Category: Connecticut Travel

Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo announced today an opportunity for the public to choose a name for the female baby Giant anteater born on June 15, 2021. In December, the Zoo received verification from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Anteater Advisory Group that the Giant anteater pup is a girl. Voters can go to the Zoo’s website at http://www.beardsleyzoo.org and choose from three names selected by the anteaters’ animal care staff. Voting begins on Thursday, January 13, and ends at noon on Friday, January 21.

The proposed names are:
Andarilho: Portuguese for “wanderer”
Corajosa: Portuguese for brave, bold, valiant
Chili: A small hot-tasting pod of a variety of capsicum, used in sauces and relishes.

Giant anteaters, unlike most mammalian species, are not easy to sex from their body size, color, and external genitalia. That the baby’s gender is female is welcome news for the species, as the population in Giant anteaters is skewed more heavily toward males than females.

“We couldn’t be happier that our Giant anteater baby is a girl, important for the continuation of this vulnerable species,” explained Zoo Director Gregg Dancho. “Now we’re asking the public to help choose her name. Voting is free on our website at beardsleyzoo.org.”

The baby, born after a 75-day gestation period, is increasingly independent. She occasionally rides on her mother’s back, but she spends more time on her own as she grows. In addition to nursing, she now is fed a mixture of grain and water in a smoothie, the same formulation given to her parents. At nine days old, the baby weighed 4.3 pounds. On December 21, she weighed 45 pounds.

This is the third Giant anteater baby born at the Zoo to third-time dad, E.O., and fourth-time mom, Pana. The pair was brought to Connecticut’s only Zoo with the hopes of successful breeding, which occurred for the first time in 2016.
Mochilla, the pair’s first offspring, is now in residence at Alexandria Zoo in Louisiana. The second-born, Tupi, is now at the Nashville Zoo in Tennessee.

The Giant anteater’s parents came to the Zoo from Palm Beach Zoo in Palm Beach, Florida. Both Pana and EO are twelve years old. They arrived in late May 2015 and are a highlight of the Pampas Plains habitat, which opened in August 2015.

About Giant Anteaters

Giant anteaters can live up to 26 years in human care and are usually solitary animals. They weigh up to 100 pounds and are five to seven feet long. Their home range is from southern Belize to northern Argentina, and they live in grasslands, humid forests, and woodland areas. Anteaters have one of the lowest body temperatures in the animal kingdom at 91 to 97 degrees Fahrenheit and can eat up to 30,000 ants per meal in the wild. The Latin name for anteater is Vermillingua, meaning “worm tongue,” which can be as long as two feet.

About Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo

Let your curiosity run wild! Connecticut’s only zoo, celebrating its 100thth year, features 350 animals representing primarily North and South American and Northern Asian species. Guests won’t want to miss our Amur tigers and leopards, maned wolves, Mexican gray wolves, and red wolves. Other highlights include our Spider Monkey Habitat, the prairie dog exhibit, and the Pampas Plain with Giant anteaters and Chacoan peccaries. Guests can grab a bite from the Peacock Café and eat in the Picnic Grove. Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo is a non-profit organization celebrating its Centennial year when the mission of helping fragile wildlife populations and ecosystems is more important than ever.

Tickets must be purchased on the Zoo’s website at beardsleyzoo.org: we recommend that guests continue to wear masks while visiting the Zoo, but when guests are outside and are able to maintain social distance, masks may be removed. In any indoor area, or when social distancing cannot be maintained, masks are required. Everyone over the age of two, except for those with medical conditions that preclude wearing them, should have a mask available.

After the holidays, when the decorations are all put away, the cookies have been eaten, and the new toys have lost their novelty, moms and dads start looking for fun things to do with their kids. Here are our top five suggestions on what to do with kids that are fun and free in the Litchfield Hills.

Once a month for one week, White Memorial Foundation, the state’s largest nature sanctuary in Litchfield right off of Rte. 202 offers a museum-free week for kids. The January, Children’s Museum free week begins January 12 and runs through January 18th. This natural history museum is open Tuesday – Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This engaging facility features hand-painted and photographic murals, dioramas, a Children’s Corner, live animals, a working honeybee hive, a digital microscope, unique exhibits such as “The Art of Taxidermy,” and a fluorescent rock cave. For a challenge, try the museum scavenger hunt!

If you have a budding artist in the family head to the Aldrich Museum in Ridgefield. The third Saturdays at The Aldrich are totally free for everyone and include family workshops from 10am to 3pm. Children 13 and under are free any day, with an admission-paying adult.

To explore the great outdoors, Flanders Nature Center on 5 Chruch Hill Road in Woodbury has a number of trails to explore for free. Walking the trails, kids will get a bonus because Flanders has planted several letterboxes on the family-friendly trails at their preserves and sanctuaries. Combining art and nature in a fun interactive way, letterboxing is a popular treasure hunting activity done worldwide. At Flanders, the letterboxing clues include educational comments about the natural world. Anyone who hikes at least twelve of the letterboxing trails at Flanders Nature Center and Land Trust, stamps the letters from those trails in their passport and presents their passport at the Flanders office will be given the opportunity to sign their Trail Name on our Letterboxer “Hall of Fame” board and will receive a small prize.

