I SAY 99 YEARS YOUNG?
>> Jason: ARE YOU READY TO GO ON
AN ADVENTURE TO A PLACE WHERE
ANIMALS RUN WILD AND BEAUTIFUL
PLANTS ARE SCATTERED ACROSS THE
LAND?
YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO FAR.
CRANBROOK INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE SAID STEP OUTSIDE YOUR DOOR.
SAID STEP OUTSIDE YOUR DOOR.
JOINING US IS MICHELLE ARQUETTE
PALMARO.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> Jason: ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE
IN YOUR BACKYARD, HOW SO?
>> UHM, SO I THINK LIKE MANY
POPLE, I’VE HAD A VERY GOOD
OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE SOME OF
THE NATURE THAT IS IN MY OWN
YARD AND REALLY TAKEN A CHANCE
TO GET TO KNOW WHO MY
FOUR-LEGGED NEIGHBORS ARE.
SO IT’S A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR
EVERYONE TO UNDERSTAND WHO LIVES
IN THEIR YARD AND HOW THEY CAN
LIVE WITH THEM AND HOW OUR
BACKYARDS AND OUR GARDENS CAN
ACTUALLY BENEFIT FROM THE
WILDLIFE THAT DOES EXIST.
>> Jason: IN OUR BACKYARD, A
GROUNDHOG, GOPHERS, MOLES,
SQUIRRELS, CHIPMUNKS, A SNAKE,
DEER WANDERING AROUND THE HOUSE
ALL THE TIME.
THERE’S A LOT TO SEE OUT THERE.
>> MOST DEFINITELY.
>> Jason: WHAT ARE YOU TALKING
ABOUT IN PARTICULAR?
>> ONE IN PARTICULAR, I’M ON A
ONE-WOMAN MISSION TO SAVE THIS
CHARACTER, THE OLD POSSUM.
KIND OF SLOW AND NOT THE
SMARTEST OF THE ANIMALS THAT WE
MIGHT FIND IN OUR BACKYARD.
THEY’RE SUPER IMPORTANT AND THEY’RE KIND OF UNIQUE.
THEY’RE KIND OF UNIQUE.
THIS POSSUM, THE FEMALE HAD
BABIES SOMETIME IN MARCH AND
THEY WERE THIS BIG.
AND THEN THEY CRAWL OUT AND THEN
THEY GO IN HER POUCH WHERE THEY
TRIPLE IN SIZE AFTER A COUPLE OF
WEEKS.
THEY EAT A LOT OF OTHER THINGS
THAT WE MIGHT NOT NECESSARILY
WANT.
YOU MENTIONED SNAKES.
THEY’LL EAT SNAKES.
AS A PERSON WHO OWNS CATS AND
DOGS THAT ARE OUTSIDE, MY
BIGGEST REASON FOR WANTING TO
SEE A POSSUM AROUND IS THEY EAT
TICKS.
THEY CAN EAT UP TO ABOUT 4,000
TICKS IN ONE WEEK’S TIME.
SO IF YOU HAVE DOGS AND CATS
THAT GO OUTSIDE AND YOU HAVE
TICKS IN YOUR YARD, HAVING THEM
IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
WE HAVE A NUMBER OF REPTILES
THAT WE HAVE ON THE PERIMETER OF
OUR PROPERTY THAT WE HAVE FOR
THE POSSUMS.
AND THEY SET OFF THE MOTION
LIGHTS IN OUR YARDS AND WE THINK
IT’S A CAT OR A DOG AND WE GO
OUT AND SEE IT WALKING AROUND
THE YARD.
>> Jason: I LEFT THE GARAGE OPEN
ONE 90 ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO IN THE
SUMMERTIME.
I WENT OUT AND POPPED THE LIGHT
ON AND IT WAS THERE AT MY FEET
RIGHT BY THE TOOR.
YOU SAID THEY DON’T MOVE VERY
FAST.
AND I WAS LIKE, MOVE FASTER!
IT SCARED THE HECK OUT OF ME.
AND THERE ARE PLANTS ALL OVER
THE NEIGHBORHOOD UNTIL THE DEER
COME ALONG AND EAT THEM LIKE MY
HOSTAS, DARN IT!
>> I KNOW.
SOME OF THE PLANTS THAT WE’RE
SEEING, WE’RE GOING IN A
TRANSITION FROM SPRING PLANTS TO
SUMMER.
ONE OF THE ONES YOU’LL SEE ALL
SEASON LONG, THESE POPPING UP
EARLY IN THE SPRING BEFORE THE
LEAVES CAME OUT ON THE TREES.
YOU CAN SEE THESE LEAVES.
>> Jason: IS THAT GARLIC LEAVES?
>> THE FLOWER IS NOT VERY
DRAMATIC ON THESE. THIS IS WILD GINGER.
THIS IS WILD GINGER.
AND THESE ARE REALLY GOOD FOR
PROVIDING FOOD FOR WILDLIFE.
>> Jason: WE’RE OUT OF TIME AND
HAVE TO RUN.
WHEN CAN PEOPLE LEARN MORE ABOUT
CRANBROOK?
>> ON OUR WEBSITE, AND WE HAVE A
WHOLE SERIES OF LEARNING RESOURCES.
IT’S LEARNING RESOURCES PAGE ON