Nature Guys

Bobʼs brother-in-law Al sends an email detailing his encounter with a groundhog in his garden. As Al found out groundhogs will put up a fight for garden vegetables. Our sources for this episode include: 9 Things You Didnʼt Know About Groundhogs - http://voices.nationalgeographic.org/2014/01/31/9-things-you-didnt-know-about-groundhogs Groundhogs in Your Garden - https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/01/groundhogs-in-your-garden_n_2593390.html Groundhogs by National Geographic - http://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/g/groundhog/ Groundhog Fun Facts - http://www.groundhog.org/about/fun-facts-faq/

Bob has a spider friend named Fred that does not survive a visit from relatives. These spiders can be really scary but they are pretty much harmless. They are also called fishing spiders and have interesting ways that they 'fish' for food. Our sources for this episode include: Big Spiders Are a Little Scary - http://bugoftheweek.com/blog/2012/8/16/big-spiders-are-a-little-scary-fishing-spiders-and-wolf-spiders Fishing Spider - http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/fishing-spider Facts about the Fishing Spider - http://www.second-opinion-doc.com/facts-about-the-fishing-spider.html Common Fishing Spider - http://roadsendnaturalist.com/tag/wolf-spider/

We all live with house spiders! Find out why this is not such a bad thing. These little spiders have been living with humans for quite a long time. Our sources for this episode include: Bethany Barton's book "I'm Trying to Love Spiders" - http://www.bethanybarton.com/books Myth: Spiders bite sleeping persons - http://www.burkemuseum.org/blog/myth-spiders-bite-sleeping-persons 8 Facts about the misunderstood house spider - http://www.mnn.com/your-home/at-home/blogs/8-facts-about-misunderstood-house-spider 10 Fascinating Facts About House Spiders - http://www.care2.com/causes/10-fascinating-facts-about-house-spiders.html

Bill and Bob do their first podcast in front of a live audience at the amazing Roads Rivers and Trails store in Milford, Ohio (http://roadsriversandtrails.com/). Bill brought a bunch of bird feeders from Cincinnati Nature Center (http://www.cincynature.org/) and explains how to use them. Bob has a very special low cost bird 'feederʼ! Listen in to find out what Bill thinks about Bobʼs feeder. Also donʼt miss the last part when our audience asks some great questions!

Bob has two plants growing in his backyard that Bill is not excited about. Bob decides it is finally time to do something about Winter Creeper and English Ivy. Join us to find out how and why these invasive plants are taking over. Our sources for this episode include: English Ivy: The Hazards and Removal Strategies - http://walamarestoration.org/resources/english-ivy-the-hazards-and-removal-strategies 5 Fast Facts About English Ivy - http://www.healthline.com/health/5-fast-facts-english-ivy Winter creeper isnʼt a keeper - http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/real-estate/2015/01/11/winter-creeper-isn-keeper/0wGoqJx6EMTGeJxuzOb8SJ/story.html Journey with Nature Wintercreeper -https://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/indiana/journeywithnature/wintercreeper.xml

Sassafras is a tree that produces a small blue fruit in the early fall. The fruit comes at the perfect time to help birds get ready for winter. This is a beautiful tree that has four different leaf shapes. Bill of course has a special word for trees that have different shape leaves. Our sources for this episode include: Sassafras Facts - http://www.softschools.com/facts/plants/sassafras_facts/1283/ Sassafras in America - http://appvoices.org/2003/11/01/2780/ Sassafras - http://www.psu.edu/dept/nkbiology/naturetrail/speciespages/sassafras.html Sassafras Tea Safety - http://www.drweil.com/diet-nutrition/food-safety/sassafras-tea-safety/

If you are not a birder you might think the yellow-bellied sapsucker is a crazy made up name from some movie. Join us a we explore the world of this wonderful woodpecker. Our sources for this episode include: All About Birds - http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-bellied_Sapsucker/lifehistory#at_habitat Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Natures 7-11 - http://infinitespider.com/yellow-bellied-sapsuckers-natures-7-11/ Audubon Guide To North American Birds - http://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/yellow-bellied-sapsucker

Opossums are really cute or really ugly. It all depends on your point of view. They are great at killing ticks. So they might be a good thing to see in your neighborhood. Our sources for this episode include: 10 things you didnʼt know about opossums - http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-opossums All About Opossums - http://www.wildliferescuerehab.com/all-about-opossums.html Opossums - killers of ticks - http://www.caryinstitute.org/newsroom/opossums-killers-ticks The 'Possum Pages: FAQs - http://opossum.craton.net/faqs.htm Facts on Opossums Playing Dead - http://animals.mom.me/opossums-playing-dead-5274.html

This is a tree that may show up in your neighborhood as a volunteer. It is a great food source for birds. You might even have an old pencil made from this tree. Our sources for this episode include: Eastern Redcedar - http://www.gpnc.org/eastern.htm Juniperus virginiana - http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=juvi Eastern Redcedar in the Landscape - http://vnps.org/eastern-red-cedar-in-the-landscape/ Go Botany Juniperus Virginiana - http://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/juniperus/virginiana/

Carol emails Nature Guys about a problem with fox. Bill and Bob struggle to come up with an answer but are inspired to do a show on foxes. This is an animal that you can occasionally see in the daytime. You might even see a gray fox in a tree! Our sources for this episode include: Are Red Fox Native? http://www.dfwwildlife.org/foxes_th.pdf What Kind of Foxes Live in Ohio? http://animals.mom.me/kind-foxes-live-ohio-11057.html Fox and Surplus Prey - http://www.thefoxwebsite.net/faq/ruralfoxproblems Fox - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox Sarcoptic Mange In Red Foxes - http://www.foxwoodwildliferescue.org/2017/01/05/treating-sarcoptic-mange-in-red- foxes/ You Tube Video on Mange - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHe5ycjt-UI