Author: Mike Dunn
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Heads or Tails?
There will always be scary predator eyes looking out at us from the bushes – it’s just that most of the time they are mounted on the rear end of a happily munching caterpillar. ~The Caterpillar Lab, Sam Jaffe, Director On a walk at Yates Mill Park the other day, I came across one of… Read more…
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Another One (Hundred) Bites the Dust
Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go and do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive. ~Dr. Howard Thurman It happened again. Ten months go by, another 100 blog posts. So, as I have done in the past, I mark this… Read more…
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Poop, Pose, and Pastry
Reality is easy. It’s deception that’s the hard work. ~ Lauryn Hill Nature is full of deception. And now it is being touted by none other than the New York Times. A recent article on caterpillar defenses caught my eye. Researchers studied the late stage larvae of the Canadian Swallowtail (Papilio canadensis). The larvae are… Read more…
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When Worms Aren’t
The worm poop is raining down like a black sleet storm. Got to remember not to open mouth while looking up. ~Ken in Texas, on Unofficial Allis Chalmers Forum, talking about Catalpa Worms A little over a month ago, I received an email from a neighbor about some caterpillars that were “munching their way thru… Read more…
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Busy Bees
Aerodynamically, the bumblebee shouldn’t be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn’t know it, so it goes on flying anyway. ~Mary Kay Ash On a recent visit to Mount Mitchel State Park I was amazed at the abundance of wildflowers along the high ridge lines in the park including flows of White Wood Asters, Cut-leaved… Read more…
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Pond Jellies
Life is a beautiful magnificent thing, even to a jellyfish. ~Charlie Chaplin I try to swim every morning in the community pond where I live. The pond was created about 30 years ago when the area was developed. It is a great community resource, a beautiful setting, and a wonderful place to swim (mornings are… Read more…
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An Eggsciting Mystery
Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand. ~Neil Armstrong Now, my mystery is not nearly as compelling as that which drove someone like Neil Armstrong to conquer space, but it was a mystery nonetheless. On July 3, I was doing some tidying up near the shed when I decided… Read more…
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Three Cat Day
Nature is to be found in her entirety nowhere more than in her smallest creatures. ~Pliny the Elder (Roman scholar) When visiting Yellowstone, it is a great thing when you have a “three dog day”. That refers to a day where you are lucky enough to see the three primary species of canids found in… Read more…
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Beauty in Miniature
Find beauty in the small things… ~author unknown It is the time of year when I turn my attention to caterpillars (BugFest is approaching). So, I am always glancing at shrubs and trees that I know are host plants to see what might be happening. There is a small Black Cherry tree out back and… Read more…
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The Mountain
Our minds, as well as our bodies, have need of the out-of-doors. Our spirits, too, need simple things, elemental things, the sun and the wind and the rain, moonlight and starlight, sunrise and mist and mossy forest trails, the perfumes of dawn and the smell of fresh-turned earth and the ancient music of wind among… Read more…
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Roads End Naturalist 