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Mothing, Part 1
…to understand something of the wonders of a world which becomes the more wonderful the more we know of it. ~W.J. Holland, in The Moth Book, 1903 I set out my moth light for two nights a little over a week ago to see what species might drop by here at the house. Melissa and… Read more
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Stripes
These caterpillars come in brilliant green, pink and yellow, banded, and striped forms that often look nothing at all like each other. ~MOSI Outside blog post If you are not a fan of bugs, then you may want to take a break from this blog for a bit because it is what is happening right… Read more
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Caterpillar Clusters
Groups tend to be more extreme than individuals. ~Daniel Kahneman In spite of the heat and humidity (or maybe because of it), this is one of my favorite times of year – caterpillar time. The period between mid-August and mid-September tends to be the best time to find the greatest variety of interesting caterpillars in… Read more
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Harvey
The larva of the Royal Walnut Moth is a striking object. With its curved horns and numerous spines it presents to the uninitiated a truly repellent aspect. ~W.J. Holland, in The Moth Book, 1968 I must agree with Mr. Holland in that I have seen many “uninitiated” people react with horror on their first sighting… Read more
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Surprise Visitor
Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us. ~Boris Pasternak I have been enjoying all the Eastern tiger swallowtails in the yard these past few weeks, along with the antics of the hummingbirds at the feeders and wildflowers. Living in a house of windows has its advantages as I can easily keep an… Read more
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Discovering Diversity
Bringing nature into the classroom can kindle a fascination and passion for the diversity of life on earth and can motivate a sense of responsibility to safeguard it. ~David Attenborough We are finishing up summer camps at work and the adult group tours are starting to ramp up. In a few weeks, our school field… Read more
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Zestful Zebras
Butterflies and zebras. And moonbeams and fairy tales. That’s all she ever thinks about. Riding with the wind. ~Lyrics from Little Wing by Jimi Hendrix Zebra swallowtails (Eurytides marcellus) are surely one of North Carolina’s most beautiful butterflies. Their bold pattern of black and white stripes, long tails, and the bright red spots near the… Read more
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Spider Hunter
…most will be murderesses, but they have brought murder to a fine art, an act of exquisite precision. ~John Crompton, introduction to his book, The Hunting Wasp As we were starting to get into the car last weekend at my folks’ place, I saw some movement on the driveway. A closer look reveled a large… Read more
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Bugs Galore
Every kid has a bug period…I never grew out of mine. ~E.O. Wilson, naturalist and author The theme for summer camp last week at work was The Secret Lives of Bugs. We spent five days cruising around garden properties looking for bugs and other beasts. The kids had a great time and I managed a… Read more
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Inside a Rolled Leaf
Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. ~Confucius It has been so busy lately that I tend to forget to “stop and smell the roses”, to take advantage of where I work and live, and to make the time to just look around, ponder, and be amazed. Luckily, I remembered to do just that… Read more
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Roads End Naturalist 