- Page 5 of 22 - Fort Collins Museum of Discovery

Daily Discovery: Paper Plate Sundial

Posted on June 19, 2020March 4, 2021 by Kristin Rush in Ages 6-8, Ages 9-12, Daily Discovery, Discovery at Home, Experiments

Post written by Sierra Tamkun, Learning Experiences Manager.

Daily Discovery: Paper Plate Sundial

Here comes the Sun… to tell us the time! Our closest star keeps Earth warm so life can grow and holds our whole solar system together! And before the invention of the mechanical clock, people used the Sun’s movement across the sky to tell time using sundials. Make your own sundial and test the oldest time-measuring tool for yourself!

Supplies:
• Paper plate
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Markers, crayons, or colored pencils
• Assorted craft supplies – stickers, glitter, pom poms, buttons, etc.

Instructions:
1. Flip your paper plate so the bottom is facing up. Write a “12” at the top of your plate.
2. Write a “6” along the bottom of your plate, directly below the “12.” Add a “3” along the right side, and a “9” on the left, directly across from each other.
3. Use the sharpened end of your pencil to poke a hole through the middle of the plate. Push the pencil all the way through.
4. Decorate the face of your sundial! Draw with markers or crayons, add color and shapes, glue on glitter, buttons, or attach stickers!
5. Take your paper plate and pencil outside on a sunny day! Place the plate on the ground with the “12” pointed North.
6. Place your pencil in the center hole so it is standing up with a slight tilt towards true North.
7. Use a clock to make sure the pencil shadow points to the correct time – you may need to rotate the plate slightly.
8. Now watch – as the sun moves across the sky, so does the pencil’s shadow on the sundial, showing the time throughout the day!

Want to download these directions? Click here for a handy PDF!

Follow along with our Daily Discovery! Click here for all activities that you can do at home.

Image credit: Rangerrick.com

Educational opportunities like this are supported in part by Fort Fund.

Daily Discovery: Nature Among Us – Pollinators/ Descubrimiento en casa: La naturaleza entre nosotros – los polinizadores

Posted on June 19, 2020March 4, 2021 by Kristin Rush in Any Age, Daily Discovery, Descubrimiento en casa, Discovery at Home, Español, Life Science

Post written by Bella Harris, Discovery Agent.

Daily Discovery: Nature Among Us – Pollinators

Use your scientific skills to research pollinators around Fort Collins! All you need is a camera, a pen or pencil, and a love for exploration to be a pollinator researcher. Below is a table to check off different pollinator sightings around Fort Collins. Try to find as many as you can! You can print this table or simply use it as an online guide. When you finish, share a picture of your table and pictures from your natural place adventures on our social media pages listed below!

Here are some recommendations for natural places to look for pollinators:
● Butterfly Woods Natural Areas
● Soapstone Prairie
● Cathy Fromme Prairie Natural Areas
● Gardens on Spring Creek
● North Shields Ponds Natural Area
● Check out here for more natural places to explore!

Instructions:

Put a check by every pollinator you find! Or fill out your own pollinator discovery at the bottom of the table. You can also document your discoveries on a piece of paper.

Please take about a week to fill out this worksheet. When you have completed as much of the table as possible, please take a photo of it! Be sure to photograph your exploration throughout natural places in Fort Collins, too!

You can upload your photos and share your adventures on the museum’s Facebook page. When creating your Nature Among Us post, please include a photo of your pollinator chart/list, photos of the natural places you visited, and a short description of where you went, what you saw, and how many times you explored. And don’t forget to use the hashtag #NatureAmongUs! You can also email your research results to Bella Harris.

Each week, we’ll highlight the work you have done! Stay tuned for next week’s Daily Discovery, where we will explore ourselves in Nature Among Us: Recreators.

Want to download these directions? Click here for a handy PDF!

Follow along with our Daily Discovery! Click here for all activities that you can do at home.

Learn more about local pollinators!

Image Credit: britannica.com/animal/tiger-swallowtail

Traducido por Károl de Rueda y Laura Vilaret-Tuma.

Descubrimiento en casa: La naturaleza entre nosotros – los polinizadores

¡Usa tus habilidades científicas para investigar los polinizadores que viven en tu área o en los alrededores de Fort Collins! Solo necesitas una cámara, algo para escribir, y el entusiasmo para explorar y convertirte en un/a investigador/a de estos insectos especiales. Debajo encontrarás una tabla para marcar avistamientos de polinizadores a tus alrededores. ¡Intenta encontrar tantos como puedas! Imprime esta actividad o simplemente úsala como una guía. Cuando termines, ¡comparte fotos de tus aventuras
en nuestras redes sociales!

