On a cool day in SW Florida we had an unexpectedly large group of 41 hikers who showed up to look over the new 78 acre Wildflower Preserve that is now owned by the Lemon Bay Conservancy. This is […]
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While continuing to cut trails at the new 78 acre Wildflower Preserve south of Englewood, FL (owned by Lemon Bay Conservancy) I am always aware of any interesting features of the natural history of this area that was a […]
I am sure that each of us has favorite places on the planet where we are particularly fond of enjoying Nature. However it is beneficial for the mind to leave these special places occasionally and venture out into new […]
What is your favorite time of the year? I would have to say Spring with late Summer a close runner-up. In Spring-time the birds are all singing and beginning to breed, the frogs are making a huge racket, and life […]
It is interesting and amazing how sometimes a small amount of time spent outdoors yields such a profusion of wildlife encounters. In a one hour visit to Wildflower Preserve (WF) near our Winter home in Englewood, FL, yesterday late […]
Folks continue to be extremely interested in an old golf course in Charlotte County, FL, now being transformed into a wildlife preserve. We had about 45 people on a nature walk this morning to ramble along the new trails […]
I am writing this in mid-September while enjoying the sights and sounds of early Fall in the Blue Ridge Mountains. At this time, many of our breeding birds have left and migration is well underway so that there is […]
Two of the most striking plants in bloom at the end of Summer on our farm are red and blue lobelias, in the bluebell family. Both tend to be found in damp, disturbed areas where there is reduced competition […]
On a cool day in early Fall there was reduced insect activity, but I amused myself by watching the large number of spiders that have spun their webs in our marshlands. The main spiders suspended upside-down on their webs […]
It is a normal reaction for the human mind to become accustomed to certain things and not to question them. So among the myriad of things I come into contact with every week I often see a large black […]
When you plant a garden you often end up feeding the critters more than yourself. So rather than get too mad about this and spray dangerous chemicals, why not enjoy the experience and observe the intriguing lives of the […]
Two of the most striking plants in bloom at the end of Summer on our farm are red and blue lobelias, in the bluebell family. Both tend to be found in damp, disturbed areas where there is reduced competition […]
I enjoy watching spiders but admit to being a bit reluctant about picking them up. Although humans tend to be arachnophobes, due either to intrinsic or learned attitudes, we must admit admiration for the amazing design and adaptations of […]
My wife and I have devoted a lot of effort to providing plants for wildlife to utilize for food and shelter. I greatly prefer to have a plant provide nectar for hummingbirds than to put out a feeder with sugar […]
I am a huge fan of milkweeds due to their special attraction not only to monarch butterflies but also to a considerable list of other insects that are milkweed specialists, and some generalists who use milkweeds as a community […]
We have planted many hundreds of trees and shrubs on our property to encourage wildlife of all sorts, so I keep a careful eye out for pests that eat these plants. Some of the worse problems are due to […]
Many of us gain great solace from walks in the woods and fields observing and communing with Nature. Each of us may be more or less analytical depending on the day’s mood or the locality. Some days you may […]
On a Summer visit to our Florida island retreat we had an unusual visitor to our small backyard bird bath (see photo). An adult black crowned night heron (BCNH) was standing in the bath and trying not very successfully to […]
As a long-time herpetologist I have always enjoyed listening to the calls of frogs and toads and trying to figure out which species are which and what triggers calling. Indeed one of my “bucket list” items was to acquire […]
How often do we just muddle along without much clarity of thought? I found myself in this situation when I was returning from a very early breeding bird survey on one of Virginia’s highest peaks (Whitetop) and noticed some interesting […]