We’ve all heard the saying, “Snug as a bug in a rug.” But this time of year I often find myself adding, “Some bugs are…
Spittlebugs
Barred Owls
The other day I headed out to meet some friends for a walk at Tekakwitha Woods Forest Preserve, with a plan to proceed over to…
A Bird Eat Bird World
Ah, spring. What could be more glorious? Flowers are blooming, insects are buzzing, frogs are calling. And the birds? Well they’re doing what birds do…
Tiger Beetles
I’ve never, by any stretch of the imagination, been considered quick. I can’t dash, I don’t dart. In fact, the only time I recall moving…
Red-Headed Woodpeckers
What’s black and white and red all over? Here in the TriCities’ corner of the natural world, not a lot. But the red-headed woodpecker is…
Butternut Trees
Well, it happened again. After a prolonged absence-nearly eight years– Build Me Up Buttercup, that great song by The Foundations, once again is reverberating through…
Monk Parakeets
A little over a year ago, in February 2020, I signed up for what promised to be the adventure of a lifetime. “Travel to Costa…
Overwintering Butterflies
Butterflies are easy. It’s a statement that naturalists make from time to time, and it refers to the fact that we don’t have to work…
Grackles
Grackles. They’re a bird you know, even if you don’t know birds. Remember back when you learned about robins and cardinals and blue jays? Grackles…
Departure of the Dark Eyed Juncos
Well, it’s here. Can you feel it? Spring snuck in at 4:37 a.m. on Saturday, March 20, and with it came a host of spring…