Author: Mike Dunn
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A Plant that Hops
During a brief respite from one of the downpours this past week I went out to the garden to see what was out and about. I noticed some movement on a flower stem and a close look revealed this well-camouflaged insect, a planthopper. Planthoppers appear to be less common than the generally smaller leafhoppers in Read more…
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Hovercraft in the Garden
They look like tiny bees or wasps zipping around the garden flowers, but they are Flower Flies. They are also known as Hover Flies for their ability to hover and even fly backwards, a feat that few other insects can match. Their resemblance to insects that sting most likely affords them some protection as they Read more…
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That is One Giant Mosquito!
I remember the first time I noticed one of these a few years ago…my reaction probably included a statement or two like Holy $%*^!! Look at the size of that thing! I had heard a few people make remarks like this about Crane Flies, which are not mosquitoes, but are sometimes mistaken for giant blood-suckers. Read more…
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Meadow power
Despite the heat and humidity, I decided to take a stroll down the mowed path underneath the high voltage transmission line that borders the property where I live. This area has an interesting mix of grasses, shrubs, and small trees and contains a diversity of animals and plants not usually found in my woods. This Read more…
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This Magical Place
To be whole. To be complete. Wildness reminds us what it means to be human, what we are connected to rather than what we are separate from. Terry Tempest Williams I could blog for another week or two on the beauty and majesty of my recent trip to Yellowstone. But, I will be back, with Read more…
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Sagebrush Speedsters
One of the changes I’ve noticed in the 25+ years I’ve been going to Yellowstone is an increasing number of Pronghorn in recent years. It used to be that you saw them mainly around the Gardiner area, but now they have greatly increased in numbers across the northern range, especially in Lamar Valley and Little Read more…
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A Bevy of Badgers
Badger – to bother, harass, or annoy…persistently; on and on; without stop; relentlessly; over and over; endlessly. Wonder where that verb comes from? Whatever its origin, this is the summer of the Badger in Yellowstone. The animal, that is…a persistent, relentless digger that roams the sagebrush flats in search of prey. This year I saw Read more…
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Canid Chaos
I am back home in NC now after a great two weeks in Yellowstone. I will post a few more blogs about my trip in the coming days but wanted to start with what I witnessed on my last morning through the park. The day started with an expletive when I realized at 4:30 a.m. Read more…
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Swift Water Fowl
Whenever I travel between Canyon and Lake I always stop at LeHardy Rapids on the Yellowstone River. The rapids are about 3 miles from the lake and were named for a map topographer in the late 1800s whose raft was destroyed in these swift waters. I stop at LeHardy for two reasons 1) to catch Read more…
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Finally…Wolves
NOTE: My group has arrived and we will be going through the park starting this morning. Posts will be limited for the next week due to internet access and time. I’ve been in the park three days and no wolves. I know several “Yellowstone wolves” were legally killed in lands outside the park by hunters Read more…
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Roads End Naturalist 