Category: Natural History
-
Hauntingly Beautiful
Tuesday afternoon I was joined by my good friend and mentor, Mary Ann, for a walk at Umstead State Park. It was a great chance to catch up and spend some time doing what we both love to do, woods watching. It was a walk back in time for me in a couple of ways –… Read more…
Written by
-
Nice Doo
I usually think of the end of “caterpillar season” as being a week or two after the Museum’s annual BugFest event in September. This year (and maybe its just because I am retired and out and about more) I have been seeing the larvae of quite a few species in my travels well into October… Read more…
Written by
-
A CROWDers Pleaser
The past several days II have been on the road in the mountains of North Carolina. I had a program on Saturday at Stone Mountain State Park and had a great hike across the large granite dome for which the park is named. The park was packed with campers and hikers taking advantage of the… Read more…
Written by
-
Extreme Dining
The abundance of insects feeding on pollen and nectar in the goldenrod patch out on the power line has naturally attracted an array of predators. One of the more formidable-looking of these is the Wheel Bug, Arilus cristatus, our largest member of the so-called Assassin Bug group. Wheel Bugs are named for the unusual gear-like… Read more…
Written by
-
There is a Fungus Among Us (or at least among them)
I love nature, I just don’t want to get any of it on me. Woody Allen I gave a talk the other night to the Raleigh Chapter of the Carolina’s Nature Photographers Association. They were a great group and seemed to enjoy my topic about macro photography. One story, in particular, raised a few eyebrows.… Read more…
Written by
-
Caterpillar Conundrum
I have been away a few days celebrating a major birthday (hard to believe it is that number) and returned to find a few caterpillars from BugFest still active (most were released the day after the event). I was particularly pleased to see the snappily-attired Turbulent Phosphila munching away on its host plant, Greenbrier (Smilax… Read more…
Written by
-
Beautiful But Deadly
While out searching for caterpillars last week I came across a tiny juvenile Gray Treefrog in the bushes alongside the road. I walked back to the car to get my camera but when I returned, the frog had disappeared. As I looked for it I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye.… Read more…
Written by
-
Cool Cats
“Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as valuable to the child as it is to the caterpillar.” Bradley Millar Caterpillars are cool. I have been fascinated by these diverse and sometimes outlandish creatures for decades and have found them to be one of the best gateways for introducing people to the… Read more…
Written by
-
Hummingbird Habits
The past few weeks have been amazing in the garden – a daily display of aerial acrobatics from the remaining group of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. There are four birds feeding on various wildflowers and the three feeders I have out in the garden. Every time I am out there I see and hear the squabbles as… Read more…
Written by
-
The Encounter
“The soul is the same in all living creatures, although the body of each is different.” Hippocrates I take a break from the caterpillar posts to share a truly incredible moment with you. A friend and I traveled east over the weekend to search for caterpillars for the upcoming museum event I have mentioned in… Read more…
Written by
Roads End Naturalist 