Les recomendamos estos espacios naturales en Fort Collins para buscar polinizadores:
● Área natural de los bosques de mariposas (Butterfly Woods Natural Area)
● Pradera de piedra de jabón (Soapstone Prairie Natural Area)
● Área natural de la pradera de Cathy Fromme (Cathy Fromme Prairie Natural Area)
● Los jardines de Spring Creek (Gardens on Spring Creek)
● Área natural de los estanques de North Shields (North Shields Ponds Natural Area)
● Haz clic en el enlace ¡y encuentra más espacios naturales para explorar!

Antes de completar esta actividad, te invitamos a llenar una breve encuesta en tu propio idioma. Con tus respuestas, aprenderemos más sobre tus intereses y sobre las diversas formas en las que podríamos adaptar nuestros programas y actividades en el futuro. ¡Muchas gracias!

Instrucciones:

Marca cada polinizador que veas. Si te topas con algún otro que no se encuentre en esta lista, puedes nombrarlo en los espacios de “nuevo descubrimiento” al final de la tabla, o también puedes documentar estas aventuras en cualquier hoja de papel o cuaderno.

Podrías completar esta actividad durante el curso de varios días. Cuando hayas terminado la mayor parte de la tabla, tómale una foto. También asegúrate de fotografiar tus exploraciones en los varios espacios naturales que visitaste en Fort Collins.

Puedes subir tus fotos y compartir tus aventuras en nuestra página de Facebook. Cuando estés escribiendo tu publicación, por favor incluye los resultados de la tabla más arriba, una pequeña descripción sobre los lugares a los que fuiste, lo que observaste, y el número de veces que visitaste un espacio natural. Podrías utilizar la etiqueta #NatureAmongUs.

Si quieres, también puedes mandar tus investigaciones por correo electrónico a Bella Harris. Durante cada semana, estaremos resentando estos trabajos ¡incluyendo el tuyo! a través de las redes sociales.

Mantente sintonizado con nuestro próximo Descubrimiento en casa, titulado “La naturaleza entre nosotros: los recreadores.”

¿Te gustaría descargar esta actividad? Haz clic aquí para obtener un archivo PDF.

Para encontrar actividades, ideas y mucho más descubrimiento en casa, ¡síguenos!

Daily Discovery: “On One Flower” Paper Flower Craft/Descubrimiento en casa: “Sobre Una Flor:” Flor de papel

Posted on June 19, 2020March 4, 2021 by Kristin Rush in Ages 3-5, Crafts, Daily Discovery, Descubrimiento en casa, Discovery at Home, Español, Life Science

Post written by Sierra Tamkun, Learning Experiences Manager.

Daily Discovery: On One Flower Paper Flower Craft

Follow along with FCMoD’s live stream Storytime in the Home: On One Flower. Then, make your very own paper flower garden!

Supplies:

• Paper cupcake liners
• Markers, crayons, or colored pencils
• Blue and green construction paper
• Glue
• Assorted craft supplies:

Beads
Chenille stems
Bits of colored paper

Instructions:

1. Choose 3-4 cupcake liners to be your flowers. Color the liners to make your flowers brighter!

2. Using scissors, cut lines along the edges of your cupcake liners to make flower petals.

3. Glue your flowers onto the blue construction paper.

4. Cut stems and leaves out of the green construction paper and glue them to your blue paper sheet. If you don’t have green paper, you can draw your flower stems and leaves!

5. Decorate the center of your flower with different beads, chenille stems, or pieces of paper.

6. Draw some bugs and butterflies around your paper flower garden!

Want to download these directions? Click here for a handy PDF!

Follow along with our Daily Discovery! Click here for all activities that you can do at home.

Image credit: onelittleproject.com

Traducido por Károl de Rueda y Laura Vilaret-Tuma.

Descubrimiento en casa: Sobre Una Flor – Flor de papel

Sigue nuestro programa de transmisión en vivo “Cuentos en Casa” (Storytime in the Home) a través de las redes sociales. En esta ocasión te presentamos la historia llamada “Sobre una Flor” (versión en inglés). Después, ¡construye tu propio jardín de flores!

Artículos necesarios:

Marcadores, crayones o lápices de colores
Papel de colores incluyendo verde
Pegamento
Tijeras
Materiales para decorar: abalorios, brillantina, retazos de papel, etc.

Instrucciones:

Para formar los pétalos de la flor, usa papel de colores y con las tijeras corta unas formas como la fotografía de arriba.
Une tus pétalos con pegamento.
Usando el papel verde, corta tallos y hojas para tus flores y pégalos debajo de la flor. Si no tienes papel verde, dibújalos y coloréalos.
Decora el centro de las flores con abalorios, brillantina, retazos de papel o lo que quieras.
Dibuja algunos insectos o mariposas para tu jardín.
¡Llena tu casa de alegría decorándola con tus flores coloridas!

¿Te gustaría descargar esta actividad? Haz clic aquí para obtener un archivo PDF.

