Widow Skimmer
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,...
Category: Nature
Book Review: The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
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...
How Black Swallowtail Butterflies Overwinter
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....
Goldfinch Season
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...
A Stunning Giant Swallowtail
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...
On the Power of Poetry
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...