It’s a wonder that one of the world’s most spectacular and strongest flying insects begins life as a dingy, sinister-looking aquatic larva. Dragonflies undergo incomplete metamorphosis; there is no pupal stage, during development from egg to …
I’ve always loved trees. I treasure my walks on the wooded trails at INWR…the Kanyoo, the Swallow Hollow and the Onondaga. Now, since reading The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben, I see the …
If you thought Monarch Butterflies were tough, then check out our local Swallowtail Butterflies. The caterpillar in the photo might overwinter as pupa in a chrysalis near the host plant. Instead of flying thousands of …
While most observers think of fall as the season for asters, goldenrods and maples, I consider it goldfinch season. This is the time of year when these handsome yellow birds with black wings and forehead …
A Giant Swallowtail nectared this week at our Monarda (bee balm or bergamot). This impressive primarily dark brown and yellow swallowtail wasn’t often seen or seen at all around Western New York when I was …
The yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) is not often seen, but is a common summer time resident of the refuge. They use dense wooded stands with lots of cover and water nearby to raise their broods. Cuckoos may be …
Poetry speaks to the imagination, to the heart. When a poet walks in nature, she doesn’t just look …. she sees; she slows down long enough to experience the awe and wonder in the landscape …
This morning I spotted a Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) on the flowering Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) in my backyard. Monarchs are from the Nymphalidae (nym-PHAL-li-dee) family, subfamily Danainae (dah-NAY-i-nee) because their larval host plants are …
Whenever I walk quietly along the Swallow Hollow boardwalk about a hundred yards south of the trail entrance, I listen for weak spishing sounds coming from high in the cottonwoods that shade the walkway. Francis …
A few weeks ago, we found this gorgeous Luna Moth in our yard, near a sweetgum tree. The moth was in good condition, but seemed unable to fly. We decided it was likely a male, …