Para encontrar actividades, ideas y mucho más descubrimiento en casa, ¡síguenos!

Educational opportunities like this are supported in part by Buell Foundation. Their support helps make access to early childhood education at FCMoD possible for everyone in our community.

It’s National Pollinator Week! ?

Posted on June 17, 2020February 18, 2021 by Kristin Rush in Animal Encounters, Any Age, Exhibits, Life Science, Uncategorized

Post written by Alexa Leinaweaver, Live Animal Husbandry Coordinator.

?It’s National Pollinator Week!

June 22-28, 2020, is the 13^th annual National Pollinator Week!

What Are Pollinators?

Pollinators are animals that move pollen from one flower to another flower of the same species in the first step toward the plant reproducing. While pollinators are primarily insects (bees, beetles, flies, moths, butterflies), there are also some birds and small mammals that pollinate plants too.

More than 70% — and possibly as much as 90%! — of flowering plants are dependent on pollination for creating seeds and fruit. It is estimated that one out of every three bites of food you eat was made possible by animal pollinators!

Many of the animals that pollinate are in decline. Pollinator habitats are shrinking or getting destroyed so they have no space to live or feed. In addition, overuse of pesticides, environmental pollution, and climate change are all adding risks to these animals.

Pollinators in Colorado

In Colorado, we have a wide range of habitats and extreme changes in altitude – different bees will thrive in each area. Because of that variety of habitat, Colorado is home to more than 900 species of bees! There are more than 200 bees in Larimer County alone. The smallest bee in Colorado is the Miner Bee (Perdita salacis) at 3.5mm/0.1in; the largest is the Nevada Bumblebee (Bombus nevadensis) at 26.5mm/1in. Colorado bees are colorful, too! Different species may be the usual yellow and black, or range to red, orange, green, blue, or brown.

Most bees in Colorado (and the rest of the world too) are solitary bees that don’t live in a colony like the familiar honeybee. Most of these solitary bees are ground nesters, digging burrows in the soil or using abandoned rodent burrows. Some of the bees here are cavity nesters, finding holes or cavities in twigs or logs.

In Colorado, bees are responsible for pollinating 80% of the crops in our state.

In addition to bees, other pollinators in Colorado include approximately 250 species of butterfly and more than 1,000 species of moth. There are also 11 species of hummingbird that migrate through the state from April through September.

How can you help pollinators?

Learn more about the pollinators in the space where you live. Spend some time outside and observe the animals that are visiting your garden. What kinds of animals do you see? What colors are they? How do they behave as they visit flowers?

Create good habitats for pollinators around your home. Whether you have acres of land or just a window box, you can help pollinators by offering them food and shelter. Plant a variety of flowering plants (preferably native – CSU has a great example list of native plants for pollinators) that offer food and nesting space. Provide several different kinds of blooming plants near each other, and use plants that have different bloom times, so that flowers are available to pollinators from early spring through late fall. Plant in sunny locations that are protected from the wind.

Don’t “clean up” your yard in the fall. Leave all the dormant or dead plants alone rather than trimming them back for the winter season — cavity nesting bees and other pollinating insects will use them as a safe home during the cold weather. Leave some leaf litter around for butterflies and moths to use as insulation over the winter, rather than raking it all up and dumping it in the landfill. If you can include materials in your yard such as logs or wood nesting blocks, you provide space for species that nest in wood to survive the snow. Leave some of the ground uncovered (i.e. don’t put mulch everywhere) for the native bees that nest in the bare dirt for the winter.

Reduce use of chemicals for controlling weeds and pests, as these can hurt or kill beneficial pollinators as well.

Protect natural habitat.

Share what you know. Talk to your friends and family about what you have learned about pollinators and how and why you are helping them. Talk to your local and state government about how important it is to protect pollinators.

Daily Discovery: Explore your State – Spelunking!

Posted on June 17, 2020March 4, 2021 by Kristin Rush in Any Age, Crafts, Daily Discovery, Discovery at Home, Physical Science

Post written by Hannah Curtis, Education Assistant.

Daily Discovery: Explore your State – Spelunking!

The recreational past-time hobby of cave exploration! It’s not every day you get to explore around in a dark, musky, million-year-old, nature made cavern, but when you do, you may be surprised what you see inside! Let’s explore together the history of caves in Colorado, and learn how they were formed!

History of Caves!

Spelunking, or caving, has been a hobby of enthusiasts as early as 1895 and became a part of important scientific explorations and research. Through caving, we know more about geological process and ecosystem science. Cave environments are fragile and animals that live in them can be easily disturbed. Cave formations can be damaged by the lightest touch and even one’s breath. Cave dwelling species such as cave shrimp and bats thrive in the constant temperature and humidity of caves and bats will use caves to hibernate during the winter season. Too much human contact inside caves with these species can be damaging to the cave environment and these vulnerable species.

