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Moth Royalty
In the jungle, during one night in each month, the moths did not come to the lanterns; through the black reaches of the outer night, so it was said, they flew toward the full moon. ~ Peter Matthiessen Lucky for me, that wasn’t the case this past weekend, even though an almost full moon shone… Read more
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Night Watch
The night has a thousand eyes, And the day but one… ~Francis William Bourdillon Night time, a special time to be outside. I remember giving night programs as a District Naturalist for NC State Parks and how it seemed my audience was always a bit more attentive at night than during similar day hikes. I… Read more
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Mountain Mothing
It is looking at things for a long time that ripens you and gives you a deeper meaning. ~ Vincent van Gogh If Van Gogh is correct, then I am ripe and have found deeper meaning, at least as far as mothing is concerned. On the final night of National Moth Week, 2015, I set… Read more
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Summer Peep
What we see is mainly what we look for. ~Anonymous One morning when I walked out the front door I noticed a surprise visitor clinging to the edge of the tadpole-rearing container I have on the porch. It was an adult Spring Peeper, Pseudacris crucifer. As I reported on earlier this year, Spring Peepers were… Read more
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Mothing
I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day. ~Vincent Van Gogh This week is National Moth Week, an annual celebration of the incredibly diverse and beautiful world of moths. Wednesday was a busy day out in the yard, testing some different diffusion materials for my twin lites… Read more
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Jaws with Wings
What on earth is this thing? It’s huge! It has gigantic wings! It has massive… ANTLERS coming off its face! Has someone had a nightmare that’s come to life or what? ~Joseph Jameson-Gould on dobsonflies from his blog, Real Monstrosities On my daily wander in the yard yesterday, I happened to look up at the… Read more
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Pollinator Peril
In summer the empire of insects spreads. ~Adam Zagajewski Last week I noticed a medium-sized robber fly noisily flitting about the garden. It landed on a cedar twig on the garden fence and I leaned in for a closer look. It was distinctive in the bright white patch near the tail tip, something I noticed… Read more
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Here’s Looking at You
An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language. ~Martin Buber I went out the other day to grab one of the hummingbird feeders for a refill and a slight movement caught my eye. It was a bizarre-looking jumping spider on the metal bracket that held the feeder. What struck me about this… Read more
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Blue Grosbeak Nest
It is composed of fine dried grasses, which are more carefully arranged towards the interior, and is lined with a few delicate fibrous roots, dried moss, or horse-hair. There are seldom more than four eggs, but two broods are raised in the season. ~John Jame Audubon describing the nest of a Blue Grosbeak, 1844 The… Read more
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Predators Lurking Everywhere
Every kid has a bug period… I never grew out of mine. ~E.O. Wilson After the climbing Copperhead incident over the weekend, I have been looking around more than usual every time I am outside. What I have discovered is that it is a jungle out there! Everywhere I look I see small critters feeding… Read more
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Roads End Naturalist 