Sara Blue

1 week ago | cbs19.tv | Sara Blue

TYLER, Texas — Summer is inching closer, but spring flowers are still holding on, especially in the pollinator garden at the Caldwell Zoo. "We are attracting quite an array of pollinators. We have hummingbirds, bumblebees, honeybees, really tiny bees such as hover bees, moths, butterflies," said Andrew Dias, groundskeeper at the zoo. Around 75 percent of our food relies on pollination, Dias added.

2 weeks ago | cbs19.tv | Sara Blue

TYLER, Texas — Meet Thumb, the smallest box turtle at the Caldwell Zoo. At just a few months old, he is only barely larger than a quarter. "He is growing big and strong behind the scenes because he's just a little bit too small to be outside right now," said Dallas Goodwin, keeper of reptiles at the Caldwell Zoo. It will take him roughly five years to match the size of the other box turtles at the zoo. "It just kind of depends on how good of an eater he is," Goodwin said.

2 weeks ago | cbs19.tv | Sara Blue

TYLER, Texas — Atlantic hurricane season kicks off in just a few days and forecasters at NOAA are predicting an active hurricane season.    NOAA is predicting an above average Atlantic hurricane season. They have forecasted 13 to 19 named storms to form in the Atlantic Ocean this year. They expect six to 10 of those to strengthen into hurricanes and three to five to make it to major hurricane status.   On average, there are 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes per year.

3 weeks ago | cbs19.tv | Sara Blue

TYLER, Texas — People will probably hear these monkeys before they see them. Meet Jasper and Ryder, the howler monkeys at the Caldwell Zoo. "They can get almost as loud as the lion's roar," said Michelle Shockley, supervisor of small mammals. "They howl to talk to each other when they're in the canopies."  Their deep, gruff voices echo through the jungle to find other monkey groups. They communicate to avoid territorial disputes.   Zoo visitors may be able to hear a booming grunt or howl.

4 weeks ago | cbs19.tv | Sara Blue

TYLER, Texas — When you think of an owl, you usually picture a bird soaring through the night sky, but burrowing owls do things a bit differently. They race through tunnels underground. While that do have the ability to fly, burrowing owls live up to their name. They inhabit abandoned burrows under the earth.   "They actually steal other tunnels from different species, like prairie dogs, snakes, foxes," said Nichole Moore, supervisor of birds.