You can visit a variety of caves throughout Colorado, but Cave of the Winds and the Glenwood Caverns are historically fascinating and beautiful. Cave of the Winds was founded in 1881 by two brothers, George and John Pickett, but the cave systems are millions of years old! After it’s discovery and continued excavation, tours of the cave began to the public and even electricity was installed in 1907. These caves are one of Colorado’s oldest and famous attractions!

Inside Iron Mountain, Glenwood Caverns is more than 16,000 feet long, and was opened to visitors in 1895 by Charles W. Darrow and his family, who homesteaded at the top of the mountain near the cave entrance.

Cave Formation!

The formation of caves is called speleogenesis, and it can happen under a variety of geological processes. They can be formed through chemical or water erosion, by tectonic forces, microorganisms, or pressure and atmospheric changes. The types of caves most often formed and many of the ones found in Colorado are called Karst Caves. These caves are made from limestone, which dissolves in acidic solutions such as groundwater that hold organic acids. Over time, this acidic ground water seeps through cracks, faults or joints in the ground dissolving the limestone and eventually enlarges into a cave.

This process continues inside the cave forming mineral deposits called speleothems. There are many different types of speleothems, some you may be familiar with. Stalactites are mineral deposit that form on the roof of caves when dissolved calcium bicarbonate (dissolved limestone) drips and crystalizes back into limestone, similar to how an icicle is formed in the winter. A stalagmite may form underneath a stalactite when the drippings fall to the cave floor and deposits the limestone into a cone shaped mound. You can usually find stalactites and stalagmites together, and they may even grow so large that they may combine into one big column. Other speleothems are flowstones, helictites, or soda straws, which all form in unique way based on how the calcium carbonate flows through down cave walls and ceiling.

Grow your own Stalactite and Cave Diorama!

Supplies:

Stalactite Formation

2 plastic cups
String or yarn
Epsom salt, sugar or baking soda
Water
Paper

Cave Diorama

Cardboard box
Modeling clay
Colored paper
Natural elements (rocks, stones, grass, dirt)
Markers
Recycled materials (egg cartons, bottle caps, etc).
Glue or tape

Instructions:

To begin forming your stalactite, heat up a quart of water on a stove. Make sure to have guardian supervision for this step.
Once hot, pour your choice of Epsom salt, sugar or baking soda to the pot, stirring to dissolve. Continue adding gradually until you have dissolved 3 cups of your solvent. (Note: you can dissolve without hot water, this speeds up the process and allows you to dissolve more into your solution).
Pour equal parts into the two cups.
Cut a piece of string around 1 foot.
On top of a piece of paper or paper plate, drape each end of the yarn into the cups so that each end is completely submerged. You can weigh your string down using a paper clip.
Between the cups allow the string to slack in the middle creating a dip, this is where your stalactite will form forming.
Over the course of a few hours to a few days the water will move from the cups to the string and begin dripping and crystalizing.
If you wish, begin constructing your cave using materials you have handy in your home. If you wish to put your newly forming stalactite into your cave, use the flaps of a cardboard box to hide the cups and only your stalactite showing.

Want to download these directions? Click here for a handy PDF!

Follow along with our Daily Discovery! Click here for all activities that you can do at home.

Image Credit: uncovercolorado.com

Educational opportunities like this are supported in part by Fort Fund.

Father’s Day

Posted on June 17, 2020March 4, 2021 by Kristin Rush in Adults, Archive & Collections, Daily Discovery, Discovery at Home, Local History, Uncategorized

Post written by Alex Ballou, Marketing Assistant.

Father’s in Fort Collins

Today we honor all Father’s, those in the present and in the past.

c. unknown: E. Milton Payne in uniform with father.

c. 1966: Father and daughter finish high school; Fort Collins, Colorado.

c. 2001: Jessie & Pearl Moore & father, Fort Collins, Colorado.

c. 1930: Goeder brothers from left to right: John, Clarence, Louis, Frank P., with father (Frank).

c. 1966: Father’s day, new baby; Fort Collins, Colorado.

c. 1993: A salute to soldiers: Christine an dad Greg Richard take in ceremonies honoring veterans at Fort Collins, Colorado.

c. 1908: F.M. Richard Sr. and Frank Jr.

Local history lives here. Like us on Facebook to see more historical images and artifacts. Archival images are available for research, purchase, and more through the online Fort Collins History Connection website.

Daily Discovery: Nature Among Us – Plants/ Descubrimiento en casa: La naturaleza entre nosotros – las plantas

Posted on June 16, 2020March 4, 2021 by Kristin Rush in Any Age, Daily Discovery, Descubrimiento en casa, Discovery at Home, Español

Post written by Bella Harris, Discovery Agent.

