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** Monday Nature Mystery
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03/03/25

Thank you to everyone who has participated in the MNM. This will be our last contest but we encourage you to continue to explore the natural mysteries all around you. If you haven’t already, sign up for iNaturalist and post the mysteries you find there for others to weigh in on!

We are pleased to announce the winner of our most recent Monday Nature Mystery, Maria Ramos! (Please email your snail mail address and preference for a hat or tote bag to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Monday%20Nature%20Mystery%20Winner) )

Congratulations to Maria for identifying this Firefly Larva (Lampyridae family). According to PBS ([link removed]) , “With bioluminescent creatures, you can make a really direct line between what light pollution does and their survival,” said Avalon Owens, a Rowland Fellow at Harvard University who studies fireflies and other insects. Though humans have been lighting up the darkness for a long time, it’s only fairly recently – with the advent of electricity and, later, LED bulbs – that brighter nights have started to cause significant consequences for the natural world, including animals that aren’t bioluminescent. Artificial light can meddle with important behaviors and biological cycles – like hunting or circadian rhythms – that are informed by light exposure. Help us make NoVa dark at night again - turn off your exterior lights at night

Last Week's Mystery: Firefly Larva (Lampyridae family) Photo: Judy Gallagher

Be sure to post your answer on our Facebook page @ ([link removed]) NVBirdAlliance ([link removed]) under the Monday Mystery post...do not reply to this email with your guess! We only accept entries from our Facebook page, not via email.

Please remember to write the common name, being mindful of hyphens, uppercase and lowercase letters and always include the Latin name in parentheses. To learn more about bird names click here ([link removed]) .

Who is this? Photo: Neal Tollisen/Audubon Photography Awards

Our Final Mystery: Who is this?

Post your guess (please list both common name and Latin name) on our Facebook page @ ([link removed]) NVBirdAlliance ([link removed]) under this week's Monday Nature Mystery. Remember, we only accept entries from our Facebook page, not via email!

Our final MNM winner will receive both an NVBA hat AND tote with our new logo!

Good luck!

-Northern Virginia Bird Alliance

Please note that we only accept entries on our Facebook page where they are date- and time-stamped. For our final contest, all are welcome to play regardless of past wins. Please stay tuned on our social media for new engagement opportunities. See our shop online ([link removed]) to buy your own hat or tote with our new logo.
Enjoy the Monday Nature Mystery Series? Please consider supporting NVBA so we can continue to bring you educational (and fun!) programs like this.
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