A spider, a beaver and a caddisfly walk into a bar….

It sounds like the start of a bad joke, but these animals do actually have something in common: they all are incredible builders, capable of making amazing homes for themselves.

The beaver lodge at Reinstein Woods is one of the most popular stops on a trip around the Lily Pond. This pile of sticks and mud may appear random, but the beavers know how to build a house that provides them with protection from predators and the weather- even in the deepest winter, it provides both a constant temperature and adequate ventilation to sustain the life inside. 

The lodge provides habitat not just for beaver, but also for other animals: snakes can often be found basking in the sun atop the lodge; Canada geese may nest on top of it, and mink are frequent visitors.

More important than their lodge home, the dams built by beavers create wetlands that sustain a variety of wildlife, making them one of only three species that can create completely new habitats capable of sustaining a variety of organisms (can you name the other two?).

You can explore the woods and learn about some of the other master builders (including spiders and caddisflies) living in Reinstein Woods at “Nature’s Engineers,” a walk and talk at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 23. To register, call (716) 683-5959.