Explore the trails at the Sharon Audubon Center on Rte. 41 in Sharon to experience diverse wildlife habitats, which are home to a wide variety of plants, birds, and animals such as Bobcat, Beaver, River Otter, and Whitetail Deer. The Chestnut-sided Warbler, Ovenbird, and Wood Thrush, among other neotropical migratory birds, breed in our woods in the summer while many other migratory birds use the property as a layover point during their long migrations. Visitors are welcome to explore and enjoy our center’s trails and gardens and view the aviaries, daily from sunrise to sunset.

Participate in the Backyard Bird County sponsored by the Connecticut Audubon Society. Participating is easy, fun to do alone, or with others, and can be done anywhere you find birds. If you are new to bird watching download the Merlin Bird ID app to participate. For more information click here.
Step 1 – Decide where you will watch birds.
Step 2 – Watch birds for 15 minutes or more, at least once over the four days, February 18-21, 2022.
Step 3 – Count all the birds you see or hear within your planned time/location and use the best tool for sharing your bird sightings:

A quiet place of contemplation, the Shrine of Lourdes in Litchfield is a replica of the Grotto Lourdes in France. Built of local fieldstone by two Montfort Brothers, Brother Alfonso, and Brother Gabriel, with the help of Montfort seminarians and people from the area, the Shrine was dedicated in 1958.

The Montfort Missionaries developed the Shrine so that individuals, families, and groups could come to pray, reflect on their own lives, and imitate Mary’s life of faithful discipleship.

The Grotto is the site for Mass and other services held in the open air from May through mid-October.

In addition to participating in the liturgy and prayer at the Grotto, you can follow the Way of the Cross which winds up the Shrine’s wooded hillside to a Calvary Scene at the summit of the hill. You can also walk paths leading to smaller shrines of the Sacred Heart, St. Joseph, St. Jude, St. Michael, and St. Louis de Montfort.

The grounds of the Shrine are open year-round, from dawn to dusk. The Grotto Gift Shop at Lourdes in Litchfield is open on weekends only from 11:30-4:00 for the months of January and February, weather permitting. A 30% discount will be offered on selected Christmas items during this time. Regular hours will resume in March.

The Shrine of Lourdes in Litchfield is located on 50 Montfort Road just off of Rte. 118 within a mile of the Litchfield Village Green. For more information click here.

Winter break in December may not always feel like a vacation for moms and dads especially during this busy holiday time of year. Many parents opt to use these days off from school to plan enriching outings and make time for learning outside the classroom. If you are looking for fun and educational activities for your children during their Christmas break, look no further than the Institute for American Indian Studies in Washington Connecticut on 38 Curtis Road.

On Thursday, December 30 the Institute is offering a program at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. sure to chase the cabin fever blues away. The program will take place indoors and outdoors and all health protocols are followed.

Kids will play Native American games such as snow snake (weather permitting), snow boat, hoop and pole, keeper of the fire, and eagle eye. They will create a craft that they can take home as a memento of this exciting program. A highlight of the program is the traditional Native American Stories told by the Institute’s Professional Native American Storyteller that teaches children about the cultural beliefs of indigenous people living in the United States.

Studies show that children who are more active perform better in school and have better emotional and physical health. The educational programs of the Institute find fun ways to keep your children engaged and active by encouraging them to learn and do new things.

About The Institute for American Indian Studies
Located on 15 acres of woodland acres, the Institute For American Indian Studies preserves and educates through archeology, research, exhibitions, and programs. They have the 16th c. Algonquian Village, Award-Winning Wigwam Escape, and a museum with temporary and permanent displays of authentic artifacts from prehistory to the present that allows visitors to foster a new understanding of the world and the history and culture of Native Americans. The Institute for American Indian Studies is located at 38 Curtis Road, Washington, CT.

If you need to Unwind before the hustle and bustle of the holidays White Memorial Foundation in Litchfield Connecticut has the perfect suggestion – a Christmas Eve stroll up Apple Hill with staff member Gerri Griswold. Hikers should meet at the trailhead off East Shore Road in Litchfield.

This festive walk on Friday, December 24 begins at 10 a.m. and is free of charge. It is open to 12 lucky people that should pre-register by calling 860-567-0857 or registering online at https://whitememorialcc.org/product/christmas-eve. Donations for the programs of White Memorial Foundation are always appreciated.

After the walk, enjoy homemade scones from the creator of the Pandemic Kitchen video series and hot chocolate.

About Apple Hill Trail

The Apple Hill Trail (blue rectangle blazes) is located in the southwest portion of White Memorial, off East Shore Road. There are two trailheads. From the northern entrance, the trail takes you on a 1.5-mile journey (3 miles out and back) that begins on Laurel Hill, which is spectacular when the mountain laurel is in bloom around Father’s Day. It then proceeds through the woods and onto a short boardwalk through Cat Swamp. About 1/2 mile further, a direction sign labeled “Marsh” leads you on a short spur to a beautiful “secret” section of Cat Swamp – the perfect place for solitude. Once back on the main trail, you’ll start your incline to the top of Apple Hill, transitioning from a deep forest to a vast meadow. At 1,200 feet in elevation, you’ll get a beautiful view of Bantam Lake and the surrounding landscape from the observation platform on the hill. You can also reach the top of Apple Hill by entering from the southern entrance on East Shore Rd. From there, the walk is 1/2 mile to the platform (1 mile out and back). You will pass through a habitat restoration area for the New England Cottontail on your way. If you choose this route, please do not park on the private property of any surrounding homes.