Growing up in a family that loved to fish, I’ve seen my share of bird’s nests. And not the good kind. In fishing parlance, a bird’s nest is an irreversible tangle of fishing line. It happens when you reel in line that is slack, when you’re stripping out old line, or when you’re just not paying attention. […]
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Throughout these many months of cold we have endured, I’ve tried to help my winter-weary friends stay positive. After every new dump of snow I’d point out, in what I hoped was a sunshiny voice, “Hey, at least there are no mosquitoes.” […]
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Last week when we related the discovery and subsequent identification of an awesome little beetle, Tricrania sanguinipennis, I promised that this week we’d dig deeper into its biology and ecology. That’s no lie! To learn more about what makes this handsome insect tick, […]
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North America is home to around 30,000 beetle species. Thirty. Thousand. Species. It’s no wonder that identifying them can be difficult. Some beetles, bless their hearts, display obvious features that are nearly unmistakable. Picture the large mandibles of a male stag beetle, a.k.a. pinching bug, for example. […]
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Have you ever found yourself faced with so many great choices that you can’t possibly choose just one? I have that problem when it comes to kitschy artwork (I have 13 different prints by C.M. Coolidge, the Dogs Playing Poker artist); ice cream […]
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There are a few things in this world that I’m absolutely nuts about. Snakes are one, puppies are another. And then there’s chocolate. As I write this, I’ve made an embarrassing number of attempts to scrounge for anything resembling chocolaty goodness. Worse, I’ve come up distressingly short. […]
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We consider it a human rite of passage: Grow to a certain age, acquire important life skills, then leave home to take on the big wide world. New adventures await and opportunities abound. All we have to do is make sure we don’t mess up. […]
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This time of year, everyone’s chomping at the bit for spring. Whether it’s that little extra bit of daylight, the first glimpse of a woodland wildflower or the rattling calls of sandhill cranes waaaaay up in the sky, we’re all eager to reach out and grasp the promise of warmer days to come. […]
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Remember when Canada geese were a fly-by-night group? Back then, before our resident goose populations took hold, it was big news when these large, majestic birds blew into town. Flying in V-formation, honking and squawking, they’d land by the hundreds on rivers and ponds. […]
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Last week we took a Good Natured look at the notion of dreams coming true, and how the aspirations of naturalists might veer a little off from what most people would consider usual. While much of polite society may dream of fame or fortune, us nature folk have slightly different visions dancing in our heads. […]
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