Roads End Naturalist

Exploring the natural world as we wander at the end of the road


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  • It Must Be Real

    Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else. ~Fred Rogers I guess it is really true…I am retired (again). I haven’t had much time to think about it until the last few days what with all the holiday goings-on with family and travel. I have made… Read more

  • Dipper

    Bird and stream are inseparable, songful and wild, gentle and strong – the bird [water ouzel], ever in danger in the midst of the stream’s mad whirlpools, yet seemingly immortal. ~John Muir I want to share one more highlight from our Colorado trip this past October. The trip was filled with beautiful places, great hikes,… Read more

  • Colorado

    The mountains are fountains, not only of rivers, but of men. Therefore, we are all, in some sense, mountaineers, and going to the mountains is going home. ~John Muir Back in October, Melissa and I spent a glorious ten days traveling throughout the grand state of Colorado. We didn’t have much of a plan, other… Read more

  • Another Caterpillar Season

    Look closely at nature. Every species is a masterpiece, exquisitely adapted to the particular environment in which it has survived. Who are we to destroy or even diminish biodiversity? ~E.O. Wilson Yes, it is finally crawling to a close, another season of caterpillar searching, wrangling, and releasing. This one a bit less productive than some… Read more

  • Moth Jets

    If you examine a butterfly according to the laws of aerodynamics, it shouldn’t be able to fly. But the butterfly doesn’t know that, so it flies. ~Howard Schultz I’m not sure anyone could use that quote when describing the sphinx moths. They certainly look like they were made to fly and I have always been… Read more

  • Caterpillar Countdown

    Beauty can come in strange forms. ~James Dyson I thought about not saying anything else in this post other than the quote above, because it really does sum up what we found one night this week. Yes, it is that time of year again when we caterpillar-lovers are out and about searching for something cool,… Read more

  • Change is in the Air

    Summer is a promisory note signed in June, its long days spent and gone before you know it, and due to be repaid next January. ~Hal Borland There is a change in the air…it doesn’t seem as humid; hurricanes are in the news; and at our house, we are starting to look for caterpillars. Yes,… Read more

  • Grubosaurus Update

    You always end up getting involved in things because of, you know, the strange things your life brings you into contact with. ~Edward Norton I have had a couple of unusual “pets” these past few months. You may recall in an earlier post, I reported on receiving some orphaned Eastern Hercules Beetle grubs one day… Read more

  • Camp Critters II

    Children should be encouraged to watch patiently and quietly, until they learn something of the habits and history of bee, ant, wasp, spider, hairy caterpillar, dragon-fly, and whatever of larger growth comes in their way. ~Charlotte Mason Summer camp at work has been over for a week now. The decks of our building are quiet,… Read more

  • Surrounded by Swallowtails

    Tremendous beauty can be found in the tiniest of things… for who has ever thought to rival that of a butterfly’s wing. ~Kristen D’Angelo Every few years, we have a population high of swallowtails here in our woods. This year has been exceptional with the greatest numbers of these large butterflies that I have witnessed.… Read more

Roads End Naturalist

Exploring the natural world as we wander at the end of the road

Copyright Mike Dunn and Melissa Dowland