Daily Discovery: Nature Among Us – Plants

Use your scientific skills to research plants around Fort Collins! All you need is a camera, a pen or pencil, and a love for exploration to be a plant researcher. Below is a table to check off different plant sightings around Fort Collins. Try to find as many as you can! You can print this table or simply use it as an online guide. When you finish, share a picture of your table and pictures from your natural place adventures on our social media pages listed below!

Here are some recommendations for natural places to look for plants:
● Maxwell Natural Area
● Soapstone Prairie
● Coyote Ridge Natural Area
● Reservoir Ridge Natural Areas
● Lory State Park
● Check out here for more natural places to explore!

Instructions:

Put a check by every plant you find! Or fill out your own plant discovery at the bottom of the table. You can also document your discoveries on a piece of paper.

You can upload your photos and share your adventures on the museum’s Facebook page. When creating your Nature Among Us post, please include a photo of your plants chart/list, photos of the natural places you visited, and a short description of where you went, what you saw, and how many times you explored. And don’t forget to use the hashtag #NatureAmongUs! You can also email your research results to Bella Harris.

Each week, we’ll highlight the work you have done! Stay tuned for next week’s Daily Discovery, where we will explore our buzzing, flying neighbors in Nature Among Us: Pollinators.

Want to download these directions? Click here for a handy PDF!

Follow along with our Daily Discovery! Click here for all activities that you can do at home.

Learn more about local plants!

Traducido por Károl de Rueda y Laura Vilaret-Tuma.

Descubrimiento en casa: La naturaleza entre nosotros – las plantas

¡Usa tus habilidades científicas para investigar plantas que existen en tu área o en los alrededores de Fort Collins! Solo necesitas una cámara, algo para escribir, y el entusiasmo para explorar y convertirte en un/a investigador/a de las plantas. Debajo encontrarás una tabla para marcar avistamientos de plantas nativas a tus alrededores. ¡Intenta encontrar tantas como puedas! Imprime esta actividad o simplemente úsala como una guía. Cuando termines, ¡comparte fotos de tus aventuras en nuestras redes sociales!

Les recomendamos estos espacios naturales en Fort Collins para buscar plantas:
● Área Natural de Maxwell (Maxwell Natural Area)
● Pradera de piedra de jabón (Soapstone Prairie)
● Área Natural de la cresta del coyote (Coyote Ridge Natural Area)
● Área Natural “Reservoir Ridge” (Reservoir Ridge Natural Areas)
● Parque Estatal de Lory (Lory State Park)
● Haz clic en el enlace ¡y encuentra más espacios naturales para explorar!

Instrucciones:

Marca cada planta que veas. Si te topas con algún otra que no se encuentra en esta lista, puedes nombrarla en los espacios de “nuevo descubrimiento” al final de la tabla, o también puedes documentar estas aventuras en cualquier hoja de papel o cuaderno.

Mantente sintonizado con nuestro próximo Descubrimiento en casa, donde observaremos nuestros amigos que zumban y vuelan, en “La naturaleza entre nosotros: los polinizadores.”

¿Te gustaría descargar esta actividad? Haz clic aquí para obtener un archivo PDF.

Para encontrar actividades, ideas y mucho más descubrimiento en casa, ¡síguenos!

Musicians from Colorado/ Músicos de Colorado

Posted on June 16, 2020March 4, 2021 by Kristin Rush in Adults, Daily Discovery, Descubrimiento en casa, Discovery at Home, Español, Music, Music Experience, Spotlight, Teens

Post written by Eisen Tamkun, Music Programming Lead.

Musicians from Colorado

Colorado has produced some amazing musicians. Explore these groups and individuals! Learn where they are based, interesting tidbits, and more!

Pretty Lights

Band Members (current): Derek Vincent Smith- Born Nov. 25, 1981, Fort Collins, CO

Formed: Boulder, CO 2004

Genre: Electronic

Top Album: A Color Map of the Sun

OneRepublic

Formed in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 2002, OneRepublic has won several music awards with many nominations. Including nominations for American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, World Music Awards, and Grammy Awards.

Band Members (current): Ryan Tedder,, Zach Filkins, Drew Brown, Brent Kutzle, Eddie Fisher, Brian Willett.

Genre: Pop Rock, Pop, Alternative Rock.

Top Album: Native

Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats

Currently based in Denver, Colorado. Nathaniel Rateliff grew up in Missouri. When he came to Denver he first formed Born in the Flood (2002-2008), which transitioned into a more stripped down solo focused effort called Nathaniel Rateliff and the Wheel (2007-2014). In 2013, while still preforming in earlier bands and groups, Rateliff began a more upbeat and soulful project with longtime collaborator Joseph Pope III and other collaborators. Thus Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats was born.

Band Members (current): Nathaniel Rateliff, Joseph Pope III, Patrick Meese, Like Mossman, Jeff Dazey, Mark Shusterman, Andreas Wild.

