Georgia Forestry Foundation and CNC teamed up to offer a full day of outdoor programming for the campers around the 127-acre campus, including hiking, forestry education, and live animal encounters with Georgia wildlife.
The waiting list of 800 children for summer camp at the Chattahoochee Nature Center is a good problem to have, by any typical management metric. Natasha Rice doesn’t see it that way.
To Rice, that waiting list represents an unfulfilled opportunity for the nature center to fulfill its mission of educating about the environment.
The pollinators you love – and a few you might be surprised to meet
April 19, 2021
By Emma Schell, Scheduling Coordinator
Spring has sprung, and while that means warmer weather and blooming flowers, it also means the arrival of something many people dread: pollen.
While it may be a nuisance to our noses, pollen is an essential part of plant reproduction. In order for many plants to make seeds and fruit, pollen must travel between flowers. While wind and water can do some of this work, an estimated 70-87% of flowering plants rely on animals for help.
We call these animal helpers pollinators.
1. Butterflies
Perhaps the most widely recognized pollinator, butterflies help pollinate in a rather accidental way.
Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid found in flowers, and it is the primary food source for most butterflies. They use their long, straw-like mouth parts, called a proboscis, to reach down into the flowers and drink the nectar.
Butterflies do not intentionally collect pollen, but when one stops to drink nectar, small amounts of pollen stick to its body. As the butterfly continues its search for food, it carries this pollen to new flowers – helping to pollinate plants as it goes.
2. Bees
Georgia is home to over 500 species of bees, and although they might be a little less colorful than butterflies, they are the real MVPs of the pollinator world.
Both pollen and nectar are essential parts of a bee’s diet – nectar provides energy in the form of carbohydrates while pollen provides proteins and other nutrients. Because of this, bees actively collect both nectar and pollen for themselves and their larvae.
Bees possess special structures on their bodies that allow them to store and carry pollen. These adaptations allow bees to transport large amounts of pollen, sometimes 30% of their body weight, back to their nests. Along the way, they distribute this pollen to the plants they visit.
3. Wasps
Like bees, wasps have very high energy needs. While most wasps are carnivorous, they cannot survive on meat alone. They supplement their diet with a variety of sugar-rich foods such as fruits and, of course, nectar from flowers. As they pass between flowers, they transfer pollen along the way.
Though they may not be as widely impactful as a bee, wasps are important specialist pollinators. Specialist pollinators are very picky in their choice of plants that they visit. They choose to visit the flowers of only one small group of plants, and often, the plants that they do visit are entirely dependent on these wasps for reproduction.
4. Flies
Though flies are often overlooked in discussions of pollination, this ancient group of insects was likely one of the first to pollinate early flowering plants.
Less fuzzy than most bees, they may not be the most efficient pollinators, but in some environments, flies carry the majority of the burden. Especially in cooler climates, where bee activity is reduced, flies are often the primary pollinator group.
Just like with wasps, some plants have evolved specifically to be pollinated by flies. They may emit foul odors or even resemble rotting meat in appearance. They do all of this to attract flies to their flowers.
One of these plants is the cocoa tree. The cocoa tree has small, downturned flowers that grow on its lowest branches and trunk. These flowers smell similar to some mushrooms, and they attract tiny flies that normally feed on fungi. Without these flies, the cocoa tree cannot bear fruit. Without this fruit, we humans would not have chocolate.
5. Bats
These nighttime flyers may go unnoticed much of the time, but make no mistake, they are vital to plants all over the world. Over 530 plant species rely on bats to assist with pollination – some of these plants include agave, bananas, and balsa trees.
Bats also have a unique advantage over insect pollinators. They fly farther distances than most insects and are therefore able to transfer pollen between a wider distribution of plants.
So, as the weather warms and you explore the outdoors this spring, remember that for every butterfly and bee you spot, there are many more pollinators helping with their important work.
When you think of Georgia wildflowers, you might imagine milkweeds stretching towards the sky, wild indigo with its rich blue petals, or the echinacea that is sold in some health stores. A wildflower can be defined as any flowering plant that grows without the help of humans. Wildflowers are not typically planted by humans the way a rose bush or vegetable might be, and they require no assistance in obtaining water or nutrients.
When you think of where to find a wildflower, you might picture large, sunny meadows with bees and butterflies flitting around. While this is a common place to find many wildflowers, there are some that thrive in drastically different environments. One of these mold-breaking wildflowers is the ghost plant (Monotropa uniflora).
A Ghostly White Wildflower
The ghost plant (also called Indian pipe, ghost pipe, or ghost flower) is striking in appearance mainly for the “typical” wildflower trait that it lacks: color.
Starch white, waxy, often with black flecks on the stalk and petals, this organism may at first glance be considered a fungus. But don’t be deceived – it is indeed a plant.
