MSU Extension Michigan Naturalist Program

found a baby animal?

Between now and July, you'll probably find a baby animal somewhere on your property. On the lawn, in the garage, under a bush. It will look helpless. It will look abandoned.

Most of the time, it isn't. Here's what to do for each one 🌿

🐦 Baby bird — feathered, hopping, alert:

- That's a fledgling. It left the nest on purpose. The parents are nearby, feeding it on the ground. Leave it where it is. If a cat or dog is nearby, move it to the nearest shrub — that's all it needs

🐦 Baby bird — naked, eyes closed:

- That's a nestling. It fell too early. If you can find the nest, put it back. The parents won't reject it — most birds have a poor sense of smell. Human scent on a baby bird is not a problem

🐇 Baby rabbit — fur-lined nest in the lawn:

- The mother visits only at dawn and dusk to avoid drawing predators. Her absence is the protection, not a sign of abandonment. Re-cover the nest gently and mow around it. The kits leave on their own within a few weeks

🐿️ Baby squirrel — on the ground:

- Place it near the base of the nearest tree. The mother usually retrieves it within a few hours. If it's cold, keep it warm in a soft cloth near the tree. If she hasn't come back by evening, contact a wildlife rehabilitator

🦌 Fawn — lying alone in grass:

- The mother left it there deliberately. Fawns are nearly scentless and lie motionless — that's their defense. She returns to nurse a few times a day. Don't touch it, don't move it. If it's still there after 24 hours with no sign of the mother, then call a rehabilitator

🐢 Baby turtle — crossing a road:

- Carry it to the side it was heading toward. Don't relocate it to a "better" spot — she knows where she's going. Never carry a turtle by the tail

For anything else — injured, visibly sick, or a species you can't identify — contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator through your state wildlife agency.

The most helpful thing you can do for most baby animals this season is leave them where they are 🌿

Education and volunteer opportunity

I need more flowers

The pest doesn't need spraying. It needs a predator. The predator doesn't need buying. It needs a flower.

Plant the right flower and the predator shows up on its own, finds the pest, and does the work for free. The chain assembles itself.

🌱 Five chains that work:

- Aphids → ladybug larvae → plant yarrow. The larvae do the killing — hundreds of aphids each. The yarrow keeps the adults around to lay eggs near the colony

- Tomato hornworms → braconid wasps → let your dill bolt. The wasp lays eggs inside the hornworm. The flowers are the weapon, not the dill leaves

- Slugs → ground beetles → let cilantro flower. The beetles hunt at night while you sleep. The flowers give them daytime shelter

- Cabbage worms → paper wasps → plant fennel. The wasps catch caterpillars, chew them into paste, and feed them to their own larvae. One nest near your brassicas catches dozens a day

- Whiteflies → lacewing larvae → plant cosmos. The larvae have sickle-shaped jaws that drain whiteflies in seconds. The cosmos keeps adult lacewings fed and laying eggs nearby

One flower per pest. The predator does the rest 🌿

Salamander watching

Spotted and blue-spotted salamanders start migrating to vernal pools in early spring, which means we are starting to see egg masses appear in pools, especially in the southern part of Michigan.

The amphibian species that use vernal pools as nursery habitat, like salamanders, have a biphasic life cycle, meaning they spend part of their life in water and part on land.

🟡 Their life begins in the vernal pool after the great breeding migration occurs and egg masses are laid submerged in water.

🟡 Two to three weeks later, eggs hatch into fully aquatic larvae, These eggs hatch within 2-3 weeks into fully aquatic larvae, equipped with gills and a tail for swimming.

🟡 In a race against dryness, these salamanders develop rapidly. Metamorphosis takes place and larvae will develop legs, lungs, and lose their gills. By the end of the summer, they will be terrestrial juveniles and find a new home in the surrounding forest.

**Salamanders have evolved a diversity of developmental strategies and the graphic describes the lifecycle of the blue-spotted and spotted salamander species that use vernal pools.

Education opportunities

and happy ! Announcing our 2026 Winter Webinar series! These will be every other Monday evening at 5:30p starting January 12 and are FREE to attend. Sign up at our website: https://www.michiganforests.org/events/. ☀️🌳🌲🪾❄️