Here is a small (2 inch long) object that I originally found in our yard. Do you think it is animal, vegetable, or mineral ?! Notice the segments on the left pointed end of the object, the broad somewhat […]
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One of the things that provides the most fun in our daily search for enlightenment in the natural world is unexpected encounters. My wife and I made one of these exciting and surprising observations last week when we were being […]
I was astonished today to find an active mourning dove nest, with two nearly fledged nestlings, on our farm. A female flushed and did the broken wing act, which at first I was at a loss to explain. I thought […]
I found a patch of bur marigolds (named for their tick-like seeds that stick to pants, and are not actually true marigolds but in the composite or aster family in the genus Bidens ) in our marsh and was enjoying […]
Probably the icon of butterflies is the monarch which is very widely recognized by the public in N. America. However I imagine that the familiar yellow and black tiger swallowtail butterfly (there is also a less common black morph […]
I am both a bird and a snake lover and as such find myself a bit conflicted about the eating habits of some snakes. Certainly I believe sincerely that Nature should take its course and we humans should interfere as […]
The American toad eggs that were laid about one-two weeks ago in our farm pond have now hatched and the young tadpoles are clustered in a tight group along the edge of the pond in shallow water (see photo). […]
I noticed this gecko on my windowsill and no it was not trying to sell me insurance! Instead I was in awe of its various qualities as an immigrant to FL. This is an Indo-Pacific Gecko (Hemidactylus garnoti) that lives […]
Interesting natural history tidbits sometimes come in the strangest ways. I was down at the river with one of my grandsons, Sam, who was fishing. A boat pulled out at the ramp and one of the fishermen offered to give […]
I was trimming some weeds along a fence and noticed an interesting phenomenon taking place in the bushes. Bumblebees were visiting the flowers of Carolina rose ( Rosa carolina ), a beautiful native species that can be mistaken for the […]
One of my favorite things to do is to stroll quietly around our six small ponds and watch for interesting things to happen. Yesterday I noticed a large water snake foraging for frogs, a group of eastern tailed blue […]
During the visit of the BRMN to our farm on Sunday some eagle-eyed hikers spotted not one but three baby box turtles along a trail adjacent to Solomon Creek. This is an extremely rare observation since young box turtles […]
I came across an interesting dragonfly yesterday in a field and wondered what it was. After comparing the photo (above left) to a book I realized that it was an old acquaintance, a female common whitetail. I was irritated […]
In the course of my wanderings in the woods, fields and wetlands I encounter many natural objects that cause me to ask, what is that thing? Indeed these little puzzles provide a never ending source of wonder about the […]
The evolution of parental care in males- or “Mr. Mom” of the animal world. One of the more interesting and highly predaceous invertebrates that you will encounter in fresh water habitats is a large water bug or hemipteran in […]
One of my favorite times of day to be abroad and exploring the natural world is soon after dawn and during that early period when the dew is heavy and it is not yet hot. It seems like a […]
No matter where you happen to live, it is very useful for your ecological perspective to go somewhere else for at least a brief period. It is surprising how one can become jaded and accept some amazing things as […]
I watched this great blue heron with a small mangrove water snake it had caught for about 15 minutes at Stump Pass State Park, FL. It just kept handling the snake, flipping it around, and avoided eating it as if […]
I noticed an old friend, Stumpy, recently in our backyard in Florida (Englewood area), a white ibis with a broken leg (see photo) that has been foraging periodically in our area for at least three years. You need to […]
Well can you believe that it is the end of June already and the Summer is flying by? One of the more interesting things that happens this time of year on the farm is cutting and baling of the […]