If you’ve taken a biology course, you probably know that plants get their stereotypical green color from a pigment called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll serves a very important purpose for plants – it allows them to harness the sun’s energy for the process of photosynthesis. There are other pigments that can help with this process, but chlorophyll usually does the heavy lifting.
Photosynthesis is the process through which plants can create their own food. Using energy from the sun, they convert water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates (a.k.a. sugar). The oxygen we breathe is created as a byproduct of this process.
But ghost plants aren’t green. They have no chlorophyll, and they cannot photosynthesize.
So where do they get their energy?
Ghost Plants belong to a group of flowers known as mycotrophic wildflowers. “Myco” means “fungus,” and the word “trophic” refers to nutrition.
Instead of getting their energy from photosynthesis, wildflowers in this group get their energy from other organisms – fungi, to be specific.
Ghost plants are parasites.
Symbiosis in the Forest
Ghost plants can be found deep in the forest where there is little sunlight but plenty of available nutrients.
Instead of creating their own food from photosynthesis, ghost plants are able to obtain nutrients and carbohydrates from trees – but not directly.
Most tree roots are surrounded by a fungus in a mutually beneficial relationship called mycorrhiza.
The fungus in a mycorrhizal relationship will anchor itself to a tree’s roots and absorb nutrients from the tree. In return, the fungus essentially expands the tree’s root system – allowing the tree to obtain even more nutrients and water from the surrounding soil.
Rather than attaching directly to a tree’s roots, the ghost plant attaches itself to the mycorrhizal fungus. Nutrients and carbohydrates then pass from the tree roots, through the fungus, and into the ghost plant. The ghost plant is able to get everything it needs for survival without photosynthesizing.
Outside Your Backdoor
These Ghost Plants may seem like they belong on an alien planet, but they are in fact native to much of North America – including the state of Georgia. However, if you don’t know where or when to look, you might never see them.
These uncommon wildflowers won’t be found alongside your daisies or zinnias. Instead, look for them in shady forests at the base of mature trees. They spend part of their life underground, so look for them between the months of June and September when they typically bloom. Ghost Plants only grow four to eight inches tall, so be sure to look closely!
And when you do find them, take a moment to appreciate this remarkable example of symbiosis and adaptation.
Two plants that are great examples of tenacity and resourcefulness
February 15, 2021
By Jana Pearce, Visitor Experience Manager
This spring at CNC we are celebrating the tenacity, resourcefulness, and gratitude that have helped to get us and others through a challenging year. Making the most of what you have is a beautiful mindset for us humans to aim for, but for certain members of the plant kingdom it’s essential in order for their species to survive. Adapting to extreme conditions reduces competition for resources, and allows these plants to find a place where they can thrive.
Read more below about some two charismatic examples you can find at CNC that take the phrase “grow where you are planted” to a whole new level.
Spiderwort (Tradescantia spp.)
Piedmont granite outcrops are one of Georgia’s hidden natural gems.
These unique habitats are exposed areas of granite rock, and can be massive (like Arabia, Panola, or Stone Mountain) or quite small. They have depressions of varying sizes and depths, most of which have a very thin soil layer. Add in the baking Georgia summer sun, and you get one tough place to grow!
Image by Alan Cressler
Because of this, granite outcrops tend to have many endemic species, or species only found in one particular area. One flora commonly found in spring on granite outcroppings in Georgia is the spiderwort (a common name that includes over 70 different species of plants). These small, three-petaled flowers each last for less than 24 hours, with the plant generating new ones daily for up to 8 weeks. You can find spiderwort at CNC on our Green Roof on the upper level of the Discovery Center, which was designed and planted to mimic a Piedmont granite outcrop.
Longleaf pine (Pinus palustrus)
At first glance, healthy longleaf habitat looks quite open and serene. Seussian-looking pines are well spaced, with thick bunches of wiregrass and other flowering plants sprouting low in the sandy soil.
Every few years however, fire creeps, runs, or roars through. In this case the longleaf pines not only survive the extreme conditions, they depend on it!
Very young longleaf pine trees start in a ‘grass stage,’ an adaptation where the tree grows thick, long needles protect its core from fires. Mature trees have adapted thick bark which protects them from the heat of the fire. Without the fire it has adapted to endure, other plants begin to take over and outcompete the longleaf pines, resulting in their demise.
Historically, humans have suppressed wildfires and because of that, longleaf pine habitat has reduced drastically across the Southeast. More and more often, prescribed (or pre-planned, easier to control) burns are being used as a tool to restore and maintain longleaf pine habitat.
You can find these unique trees year-round at CNC in our Georgia’s Living Wetlands garden on the south side of the property.
Learn more about what some mammals, reptiles and even insects in Georgia are up to this winter.
