What's the buzz?

Bees and Bats Seize the Day


The Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History in New Haven will "celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and the 200th anniversary of the birth of L. L. Langstroth, the 'Father of American Beekeeping'" from 2 to 6 p.m. April 22.
The program finale features a live big brown bat, organizers said.
The event is free and open to the public.
In addition to honey, domesticated honeybees provide critical pollination services for many food crops worldwide, Peabody officials said.
Their "decline in the United States and Europe due to colony collapse disorder is yet another reminder that we need to care for the environment around us," the officials said.
Museum visitors will "see live bees and caterpillars, learn about beekeeping and pollination, and plant seeds to take home, nurture and transplant into their own backyard," officials said.
Local organizations will offer simple and effective actions people can take to protect the earth.

Of special interest to children is the Waggle Dance at 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. Other children’s activities include games and crafts as well as storytelling at 2 and 3p.m.

The program finale at 5 p.m. features Gerri Griswold and a live big brown bat from the White Memorial Conservation Center in Litchfield. Grisowld's presentation, “Bat Chat: Getting to Know Our Most Misunderstood Allies,” explores bat biology, ecology, sonar, and the cultural highs and lows of these extraordinary creatures.

The Museum is located at 170 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, Conn.
It is open from 10 to 5 Monday through Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Unless otherwise noted, admission is $7 adults, $6 seniors 65+, $5 children 3-18. Children younger than 3 enter at no charge.
Everyone is admitted free on Thursdays from 2 to 5 p.m. from September through June.
The museum is closed January 1, Easter, July 4, Thanksgiving, December 24 and 25.

Editor's note: This information was provided by the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History. Tesla's Love give a very special kiss to Gerri Griswold, a St. Francis of modern times.

Talk to the Animals

And maybe they will talk back

April is Prevention of Animal Abuse Month and the Greater New Haven Cat Project will present “Let’s Ask the Animals,” a event in which participants can learn to explore how humans are like pigs, chickens, cows and sheep, organizers said.
The event, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. April 19, will be held at the New Haven Public Library, 133 Elm St., and a film produced by The Association for the Study of Animal Behavior will be shown.
The program is suggested for children ages 7-10 and their parents, organizers said.
This film shows “how animals use their senses, learn from experience, and need companionship and exercise, just like humans,” organizers said in a statement.
The interactive program is “designed to promote appreciation and respect for animals by learning and talking about what we have in common with them. It’s a wonderful way for parents to share their appreciation of animals with their growing children,” the statement said.
Each child receives a rubber bracelet and a coloring book, organizers said.

This video shows a sheep named "Brenna" and her new lamb, born this spring in Bethany, Conn.

More information is available at www.asktheanimals.eventbrite.com or by calling 203-946-8835.

Does God make the baddest ones the cutest?

By McKenzie Morrell

After the sudden death of my childhood dog, Brandy, my father made it pretty clear that a new pet would not be in our family’s future.
My mother, sister and I begged and pleaded. We even put together a PowerPoint presentation in hopes of convincing my father that a puppy was just what we needed, not to replace our beloved companion but to honor her.
After a few months he finally caved and we were on a search for a new family addition.
We ended up rescuing a puppy from a shelter in Little Rock, Arkansas… random right?
I thought so.
Our new pup got to take a plane ride right into New York, where we eagerly awaited his arrival. When we went to the pick up section at the airport an employee who told us that our puppy was a few minutes away greeted us. A small cat-sized carrier moved towards us on the conveyor belt… all of us looked at each other stating that that couldn’t be our dog. Keep in mind the dog we rescued was a golden retriever, lab mix. There was no way he would fit in that carrier… even as a puppy.
Needless to say, it was our bundle of joy; the 6-pound-pooch was adorably snuggled in the cat-sized cage. He was so tiny, we definitely didn’t expect him to be so small but were extremely excited to finally meet the little nugget.
Khody is our puppy’s name, weird spelling right?
You can thank my sister and I for that.
We wanted to get creative, and I think we succeeded. For the first few months he was very shy and quiet. He’d nestle right into your body and stay there for hours.
Well, his mellow personality couldn’t last forever right?
As he got older, he became more playful but still very quiet, I honestly don’t think he barked once for the first seven months of his life!
Now when he wants to get our attention, he nibbles at our feet, or paws at our arms.
Oh, and did I mention he cries like Chewbacca?
Yep, that sound comes out of his puppy dog mouth and we nearly pee ourselves whenever he does it.
Khody’s a little pain in the butt, he does the craziest things and sometimes isn’t the most well behaved dog on the Earth.
But we love him.
My mom’s right when she says that God makes the bad ones the cutest!
Our new family member has his moments, whether it’s chewing the carpet, or biting our feet whenever we try to leave the house but well all agree that he definitely was worth it. Sometimes my dad says we’ll send him back to Arkansas if he doesn’t get his act together… but he’s lying, he loves that dog as if he were his own child.
I’m pretty sure Brandy would have liked Khody. She never got the chance to have a pet companion but Khody definitely would have been her first pick… at least that’s what I think.
Our household will continue to experience Chewbacca like noises from our adorable pooch…
The funny thing is I’ve definitely convinced everyone around me that puppies from Little Rock, Arkansas are without a doubt masked Star Wars characters.
Ha.

Editor's note: McKenzie Morrell is a journalism student at Southern Connecticut State University.