Ants social distance?
One early morning at the end of July I decided to explore the handicap trail leading from the Refuge Headquarters. I wanted to see what a young person or someone at wheelchair or stroller height …
Category: Wildlife
Half-Brained, But Not Half-Witted
Unihemispherical sleep is an amazing adaptation that has been well studied in several animals, particularly birds. Researchers have used electroencephalograms (EEG) to understand the ability of birds to sleep with only one hemisphere of their …
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, during development from egg to …
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 with black wings and forehead …
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 New York when I was …
From Milkweed to Monarchs
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 …
Gnatcatchers are Frisky Lightweights
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 …
Musings on a Luna Moth
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, …
Galls: Gene Altering Injections Cause Plant Mutations
The production of plant galls is fascinating, complex, a bit bizarre and not fully understood. Galls are mutated plant tissue, many of which are formed by the chemical secretions of insects. In the case of …
Backyard Bird Spotlight – Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)
I’ve been getting a regular visitor at my bird feeding station. In the photo is a female Pileated Woodpecker who arrives every morning while I drink coffee and eat breakfast. The Pileated Woodpecker is the …