Category: Natural History
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It’s Nasty Out There
The simplicity of winter has a deep moral. The return of nature, after such a career of splendor and prodigality, to habits so simple and austere, is not lost either upon the head or the heart. It is the philosopher coming back from the banquet and the wine to a cup of water and a Read more…
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Cold Snap
Winter’s barren landscapes chide us to give our attention to the splendor of things nearby. When the air is thick and the sky overcast, we need not travel so far to have high expectations, for in her nakedness she teaches us to be less distracted but instead to be more connected, more aware. ~Henry David Read more…
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Puffed Up
Nature now, like an athlete, begins to strip herself in earnest for her contest with her great antagonist Winter. In the bare trees and twigs what a display of muscle. ~Henry David Thoreau, 1858 It is not so much muscle I saw the other day on a walk in the Garden, but rather puffiness. I Read more…
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The Bats of Bracken
…one of the most spectacular wildlife events that you can see anywhere…It’s the largest congregation of bats in the world, and they come out of this cave by the millions. ~Mylea Bayless, a senior director at Bat Conservation International Here is another long overdue post from a wonderful trip to Austin, Texas, a few months Read more…
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Long Distance Traveler
I liked the name, snow goose, and I liked the sight of them. ~Mary Burns, In The Private Eye: Observing Snow Geese Here is a brief update on my post about this year’s Christmas Bird Count on the Pungo Unit of Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge…as I mentioned yesterday, we spent some time observing a Read more…
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Cold-hardy Blooms
It is an extremely interesting plant – October and November’s child – and yet reminds me of the earliest spring. Its blossoms smell like spring – and by their color and as well as fragrance they belong to the saffron dawn of the year. ~Henry David Thoreau, 1851 I’ll be catching up with some past Read more…
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Good Mamas
Motherhood: All love begins and ends there. ~Robert Browning It has been a good few months for new mothers at work with several new babies among the staff. So, it seems only appropriate that I share a couple of extraordinary mothers from the Garden’s animal kingdom as well. First, an update on the amazing green Read more…
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Big Cat in the Garden
Venom spitting spiders hatching out all over Alabama make great mothers. ~Ben Raines, title of article in Real Time News from AL.com You may remember this photo from about a month ago in another post. It is a female green lynx spider perched near her recently hatched egg case, with many spiderlings visible in the Read more…
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Halloween Spider
The difference between utility and utility plus beauty is the difference between telephone wires and the spider web. ~Edwin Way Teale Every year about this time I run into (sometimes literally) one of my favorite spiders, the striking Marbled Orbweaver, Araneus marmoreus. This widespread beauty is usually seen in late summer and fall, hanging out Read more…
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The Long Sleep
We are like caterpillars contemplating pupation. ~Terrence McKenna Last weekend was one filled chores around the house. It seems many things have gone undone this fall with our hectic schedules. In putting away various caterpillar cages, floral tubes, plastic bags, and other gear associated with our many caterpillar programs last month, Melissa decided to look Read more…
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Roads End Naturalist 