By Sarah Martin, Marketing Intern October 10, 2020
Hibernation isn’t just for the bears! Did you know many animals and insects participate in this yearly ritual? Snakes, Eastern Box Turtles, frogs, woodchucks, and bumblebees are all examples of animals and insects that enter hibernation.
Hibernation is when some mammals, reptiles and even insects enter a yearly sleep that lasts all winter season. Although most critters engage in a form of hibernation, not all of them necessarily “sleep,” for the winter. Coldblooded animals, such as snakes and box turtles, tend to “brumate,” or become inactive for the season.
Turtles tend to bury themselves in the dirt for three to four months while snakes tend to brumate for weeks up to months during the winter season depending upon their location.
Hibernation is essential for the survival rate of certain insects, such as bumblebees. After the bumblebees long hibernation, spring welcomes new queens and worker bees thus beginning a new circle of life.
We can all learn from this yearly tradition of hibernation this winter by taking time for ourselves to rest during the busy holiday season!
By Liz Platner, Outreach and Partnerships Coordinator Originally Posted on March 23, 2018 Updated on June 12, 2020
You may think that roses are red and violets are blue, but that’s because your eyes are human eyes. If you were a pollinator, you would see there’s a secret message in the colors of flowers. To understand why flowers contain secret messages, we need to understand pollination.
Flowers have male parts called stamens, which are the long thin filaments topped with the anther that produces pollen. In order to create seeds, the pollen must be transferred to the sticky stigma which is at the top of the female pistil. Once the pollen grains are on the stigma, pollen tubes can grow down into the ovule and a seed is created. These seeds can grow into new plants, or, in some cases, the ovule develops into fruit and we get to eat it. This explains why flowers are critical to the survival of many plant species.
Wind and insects, especially bees, flies and beetles, are the primary pollinators and there a few other kinds of animals as well. Pollination can occur by water, but it is very rare. Since it’s so important to plant survival, some flowers have embedded color patterns to help pollinators find their nectar more easily. As the pollinators feed on nectar, they get pollen grains stuck on them, which they then transfer to the next flower. These color patterns are called nectar guides, and they benefit the plant by facilitating cross-pollination.
Some of these nectar guides are made of colors in the ultraviolet range, not visible to the human eye but obvious to insects. Our eyes can see colors from red to violet wavelengths of light. Insects such as bees can’t see as many colors, but they can see orange through violet, plus ultraviolet wavelengths of light.
So next time you look at a sunflower or a pansy, know that there are hidden messages for pollinators right in front of your eyes.
By Kim Hakimian, Partnership Coordinator May 22, 2020
For more than a year, the Chattahoochee Nature Center, The Trust for Public Land, Atlanta Audubon, West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, Trees Atlanta, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, and Greening Youth Foundation have been working together to get kids outdoors through The Outdoor Foundation’s Thrive Outside Community initiative.
The Thrive Outside initiative is a multi-year grant awarded to diverse communities in order to create or strengthen partnerships between existing local organizations such as schools, Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs, and nonprofit conservation and outdoor organizations that create repeat and reinforcing positive outdoor experiences for kids and families. The core goal of the Thrive Outside Community investments is to create healthy individuals, communities, and economies by making the outdoors a habit.
When COVID-19 forced the Thrive ATL partners at the YMCA and Boys & Girls Clubs to temporarily close their doors, we moved our programs on-line so that we could still reach their children. We are now making the programming available to everyone! We use the GooseChase App, available at the Mobile App Store, to share different challenges for young people to pursue. Every week, members of our network come up with dozens of engaging and educational challenges that get kids outside and into nature. Get GooseChase, access the Thrive Outside Atlanta channel, and let the games begin. It’s a fun, free way to get children from Atlanta and beyond to Thrive Outside.
How to join 1. Download the GooseChase iOS or Android app. 2. Choose to play as a guest, or register for a personal account with a username & password of your choice. 3. Search for and select the Thrive Create Challenge game, or search for game code VJ75P7. 4. Follow the prompts to select or create your player profile.
Complete Missions To complete a mission, select it from the list and follow the instructions to receive the allotted points. Sometimes you’ll be submitting a photo or video, while other times you’ll be checking-in at a specific location or solving a puzzle or riddle. Missions change from game to game, but the fun and excitement will always be there.
Remember that while you receive the points right away, all submissions are subject to review by the organizer. Sometimes you’ll even get bonus points if your submission is extra impressive!
Achieve Glory When time runs out, the game may be done, but the fun is definitely not over. That’s because Thrive ATL will still need to announce the final scores after they review the submissions.
As a final treat, Thrive ATL will often put together a slideshow of the best photos & videos. From our experience, this is often the best part and always results in non-stop laughter!
As an outdoor venue dedicated to healthy activity and overall wellness, the Chattahoochee Nature Center (CNC) is taking the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic very seriously. The well-being of our guests and staff are of the utmost importance.
