Author: Mike Dunn
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Backyard Rambles
The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper. ~William Butler Yeats There are times in this blog when I don’t seek to tell a detailed story of the life of some natural creature, but simply to share the awe-inspiring scenes that surrounds us, in this case our backyard… Read more…
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Catching Up
You are surrounded by gifts every living moment of every day. Let yourself feel appreciation for their presence in your life and take the time to acknowledge their splendor. ~Lou G. Nungesser It has been a whirlwind summer thus far with work keeping me a little busier than I care to be at times. I… Read more…
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Plight of the Polistes
Let us turn elsewhere, to the wasps and bees, who unquestionably come first in the laying up of a heritage for their offspring. ~Jean-Henri Fabre, entomologist, 1823-1915 We had a wasp sting two weeks ago at summer camp. The wasps had a nest inside the locking mechanism for one of our pedestrian gates, and when… Read more…
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Summer Details
The beauty of the natural world lies in the details. ~ Natalie Angier It has been a hectic few weeks at work with summer camp. One good thing is I am out in the Garden daily, and, anytime you are out in a place with that much diversity, there are plenty of things to see.… Read more…
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Ambushed
We are not afraid of predators, we are transfixed by them, prone to weave stories and fables and chatter endlessly about them, because fascination creates preparedness, and preparedness, survival. In a deeply tribal way, we love our monsters… ~Ecologist, E.O. Wilson I took a stroll through the Garden after work one day this week, looking… Read more…
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Baby Spiders
Once you begin watching spiders, you haven’t time for much else. ~E.B. White I have been raising some tulip-tree silk moth larvae at home and at work which has necessitated the periodic collecting of small branches of tulip poplar. Last week, when I cut one and brought it in I noticed one of my favorite… Read more…
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Spittlebugs
In the spring, the eastern half of North America turns into one big spittoon… ~Amy Breau They have always fascinated me, these little blobs of “spit” on vegetation. Must be the leftover 4th grade boy that still resides in one corner of my brain. Once or twice a year, I can’t resist the urge to… Read more…
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King of the Marsh
Wherever there are extensive marshes by the sides of sluggish streams, where the bellowings of the alligator are heard at intervals, and the pipings of myriads of frogs fill the air, there is found the Fresh-water Marsh-hen… ~John James Audubon, as described by his friend, John Bachman, 1840 This post should have been written a… Read more…
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Tiny Dancers
Some people look at big things, and other people look at very small things, but in a sense, we’re all trying to understand the world around us. ~Roderick MacKinnon Yesterday we hiked over to Morgan Creek at work to prepare for some upcoming trips with summer campers where we will sample the stream for macro-invertebrates.… Read more…
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Land Shark
But somewhere, beyond Space and Time, is wetter water, slimier slime! ~Rupert Brooke I remember the first time I found one, years ago, I wasn’t sure what it was…some sort of alien creature? What impressed me was how long it was, and how slimy. And that head, that strange, oddly-moving head! Turns out they are… Read more…
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Roads End Naturalist 