Category: Natural History
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Shedding Light on the Subject
The insect world is nature`s most astonishing phenomenon. Nothing is impossible to it; the most improbable things occur there. ~Rachel Carson Last week we were looking for caterpillars for this past weekends’ BugFest event, and ended up making a couple of nocturnal excursions (it is often easier to see cryptic caterpillars at night by the… Read more…
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Transformation
In all works on Natural History, we constantly find details of the marvelous adaptation of animals to their food, their habits, and the localities in which they are found. ~Alfred Russel Wallace, 1853 It is that time of year again…yep, the museum’s annual BugFest event is tomorrow, Saturday, September 17. Join us for an incredible… Read more…
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Humming Along
One minute poised in midair, apparently motionless before a flower while draining the nectar from its deep cup—though the humming of its wings tells that it is suspended there by no magic—the next instant it has flashed out of sight as if a fairy’s wand had made it suddenly invisible. ~Neltje Blanchan, 1923 It seems… Read more…
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What a Way to Go
Nature is so much worse than science fiction. ~Quote attributed to a student in an introductory entomology course We discovered a small caterpillar last week that was adorned with some unusual accessories, and that usually isn’t a good thing if you are a caterpillar. I think it was either a variable oakleaf, or a double-lined… Read more…
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From Beast to Beauty
It has to get ugly before it gets pretty. ~Nicholas Sparks Well, that is certainly the case for at least one species of butterfly here in the woods… the red-spotted purple, Limenitis arthemis astyanax. This common species is probably not considered beautiful by most observers during its pre-butterfly stages. It is a bird poop mimic… Read more…
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In an Instant
Nature taking its course – hunter and prey, the endless circle of life and death. ~Stephanie Meyer Melissa found some cool caterpillars on a Viburnum this weekend while we were walking in a city park in Richmond. I walked over to take a look and saw a beautiful hummingbird clearwing larva, Hemaris thysbe, in the classic… Read more…
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Leading a Double Life on the Edge
There is more both of beauty and of raison d’etre in the works of nature- than in those of art. ~Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC) The adaptations of insects in our yard are both beautiful and incredible. Here is a little more on some leaf edge caterpillars discovered the past few days… One of the most… Read more…
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Seeing the Wild in Wild Cherry
The most beautiful gift of Nature is that it gives one pleasure to look around and try to comprehend what we see. ~Albert Einstein There is a wild cherry (Prunus serotina) sapling just outside our screen porch that is a favorite spot for all sorts of natural events. Wild cherry is a great host plant… Read more…
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A Beary Hot Summer Day
The month of August had turned into a griddle where days just lay there and sizzled. ~Sue Monk Kidd Last week, we spent 5 days in the wilds of eastern NC, a combination mini-vacation and working trip to further investigate the area around the Scuppernong River for the project I am working on with NCLOW.… Read more…
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Stormy Night
It was a dark and stormy night, the rain fell in torrents… ~Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1830 And indeed it was…last night. We barely beat a fierce thunderstorm as we drove back from dinner with friends in Chapel Hill. The sky was flashing with rapid-fire lightning when we arrived at our gate. I must have done something… Read more…
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Roads End Naturalist 