Roads End Naturalist

Exploring the natural world as we wander at the end of the road


Author: Mike Dunn

  • September Deer

    I don’t have to take a trip around the world or be on a yacht in the Mediterranean to have happiness. I can find it in little things, like looking out into my backyard and seeing deer in the fields. ~ Queen Latifah It is deer season. They are very active in our woods as… Read more…

  • BugFest 2022 Caterpillarology Highlights

    The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction. ~Rachel Carson Our booth, Caterpillarology, was a tiny fraction of the hundreds of educational opportunities available at the museum’s annual BugFest event last weekend. This was the first time… Read more…

  • Caterpillar Hunting

    From east of the East-est to west of the West-est we’ve searched the whole world just to bring you the best-est. ~Dr. Seuss This past week, I helped Melissa prepare for the largest museum event of the year – BugFest. As always, we headed up the Caterpillarology booth showcasing the incredible variety of larvae we… Read more…

  • Lake George

    Lake George is without comparison, the most beautiful water I ever saw; formed by a contour of mountains into a basin… finely interspersed with islands, its water limpid as crystal, and the mountain sides covered with rich groves… ~Thomas Jefferson, 1791 Melissa’s family has a long tradition of summer vacations on Lake George in upstate… Read more…

  • Night Flashes

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    Life begins at night. ~ Charlaine Harris It’s not just moths that I have been seeing out in the yard after dark. The new flash system has been out on a few nights with me as I wander the premises (carefully in case there are any Copperheads out and about) looking for what’s happening on… Read more…

  • Moth Night 2022

    There are moths outside, ready to die for a light they crave but which is denied to them, … Sometimes, in the midst of all I have been given, I watch the moths in us all. Everybody has a light which they think they cannot live without. ~Alma Alexander A bit of a deep starting… Read more…

  • Squeaky Bird

    There is an unreasonable joy to be had from the observation of small birds going about their bright, oblivious business. ~Grant Hutchison I was out pulling some weeds in our yard jungle one day this week when I suddenly realized there was a high-pitched peeping sound coming from the stand of Common Milkweed a few… Read more…

  • Summer is Bear Time

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    When you are where wild bears live you learn to pay attention to the rhythm of the land and yourself.  ~Linda Jo Hunter This summer seems to be racing by and it hit me last week that I have not made a pilgrimage to our coastal wildlife refuges for my fix of summer bears. So,… Read more…

  • Flash Mob, Part 2

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    I believe alien life is quite common in the universe, although intelligent life is less so. Some say it has yet to appear on planet Earth. ~Stephen Hawking I returned Friday from a few days helping out my mom in the mountains of Virginia and have been slugging around the house and yard trying to… Read more…

  • Flash Mob

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    What makes photography an strange invention is that its primary raw materials are light and time. ~John Berger My macro light has been giving me trouble for a while now and we finally put in an order for a new one last year. It has been on backorder ever since. I started looking at reviews… Read more…