NATURE

Nature Art: Creativity and Wellness in Natu

Nature Art: Creativity and Wellness in Nature is a class dedicated to experience the rejuvenat effects nature. Participants will journal and explore local plants, hike, and make crafts such as fairy gardens, nature weaving rock painting, and more.

TO REGISTER FOR UPCOMING NATURE ART: CREATIVITY AND WELLNESS IN N , PLEASE GO TO WWW.BURBANKPARKS.COM

Goat Yoga:

Come meet the goats and do yoga! Enjoy a hike with the goats up to the breathtaking View. Everyone will do a gentle 30 minute yoga session led by an instructor. There will be plenty of time after to take pictures with the goats!

TO LEARN ABOUT UPCOMING GOAT YOGA EVENTS PLEASE VISIT WWW.BURBANKCA.GOV/NATURECENTER

Nature

The rambunctious Scrub Jay!

(APHELOCOMA CALIFORNICA)

Commonly seen around the bird feeder at the Na Center, the scrub jay is related to crows and mockin They stash their food in caches (hiding acorns in the to eat later), those that aren't eaten grow into oak

Scrub jays will steal acorns from acorn woodpecke well as other scrub jays. Since they are in the same as crows and ravens, they also love to hoard an collect shiny objects!

Scrub jays are one of the most intelligent birds, having the foresight to plan ahead - a trait shared with humans, chimps, dolphins, crows, and ravens.

(THOMOMYS BOTTAE)

Pocket gophers are vastly misunderstood. Although they can damage crops and lawn, their tunneling helps keep the soil loose and aerated. Astonishingly, pocket gophers are the only mammals besides human that farms. They take care of roots underground and "farm" them for food.

I move up to 4 tons of soil a year and keep the soil healthy!

Photo by Kevin Lahue.

Their underground tunnels can span 200 to 2,000 square feet.

Stink beetles are robust and have a shiny body.

Cars don't scare me!

I can get runover and survive!

Desert Stink Beetle

(Genus Eleodes)

With the warmer weather comes the beetles! The stink beetle, also known as a darkling beetle, is commonly seen on the trails. They are ground dwellers and do not fly. Their diet includes fungi and plants.

To protect themselves, they stick their rear end high into the air and emit a liquid that has a very foul odor! This liquid is irritating to the eyes and throat of a predator.

Because of this trait, they are also known as skunk beetles. They are a food source to skunks and rats.

Diabolical Ironclad Beetle

(Phloeodes diabolicus)

The diabolical ironclad beetle is the tiny tank in the Verdugo Mountains. Their exoskeleton is so strong that it can survive after being run over by a car and withstand 39,000 times its body weight. If we had a tough body like them, that means we can survive with 40 army tanks stacked on top of us!

Due to it's strength, bioengineers are researching the beetles, hoping to incorporate the design of the exoskeleton into stronger buildings, planes, cars, and body armor.