Outdoor Elements
Visit from A Stag Beetle
Clip | 3m 36sVideo has Closed Captions
🌿🪲One of our awesome viewers spotted a beetle making its way across the driveway and
🌿🪲One of our awesome viewers spotted a beetle making its way across the driveway and shared some great pics and video! 📸 It turns out—it’s a <strong>smooth stag beetle</strong>! But what exactly makes this beetle so unique? And how did it get its bold name? 🤔 Join <strong>Evie</strong> as she shares more about the stag beetles—including those jaw-droppin...
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Outdoor Elements is a local public television program presented by PBS Michiana
Outdoor Elements
Visit from A Stag Beetle
Clip | 3m 36sVideo has Closed Captions
🌿🪲One of our awesome viewers spotted a beetle making its way across the driveway and shared some great pics and video! 📸 It turns out—it’s a <strong>smooth stag beetle</strong>! But what exactly makes this beetle so unique? And how did it get its bold name? 🤔 Join <strong>Evie</strong> as she shares more about the stag beetles—including those jaw-droppin...
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
How to Watch Outdoor Elements
Outdoor Elements is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipI love it when viewers send us pictures or video of cool stuff they've found in their yard.
And this one came from a viewer in Bremen, Indiana, who found this big lumbering beetle crawling across his driveway.
One evening, well, I had to look this one up.
I knew it was a stag beetle, but with a little research, I found out it is a smooth stag beetle gets its name from its shiny wing covers that are dark brown and smooth.
Some stag beetles or larger beetles have ridged wing covers.
And yes, in fact, stag beetles can fly, which makes them good food at night.
For all of our insectivorous bats that live here in the Great Lakes region.
So what do they eat?
Well, stag beetles often eat as an adult plant sap, so they might find sap that's dripping from a tree.
But they'll also eat honeydew.
And honeydew is produced by aphids.
When aphids eat the sap of plants, they exude what's called honeydew, a sweet liquid out of their abdomen, and sometimes other insects like stag beetles will actually feed on that, exuding liquid or honeydew from the aphids.
Kind of a clever arrangement when you think about it.
The larva feed on decaying wood, so the female adult stag beetle will lay eggs in a rotting log or even mulch, and the grubs will hatch, and then they'll chew on that decaying wood.
So they're play up.
They play a great role, as in our ecosystem, as decomposers, helping to decompose all the wood that might be laying on the forest floor.
This one is a female short mandibles, and the males have much larger pinchers or mandibles, and they actually use those to grapple with each other, either to fight over a female or perhaps wear a female.
Might lay eggs.
So again, the males have these large pinchers, and sometimes they have.
In some species they have little, little ridges or little teeth that almost look like deer antlers.
And of course, it's the stags or the male deer that have antlers.
And so that's how the stag beetle gets its name.
Watch for stag beetles on a late summer night, sometimes even flying around a light or a street light, or your yard light.
And then maybe you'll even see a bat coming to feed on that beetle.
Kind of fun.
Hey, if you want to share your pictures or your videos with us here at Outdoor Elements, just check out our website or send us a message on Facebook and of course, on Facebook.
Be sure to like our weekly webisodes so you don't miss any of the great fun!
Remember, you can find your own outdoor elements when you visit area parks and natural areas.
We'll see you soon.
Now PlayingVideo has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 36s | 🌿🪲One of our awesome viewers spotted a beetle making its way across the driveway and (3m 36s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 24s | A viewer shared a fascinating video of a Paintedhand Mudbug, and Evie dives into the detai (3m 24s)
Pretty in Pink for Pollinators
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 3s | At Lydick Bog Nature Preserve, Evie spots a burst of pink in a wetland. She explores these (5m 3s)
Another Milkweed Specialist: Milkweed Tussock Moth
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 36s | No description (4m 36s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 43s | Evie spotted Pointed-leaf Tick-Trefoil and shares how to identify this plant. (3m 43s)
The Unique Flowers of Buttonbush
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 58s | Evie finds Buttonbush at Spicer Lake Nature Preserve (3m 58s)
Saving Ash Trees, One Tree at a Time
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 11m 16s | No description (11m 16s)
Bringing Bees Back to the Nature Center
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 6m 10s | No description (6m 10s)
Gathering for Science: An Environmental Research Symposium
Clip | 10m 27s | Evie stops by the St. Joseph County Public Library during their Earth Day celebration to c (10m 27s)
Surprising Color in the Woods: Blue Stain Fungi
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 48s | No description (3m 48s)
Maple Sweet Treat for Ants | Outdoor Elements
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m 34s | A sweet surprise in the woods! (1m 34s)
Evil Greens of Spring with Garry Harrington
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 12m 56s | Things are greening up in the spring woods, but it’s not necessarily a welcome sight. (12m 56s)
Volunteers Help Build a Healthier Trail
Clip | 6m 9s | At Lydick Bog Nature Preserve, volunteers make a big difference in protecting and maintain (6m 9s)
Art, Sun and Science: Botanical Cyanotypes
Clip | 6m 49s | Experimenting with cyanotype fabric brings nature to life in beautiful, sun-printed design (6m 49s)
Clip | 3m 57s | Evie shares a fun and simple craft idea using autumn leaves that the whole family can enjo (3m 57s)
Late Summer Colors of Poison Sumac
Clip | 1m 59s | Watch out for this colorful danger at Lydick Bog Nature Preserve! (1m 59s)
What's THIS? Bewildering Blob in the Water
Clip | 5m 8s | What’s that mysterious blob in the water (5m 8s)
Clip | 7m 14s | Find out how thousands of volunteers help the US Geological Survey teams and other resourc (7m 14s)
Meet Up with Kam and Chevy: Black People Outside
Clip | 5m 18s | Meet the inspiring creators behind Black People Outside. (5m 18s)
Surprise! It's American Columbo
Clip | 5m 14s | Explore the unique features of the American Columbo. Discover its habitat, appearance, and (5m 14s)
Searching for Snakes: Researching Populations
Clip | 13m | Delve into the world of snake population research in northern Indiana and discover the met (13m)
On the Trail for Lizard's Tail
Clip | 3m 10s | We are at @SpicerLakeNaturePreserve to learn about the fascinating plant known as Lizard's (3m 10s)
Clip | 7m 35s | Uncover the impact of the invasive Spotted Lanternfly. (7m 35s)
Clip | 3m 6s | Love it or hate it, that flying white fluff looks like “Snow in June!” (3m 6s)
Watching for the Waggle Dance: Honeybees
Clip | 12m 32s | Join Evie as she interviews Morgan Carr-Markell, Assistant Professor at Saint Mary's Colle (12m 32s)
Clip | 5m 1s | Join Evie in Outdoor Elements as she dives into the world of wildflowers, comparing Prairi (5m 1s)
Lots to Learn and Love About Snakes
Clip | 14m 15s | Join Evie as she chats with Sara Ruane, Assistant Curator of Reptiles and Amphibians. (14m 15s)
Clip | 3m 29s | Do you have a favorite place in nature where you like to sit and listen or look closely? (3m 29s)
Clip | 3m 35s | Explore the captivating world of lichen with Evie at @fernwoodbotanicalgarden in this epis (3m 35s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship
Support for PBS provided by:
Outdoor Elements is a local public television program presented by PBS Michiana