpillar photos: Beverly James

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