Genre: Soul, Gospel, Folk Rock, Blues Rock, Americana

Top Album: In Memory Of Loss

Gregory Alan Isakov

Currently based in Boulder, Colorado, Isakov originally lived in Johannesburg, South Africa. He and his family immigrated to the US in 1986 and was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He draws influence from Leonard Cohen, Kelly Joe Phelps, and Bruce Springsteen.

Band Members (current): Gregory Alan Isakov

Genre: Contemporary Folk, Indie Folk, Country Folk

Top Album: This Empty Northern Hemisphere

The Lumineers

Based in Denver, Colorado. The original two founding members Fraites and Schultz began writing and preforming music together in Ramsey, New Jersey in 2005. They were influenced by musicians such as Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Tom Petty.

Band Members (current): Wesley Schultz, Jeremiah Fraites

Genre: Indie Folk, Folk Rock, Americana

Top Album: The Lumineers

30H!3

Duo from Boulder, Colorado. They took their name from the area code of Boulder, 303.

Band Members (current): Sean Foreman, Nathaniel Motte

Genre: Synth-pop, Crunkcore, Trap, Electronic Rock, Alternative Rock

Top Album: Streets of Gold

DeVotchka

Denver band, formed in 1997. They take their name form the Russian word devotchka (девочка) meaning “girl”.

Band Members (current): Nick Urata, Tom Hagerman, Jeanie Schroder, Shawn King.

Genre: Gypsy Punk, Dark Cabaret, Indie Folk, Indie Rock

Top Album: A Mad and Faithful Telling

Big Head Tod and the Monsters

Formed in 1986 by three Columbine High School students. Began

touring clubs in Denver, Fort Collins and Boulder until they built up a following across Colorado and the West. Started touring extensively dubbing their van the “Colonel” who drove over 400,000 miles.

Band Members (current): Todd Park Mohr, Brian Nevin, Rob Squires, Jeremy Lawton.

Genre: Rock, Blue Rock, Alternative Rock, Funk Rock, Southern Rock, Country Rock, Folk, Jass-Fussion, Jam Band.

Top Album: Sister Sweetly

Tennis

From Denver, Colorado, Tennis formed in 2010. The husband-wife duo debuted their album Cape Dory in 2011.

Band Members (current):Patrick Riley, Alaina Moore

Genre: Indie Pop, Dream Pop, Surf Pop, Lo-Fi

Top Album: Yours Conditionally

Yonder Mountain String Band

Formed in Nederland, Colorado 1998 this progressive bluegrass group played their first show at the Fox Theater in Boulder.

Band Members (current): Ben Kaufmann, Dave Johnston, Adam Aijala, Allie Kral, and Jake Jolliff.

Genre: Progressive Bluegrass, Country, Jam Band.

Top Album: Elevation

The Fray

The Fray originate from Denver, Colorado in 2002. They achieved worldwide fame with their song “How to Safe a Live”.

Band Members (current): Isaac Slade, Joe King, Dave Welsh, and Ben Wysocki.

Genre: Rock

Top Album: How to Save a Life

Traducido por Károl de Rueda y Laura Vilaret-Tuma.

Músicos de Colorado

¿Sabías que muchos músicos increíbles y famosos han salido de Colorado? Explora los grupos musicales y artistas de nuestro estado, conoce en dónde se basan, algunos datos curiosos y más, mientras escuchas estos géneros musicales diversos.

Pretty Lights

Artista actual: Derek Vincent Smith, nacido el 25 de noviembre de 1981 en Fort Collins, Colorado.

Inició en: Boulder, Colorado, en 2004.

Género: Música electrónica.

Álbum más exitoso: A Color Map of the Sun.

The Fray

La banda The Fray se originó en Denver, Colorado, en el año 2002. Alcanzaron fama mundial con su canción “How to Safe a Life.”

Miembros de la banda (actualmente):

Isaac Slade, Joe King, Dave Welsh, y Ben Wysocki.

Género: Rock.

Álbum más exitoso: How to Save a Life.

Yonder Mountain String Band

Este grupo se formó en el año 1998 en Nederland, Colorado, tocando su primer concierto en el Fox Theater de Boulder.

Miembros de la banda (actualmente): Ben Kaufmann, Dave Johnston, Adam Aijala, Allie Kral, y Jake Jolliff.

Género: Bluegrass, Música country, Jam Band.

Álbum más exitoso: Elevation.

Tennis

Originalmente de Denver, Colorado, Tennis se formó en el año 2010. La pareja casada debutó su álbum Cape Dory en 2011.

Miembros de la banda (actualmente): Patrick Riley y Alaina Moore.

Género: Música pop/independiente (Indie Pop, Dream Pop, Surf Pop, Lo-Fi).

Álbum más exitoso: Yours Conditionally.

