Discover the eight phases of the moon and the magic it brings to our night skies with Mike Ryan, retired Director of the Lake County Schools Planetarium. You will see what the moon looks like at various times of the month for different points of view.

     No registration is required but there is a $5/vehicle entry fee to the TLNC property for all non-members.

Amazing Summer Nature Fact

     Have you ever been told that if it gets hot enough in the summer, you could fry an egg on a sidewalk? Well, it's true! In 2015, when it hit a scorching 44° Celsius or around 111° Fahrenheit in Perth, Australia, a man successfully fried some eggs by using the heat that had collected on the sidewalk, according to Delish.

     Granted, he did use a pan, which is understandable considering that he ended up eating what he'd prepared!

     In an effort to provide professional development opportunities throughout Florida, many years ago TLNC partnered with the League of Environmental Educators in Florida or LEEF to help bring the international environmental education program called Project WET to educators in Florida. WET stands for Water Education Today. Project WET is used by both formal (school-based) and non-formal (nature centers, agencies, etc.) to teach about one of our most important natural resources--WATER.

      In Florida, WET was previously sponsored in Florida by four water management districts and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Through the years as priorities changed in the water management districts, support for the program waned with only the Southwest Florida Water Management District continuing to conduct WET workshops within its boundaries. The UF School of Forest, Fisheries, & Geomatics Sciences conducts workshops in Alachua County. The St. Johns River Water Management District has returned to offer support for WET workshops within its boundaries by providing WET manuals.

     WET workshops depend on trained facilitators to provide workshops throughout the state and that is where TLNC and LEEF come in. These two organizations support workshops and a facilitator network in the rest of the state of Florida. With limited resources and funding for this program, TLNC and LEEF are trying to provide quality water education materials, activities and lessons for educators about one of the most important natural resources--water.

     The next facilitator training will be held at TLNC, 520 East CR44, Eustis on May 25 from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM. If you know an educator or are an educators, consider taking this training to become a facilitator to help spread access to this highly valuable resource. You must register to attend and the cost is $10 for your lunch.

Amazing Summer Nature Fact

     Summer brings to mind sunny days and sizzling temperatures. However, thunderstorms occur very frequently during the summer, especially in the afternoons and evenings.

     How Stuff Works explains that this is due to the fact that thunderstorms need both moisture and "rapidly rising warm air" in order to develop. Because of that, it makes sense that there would be more thunderstorms during the warmer summer months, "particularly in humid areas such as the southeastern United States."

      The Orianne Center for Indigo Conservation is the only captive breeding facility with the sole purpose of breeding, raising and releasing Eastern Indigo snakes into restored and managed habitats to help bring this federally endangered snake back from the brink of extinction. Nick Clark, supervisor and curator of the Center tell stories about current restoration and breeding efforts for this incredible dynamic species. Clark will bring one of the Orianne Center's ambassador snakes so you (if desired) can get up close to it and get a better understanding of this magnificent snake.

     This event is free to TLNC members but donations are appreciated. Non-members must pay a $5/vehicle entry fee.

Amazing Summer Nature Fact

     Sunshine offers multiple health benefits, and many of them are mental. According to research from the University of Liege in Belgium (via The Independent), "human brains work better in summer."

     After having volunteers work on attention and memory tests at different times throughout the year, researchers discovered that "brain activity peaked in the summer on the attention task…" So if you have a thought-heavy task in mind, you might want to schedule it for July or August.

     Researchers looked at the tweets from 2.4 million people around the world over two years. They found that when the change in daylight was positive (i.e. in the approach to the summer solstice), people posted significantly happier tweets than they did when the change in daylight was negative (i.e. in the approach to the winter solstice).

    TLNC Bird expert Bob Wexler will give a presentation about backyard birds in Lake County at the Eustis Memorial Library on May 22 starting at 1 PM. 

Amazing Summer Nature Fact

     Did you know there are 120 different types of watermelon, let alone 1,200? That's according to the Watermelon Board. The most popular kinds include seeded, seedless, and mini watermelons, all of which feature that familiar, pinky-red interior. But not all watermelons are that color—there are also yellow and orange varieties.

    Have you ever wanted to paint something simple and share it with other? Then, rock painting is for you. Come paint a rock or two under the direction of Ellen Westerholm using acrylic paints. You will have a choice of patterns to use that you could incorporate an inspirational message or let stand as is. You can take your rock home, give as a gift or leave at TLNC to become part of our Rocking in the Wild program.

     You must register to attend and cost is $20 all paints and brushes are supplied.

     What's Rocking in the Wild? It will be where decorated rocks are placed along our trails for you to find. On the back side of the rock will be a QR code to take you to a form where you can enter your initials, the rock number and which trail you found it on. Then, you can return the rock to where you found it or place it in a new location. The rock painters will be able to see who found their rocks.

Amazing Summer Nature Fact

Firefly Lights

     Spotting fireflies is one of the highlights of summer. If you happen to be in the Southern Appalachians, you might be able to catch a glimpse of a ghost firefly—and you'll know it if you see it because it will glow a unique blue-green shade instead of the standard white.

Hottest Days of Summer Are

     Different parts of the country experience different types of weather. But one thing most regions have in common is the time of year they see their most sweltering days.

     According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, most locations in the contiguous U.S. experience their warmest days between July 15 and July 31.