The story is that he had proposed the turkey as the national symbol began to circulate in American newspapers around the time of the country’s centennial and are based on a January 26, 1784, letter in which he panned the eagle and extolled the virtues of the gobbler to his daughter, Sarah.
Each summer, Pennsylvanians help track Wild Turkey populations by reporting their turkey sightings to the Game Commission. The Pennsylvania Wild Turkey Sighting Survey opened July 1, 2021 and runs through August.
Report your turkey sighting online https://pgcdatacollection.pa.gov/TurkeyBroodSurvey. Learn more here https://bit.ly/3x5Dk5S.
NATURE NUGGET: August evenings are always quite a bit noisier due to the insect cacaophony. One major insect is the Katydid and it is a loud one too! Katydids are great to have around the garden as they feed on insects, and they also help pollinate some flowers. The Common Garden Katydid loves to eat young leaves, seeds, fruit, nectar, pollen, insects and the odd flower. Some animal names have been created through imitation of the sounds the animals make. The name Katydid is an example of this process. These insects were given this name because the noise they make was thought to sound like “Katy-did, Katy-didn’t” repeated over and over.
NATURE QUOTE: Crickets are also part of this mid to late summer insect chorus. Check this out!
“Porcupine Pat” McKinney is environmental education coordinator for the Schuylkill Conservation District and provides programming for people of all ages with an emphasis on schools, public programming and nature center development. “Porcupine Pat” hails from Marion, Ohio and has a BS with Distinction in Natural Resources – Environmental Interpretation from Ohio State. He is a recipient of the prestigious Sandy Cochran Award for Excellence in Natural Resources Education from the PA Forestry Association, the Schuylkill Pride Award, and the PAEE “Outstanding Environmental Educator Award.”