Hefner Museum of Natural History

06/01/2026

A recent article on ticks that touches on a common question we get at the Museum: "When someone is bitten, the best way to remove a tick is by pulling it straight out with fine-tip tweezers. Pesapane said old tricks like using nail polish, Vaseline or matches only delay tick removal and increase the risk of disease transmission."

More than 44% of ticks submitted to Buckeye Tick Test in the last year came from people’s own yards, with another 12.5% found while walking in neighborhoods.

05/20/2026

Two of our most dedicated Hefner Museum of Natural History volunteers are graduating this year– we will miss them! Congratulations to Lauren Doty who has revolutionized our Herpetology collection across 8 semesters of volunteering for the Museum. Lauren knows every specimen and has ensured that they are correctly preserved, accurately organized, and accessible to class and researchers. This is important work for the long-term viability of this collection. We challenge you to find a native h**p species that Lauren doesn’t know everything about, including its nomenclatural history!

Lauren Doty graduated last week with B.A.s in Anthropology, Biology, and Individualized Studies: Museum Curation and Collections Management. Minors in Creative Writing, Theatre Arts, Museums and Society. They will be returning to the Cincinnati Museum Center helping in their fluid collections and with live animal care. Lauren intends to take a gap year before pursuing graduate school.
**petology_enthusiast

05/15/2026

Two of our most dedicated Hefner Museum of Natural History volunteers are graduating this year– we will miss them! Congratulations to Savannah Higley who will receive her Bachelor of Arts in Zoology this weekend. Savannah volunteered for four semesters at the museum, learning taxidermy, exhibit design, and more. Savannah has installed a multimedia exhibit of her taxidermy and artwork in the museum’s hallway exhibition space. Stop by and visit!

05/14/2026

https://theconversation.com/how-much-is-a-bat-worth-protecting-these-tiny-insect-eaters-isnt-just-good-for-farms-their-deaths-cost-taxpayers-and-the-wider-economy-282014 including a note on how losing bats can hit the bond markets.

When bats disappear, farms become less productive, and that has broad implications far beyond the crops.

05/08/2026

A hearty HAPPY BIRTHDAY! and THANK YOU! to friend of the Earth, David Attenborough, on the occasion of his 100th revolution around the Sun!

Sir David has made it his mission to bring us knowledge of our planet's life, its interconnectedness, and how it benefits humanity and joins us all together.

Here's one of my favorite clips from an early expedition:

498 likes, 26 comments. "David Attenborough in PNG"

04/29/2026

https://www.miamistudent.net/article/2026/04/osage-orange-tree-cook-field-construction-torn-down-miami-university-arena-project

The proposed Cook Field arena project will radically alter the landscape of campus -- and could threaten a centuries-old Osage orange tree in the process. Guest columnist and former EPA attorney James Vinch discusses the ramifications and ethics behind the decision at hand.

04/27/2026

Thank you to our amazing museum volunteers including Annie, Chase, Victoria and Declan who braved heat, cold, wind and rain these past two weekends to represent the museum at Bee Fest and Earth Fest. Our community is lucky to have students like you to bring Natural History Education to our community.

04/24/2026

Congratulations to Museum Volunteers Maria Olson and Savannah Higley for their excellent presentations at this year’s Undergraduate Research Forum! The URF is a great experience, and the museum LOVES to act as a springboard for undergraduate research and projects. Stop by and talk with us if you are interested in creating a museum-based research experience for the 26-27 school year!

04/22/2026

Happy Earth Day from the Hefner Museum of Natural History. Director Sullivan likes to remind us that everything we see and use is dug up &/or grown out of the Earth. May we act with consciousness of this fact, honoring our planet through our conservation ethic. Pictured: Dutchman’s Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) in the Natural Areas).

04/20/2026

Dr. Dudley Reiser, a Miami grad and limnologist with Kleinschmidt Associates, visited campus to talk with students last week. While looking at squirrel specimens at the Museum, he shared this video he took from his home in Washngton state.

Our native tree squirrels in Oxford include the grey, fox, red, and flying. In Washington, the grey and fox are invasive. Their native version of our red squirrel is the "Chickaree", also known as Douglas squirrels, and they have two species of flying squirrel. Both states have bobcat populations that are recovering.

In this video, the bobcat is stalking a grey squirrel on a Douglas Fir. Squirrels prefer trees that are >10cm diameter at breast height. The video shows how effectively squirrels can avoid predation on trees of sufficient size.