Big Head Tod and the Monsters

Formado en el año 1986 por tres alumnos de Columbine High School, este grupo empezó a tocar música en discotecas y clubs hasta que alcanzaron popularidad por todo Colorado y partes del oeste. Les gusta viajar en su vehículo extensamente, y por lo tanto nombraron a su camioneta “La coronel.” Han manejado más de 400,000 millas recorriendo Estados Unidos.

Miembros de la banda (actualmente): Todd Park Mohr, Brian Nevin, Rob Squires, y Jeremy Lawton.

Género: Música Rock (Blues Rock, Rock alternativo, Funk Rock, Country Rock, Folk, Jazz-Fusion, Jam Band).

Álbum más exitoso: Sister Sweetly.

DeVotchka

Un grupo de Denver formado en el año 1997. Su nombre viene de la palabra rusa devotchka (девочка), que significa “niña.”

Miembros de la banda (actualmente): Nick Urata, Tom Hagerman, Jeanie Schroder, Shawn King.

Género: Punk gitano, música cabaret oscura, Indie Folk, Rock independiente

Álbum más exitoso: A Mad and Faithful Telling.

30H!3

Dúo de Boulder, Colorado. Tomaron su nombre del código de área de su ciudad, 303.

Miembros de la banda (actualmente): Sean Foreman, Nathaniel Motte.

Género: Synth-pop, Crunkcore, Trap, Rock electrónica, rock alternativo.

Álbum más exitoso: Streets of Gold.

The Lumineers

Basados en Denver, Colorado, los fundadores Fraites y Schultz empezaron a escribir y tocar música juntos en Ramsey, Nueva Jersey en el año 2005. Son influenciados por músicos como Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan y Tom Petty.

Miembros de la banda (actualmente): Wesley Schultz y Jeremiah Fraites.

Género: Folk y rock independiente, música Americana.

Álbum más exitoso: The Lumineers

Gregory Alan Isakov

Actualmente basado en Boulder, Colorado, Isakov originalmente vivió en Johannesburg, Sudáfrica. Junto con su familia, emigró a los Estados Unidos en 1986 y fue criado en Filadelfia, Pensilvania. Se inspira en la música de Leonard Cohen, Kelly Joe Phelps, y Bruce Springsteen.

Artista: Gregory Alan Isakov.

Género: Folk contemporáneo, Folk independiente, Country Folk.

Álbum más exitoso: This Empty Northern Hemisphere.

Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats

Actualmente basados en Denver, Colorado. Nathaniel Rateliff creció en el estado de Misuri. Cuando se mudó a Denver, formó el grupo Born in the Flood (2002-2008). Eventualmente se volvió un proyecto diferente nombrado Nathaniel Rateliff and the Wheel (2007-2014). En 2013, mientras todavía tocaba en otros grupos, Rateliff empezó a colaborar con Joseph Pope III y otros miembros. Así nació Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats.

Miembros de la banda (actualmente): Nathaniel Rateliff, Joseph Pope III, Patrick Meese, Like Mossman, Jeff Dazey, Mark Shusterman, y Andreas Wild.

Género: Soul, música góspel, Folk Rock, Blues Rock, música Americana.

Álbum más exitoso: In Memory of Loss.

OneRepublic

Formada en Colorado Springs, Colorado en el año 2002, la banda OneRepublic ha ganado varios premios musicales y muchas nominaciones, incluyendo algunas para premios de Billboard Music Awards, Premios American Music, World Music Awards, y los premios Grammy.

Miembros de la banda (actualmente): Ryan Tedder, Zach Filkins, Drew Brown, Brent Kutzle, Eddie Fisher, y Brian Willett.

Género: Pop Rock, Pop, rock alternativo.

Álbum más exitoso: Native.

Educational opportunities like this are supported in part by Bohemian Foundation.

The Pollinator You Know: The Honeybee!

Posted on June 16, 2020February 18, 2021 by Kristin Rush in Ages 6-8, Ages 9-12, Animal Encounters, Daily Discovery, Discovery at Home, Exhibits, Life Science, Uncategorized

Post written by Alexa Leinaweaver, Live Animal Husbandry Coordinator.

The Pollinator You Know: The Honeybee!

When most people hear about pollination, the first thing they think of is the honeybee.

The oldest bee that scientists have found so far was in Myanmar, encased in amber and dated at 100 million years old! Bees that old were hunters, eating other insects. At some point they started visiting flowers for nectar and pollen, changing into the honeybees that we know and love.

Honeybee colonies have been kept in man-made hives since Ancient Egypt and have been important throughout human history. In addition to being delicious as a sweetener in food, honey can be used to make mead (an alcoholic drink), which works as an antiseptic. It has even been used to embalm mummies! Beeswax can be used in making many products, such as candles, soap, cosmetics, and waterproofing. Honey and bees are so important that people have named their children after bees. Deborah and Melissa both mean “bee” in different languages; Pamela derives from a word for “honey”.

