astronomy - Aldo Leopold Nature Center

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Our facility is open on weekdays from 9am to 4pm and on weekends from 10am to 2pm.

As always, our grounds and trails featuring self-guided tours are free and open daily from dawn until dusk.

November 2017: Blue Marble

For millennia, humans have stood on our planet, gazed outwards, and pondered the seemingly endless resources and vast diversity that cover our globe. This month, take a giant step forward to look back down at our planet. Heading out into Space to view Earth from this uniquely modern perspective, we are reminded that we live […]

February in the Exhibits: Stars & Skies

View the stars and night sky from above and below at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center this month! Practice your stargazing and experience life as a virtual astronaut, exploring our planet and the worlds beyond – navigate your way through astronomical activities, observe Earth from outer space, orbit other planets, gaze at constellations… Visit our exhibits 7 days a […]

Sun Gazing / Observación del Sol

Craving a little sunshine on these dark, cold days? Join us this December to celebrate our Sun, the solstice, and all things solar all month long, including this special public program on Saturday, December 12: Sun Gazing at Aldo Leopold Nature Center Saturday, December 12 at 11:00 am Come to ALNC and take a look […]

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2 hours ago

Have you seen this butterfly?The orange sulfur butterfly is now one of the most common butterflies in North America. They can be found from southern Canada all the way to central Mexico. It’s believed that this species originated in the southwest and that their population traveled further northeast, assisted by changing agricultural patterns during the colonization of the United States. By the turn of the 20th century, the orange sulfur butterfly had made its way across the entire country. These butterflies can live in just about any open space, including meadows, fields, suburbs, and roadsides. The addition of farm fields expanded their habitat and provided them with more food sources. Orange sulfur caterpillars are actually considered a pest, especially in alfalfa fields where they can do significant damage. Orange sulfur butterflies are closely related to clouded sulfur butterflies. They sometimes even hybridize due to the female being unable to recognize her own species’ pheromones directly after emerging. Some female orange sulfur butterflies have white wings instead of their usual yellow. These females are called albas. They are larger than non albas and also lay larger eggs. This is a reproductive adaptation that some butterflies developed. Nitrogen that would go towards the production of their yellow color, instead goes to the production of their eggs.The time of year you can find these butterflies varies throughout the country, but in Wisconsin, you can find them most of the year, from early spring to late fall, when two to three generations live and die. Their lifespan is very short, with adult butterflies only living for one to three weeks, and their population peaking in August. Photo: Stephanie Briand, Aldo Leopold Nature Center#PhenologyFriday #OrangeSulfurButterfly #WIEnviroEd #NatureIsEverywhere #NatureIsForEveryone #EveryBodyOutside ...

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