CNC’s expert staff are working harder than ever to deliver ways to experience nature on a personal level from the safety of your own home.
Connect with the land
The Unity Garden urban farm is CNC’s quarter acre outdoor classroom, growing hundreds of vegetables year-round. Everything grown in the Unity Garden is donated to the local food pantry, run by North Fulton Community Charities. A recent trip saw 340 pounds of fresh produce delivered at a time when many food pantries are going bare. These trips occur every week.
More than 70 families a day are fed through the NFCC food pantry.
“I feel honored to be a part of us still growing vegetables for all those needy families in North Fulton,” said Julie Hollingsworth-Hogg, manager of gardens for CNC.
Connect with learning
The education department typically sees more than 40,000 metro Atlanta schoolchildren every year, many of whom have never been on the Chattahoochee River, or seen a wild animal up close.
CNC has moved its learning online through videos and instructional sheets for parents and teachers, so learning about nature can continue long after school is out. Fun and informative, these programs instill the love of the outdoors and wildlife for which CNC is renowned.
Connect with nature
A leader in native horticulture, CNC is exploring new ways to connect people with the nature around them, even in their backyards.
The annual Spring Native Plant Sale continued in early April, working around the public gatherings restrictions. It moved online for the first time, accepting ordered digitally and promoting responsible plant pickups in the parking lot. This “drive-through plant sale” was such a success that more such plant sales are being devised to give Atlanta more of the native, hard-to-find species that CNC is known for growing.
Connect with friends
Even Camp Kingfisher has joined the online bandwagon, hosting a virtual Spring Break Camp on Facebook and Instagram the week of April 6-10. Videos, games, and camp fun took over CNC’s social media to show just how much fun can be had in nature with CNC, even from home.
With so many programs and activities moving online, there’s always new content arriving. Look for more programs, information, and updates via email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
ATLANTA, GA. – The Chattahoochee Nature Center (CNC) and the Center for Puppetry Arts have partnered to present an exciting bat program to the Atlanta public.
CNC has provided its “Bats Incredible” program to the Center for Puppetry Arts to enhance educational opportunities around the world-premiere puppet show adaptation of the book Stellaluna by Janell Cannon. “Bats Incredible” is a traveling classroom filled with activities, information, and biofacts about the endangered Gray Bat. It has been used as springboard for an exciting, interactive learning activity in the Center for Puppetry Arts’ instructor-led Stellaluna Create-A-Puppet Workshops,™ inspiring students and teachers to be more aware of statewide habitat issues and opportunities for critical thinking relative to past, present, and future environmental actions, and connecting one of Georgia’s bats with the fruit bats in Stellaluna’s Africa.
“Kids can learn about bats and reduce some of the myths around bats,” said Emma Schell, Education Outreach Coordinator for CNC. “Bats are an important part of our environment but get such a bad reputation. The more we can educate people about bats, the healthier our ecosystem will be.”
CNC was approached by the Center for Puppetry Arts to coordinate on the program with the new show, “Stellaluna,” adding further education and activity to the event.
Stellaluna, the beloved book by Janell Cannon, is about a young fruit bat who finds herself dropped in a bird’s nest. This world premiere adaptation celebrates the self-discoveries and unlikely friendships that result. After falling unexpectedly into the middle of a bird family’s home, Stellaluna is graciously accepted as one of them—as long as she acts like a bird and doesn’t confuse her adoptive siblings – Flip, Flitter, and Flap. Stellaluna tries to adapt but finds herself doing all the wrong things. Lauded by the National Education Association as a “Teacher’s Top 100 Books for Children” Stellaluna explores how we can be so different yet feel so much the same.
“We’re happy to offer our fantastic traveling bat trunk program to the Center for Puppetry Arts as a part of their programming with the Stellaluna performance,” said DeAnn Fordham, Senior Director of Development and Marketing for CNC. “It’s a great example of two premier Atlanta educational institutions working together to educate in a fun and compelling way.”
“Stellaluna” runs January 21 through March 8 at the Center for Puppetry Arts. Click here for more info.
About the Chattahoochee Nature Center
With 127 acres of woodland along the river in Roswell, GA, the Chattahoochee Nature Center offers unparalleled access and opportunities to connect to nature. CNC provides a wide range of educational and conservation programs, such as wildlife rehabilitation, summer camps, and a community garden, teaching 40,000 students from more than 500 metro Atlanta schools to be good stewards of our natural resources. Learn more at www.chattnaturecenter.org.
About the Center for Puppetry Arts
The Center for Puppetry Arts is a unique cultural treasure — a magical place where children and adults are educated, enlightened and entertained. Since 1978, the Center has introduced millions of visitors to the wonder and art of puppetry and has touched the lives of many through enchanting performances, curriculum-based workshops, and the hands-on Museum, as well as Digital Learning and Outreach Programs. Learn more at puppet.org.