When Europeans colonized the Americas in the 17^th century, there were no native honeybees. Native Americans tribes at the time kept and traded other kinds of bees. European settlers brought the Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) along with their familiar crop plants when they moved to the Americas. As we have expanded across the planet, humans have deliberately expanded the range of the Western Honey Bee, and it is now found on every continent in the world except Antarctica.

Healthy Honeybee Colonies

In a healthy honeybee colony, you can see thousands of individual bees. Most of what you see are the worker bees, which are females that cannot lay eggs. There are usually 10,000-50,000 workers per colony. The workers care for the queen and young, defend the hive with their stingers, build comb for the young honeybees and the honey, and collect food. There are also drones, which are the male honeybees. There are about 1,000 drones in a given colony. Drones have no sting, do not forage for food, and cannot defend the hive. Their only purpose is to mate with the queen. There is only one queen bee in the colony. She is larger than all the other bees, and usually has a circle of worker bees around her (her “court”) that take care of her, bringing her food and cleaning her. The queen is the only individual who can lay eggs, and can lay as many as 2,000 eggs per day!

The worker bees leave the hive and may fly up to two miles away from their home to find food. They seek out flowers and collect nectar, which is a sugary solution that flowers produce in order to attract pollinators. The worker bee then returns to the hive and performs a dance to indicate to her fellow workers where she found food. The collected nectar is transformed into honey and may be consumed by any of the adult bees or fed to the young who cannot yet fly to find their own food. The honey can also be harvested by humans.

Honeybee colonies normally survive for several years, going dormant in the winter cold and then becoming active in the warmer months. During favorable conditions (an abundance of food), the hive will create “daughter queens,” and the old queen and much of her colony will relocate to make room for the new queens.

What is happening with the FCMoD colony?

Fort Collins Museum of Discovery has had a bee colony in the Animal Encounters exhibit for our visitors to watch and enjoy since the exhibit opened. However, our colony has collapsed several times since then. Each time we have obtained a new colony from our professional beekeeper.

There are a lot of environmental factors that can negatively affect a honeybee colony, and a lot of colonies around the world are struggling and collapsing right now. There are some pesticides that are worse for bees, especially the class of pesticide called neonicotinoids. There are diseases and parasites that can affect a colony. Climate change may also be playing a factor with bee colonies dying.

What our beekeeper thinks may be happening to the honeybee colony here at FCMoD is that the bees may have found a flower source in the area that has been sprayed with a certain kind of pesticide. They collect the nectar and pesticide, then carry it back to the colony and tell their sisters where to find more. The bees eat the poisoned nectar and honey, and die.

How can we stop honeybee colony collapse?

There are a lot of different pesticides that people use to control weeds and to get rid of bugs they don’t like. But since we do like the honeybees and the honey they make, we need to make sure that we use pesticides that won’t hurt the bees. Pesticide application can be done at night when bees are not foraging. Additionally, making sure not to apply pesticides to blooming plants will help prevent bee deaths.

Like all animals, bees need good quality and abundant food. We can plant native flowers at our homes so honeybees and all the native Colorado bees have healthy and nutritious food sources.

We should also look for ways to reduce our impact on the environment around us, improving the lives of all animals that we share our environment with. Find reusable products instead of single use items you throw away. Turn off the lights in empty rooms. Compost. Take shorter showers. Each of us can have a huge positive impact on the wild animals that live around us.

Learn more about how pesticides can affect bees and other wildlife:

EPA Tips for Reducing Pesticide Impacts on Wildlife

National Pesticide Information Center: Protecting Wildlife from Pesticides

Learn about native plants you can use in your garden:

Colorado Native Plant Society plant lists

Find out how to reduce your impact on the environment:

World Wildlife Fund’s Tips for Reducing Your Environmental Impact

Can you spot the queen bee in this picture? She is larger and a slightly different color.

The FCMoD honeybee colony, in Spring of 2018.

Photos courtesy of Alexa Leinaweaver

Fourth of July Celebrations in Colorado

Daily Discovery: Paper Plate Sundial

Daily Discovery: Nature Among Us – Pollinators

Descubrimiento en casa: La naturaleza entre nosotros – los polinizadores

Daily Discovery: On One Flower Paper Flower Craft

Descubrimiento en casa: Sobre Una Flor – Flor de papel

?It’s National Pollinator Week!

What Are Pollinators?

Pollinators in Colorado

How can you help pollinators?

Daily Discovery: Explore your State – Spelunking!

Father’s in Fort Collins

Daily Discovery: Nature Among Us – Plants

Descubrimiento en casa: La naturaleza entre nosotros – las plantas

Musicians from Colorado

Músicos de Colorado

The Pollinator You Know: The Honeybee!

Healthy Honeybee Colonies

What is happening with the FCMoD colony?

How can we stop honeybee colony collapse?