While getting the mail at twilight recently, I was treated to a rare sight…a Bobcat (Lynx rufus)! It crossed the middle of the road about 25 yards (23 meters) away and stopped to stare at me. I heard cars approaching and didn’t want it to be hit, so I walked briskly toward the cat andContinue reading “This Cat Belongs Outside”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Something to Hoot About
I am a light sleeper. I was awakened before dawn the other day by a pair of Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus) serenading in a large spruce tree outside my window. The male’s deep, resonant but soft “whoo who-who-who whoooooo whoooooo” was immediately followed by the female’s slightly higher call, and they continued back andContinue reading “Something to Hoot About”
Autumn Calls of Spring Peepers
Many people associate the call of peepers, the smallest frog in Connecticut, with the arrival of spring. Recently, while hiking on a warm fall day, I heard the “peeping” of Spring Peepers (Pseudacris crucifer). It wasn’t the huge chorus you usually hear at vernal pools and shallow ponds in March and April. It was justContinue reading “Autumn Calls of Spring Peepers”
Plant This, Not That
As of this past weekend, most of the leaves are off the trees and the scarlet foliage of Burning Bush or Winged Euonymous (Euonymous alatus) is easily seen. It’s a dangerous beauty. Now you can see clearly how prevalent this shrub is—and it is spreading. Winged Euonymous dominates many roadsides. If you delight in theContinue reading “Plant This, Not That”
The Snapping Hazel
Leaves are fading to shades of brown and gray and dropping fast in the late fall winds as I walk along a local trail. At this time of year, I am always surprised when I come across a flash of bright yellow from the last native flowering plant of the year: the native American Witch-HazelContinue reading “The Snapping Hazel”
They’re on the March
We often think of migration as long-distance treks by birds, mammals, and fish traveling to wintering or nesting grounds. Animal migrations, however, can be short. They can even happen right in your own yard or neighborhood. Right now, Banded Woolly Bear caterpillars (Pyrrharctia isabella) are on the move to find places to overwinter, such asContinue reading “They’re on the March”
Is Connecticut Their Florida?
Retirees who want to escape the cold and ice to spend the winter down south are known as “snowbirds.” Actually, this nickname describes the Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis). Juncos are arriving here now after spending the summer nesting in the mountains of New England and in the Canadian Boreal Forest. They will head back northContinue reading “Is Connecticut Their Florida?”
They Get Around
If you’ve ever had to remove burrs from your pants after a hike or from your dog’s ear after a walk, you know what I’m talking about. The different ways plants have evolved for dispersing their fruits and seeds are truly remarkable. All for the sake of reproducing their species, seeds are adapted in differentContinue reading “They Get Around”
Hawk Heaven
Look up! It’s happening right now, right over your head. It’s the autumnal migration of raptors—hawks in particular. And it is one of nature’s most impressive animal migrations. When I was a child, I asked my mom to take me to Hawk Mountain. It was a two-hour drive from where we lived in northern NewContinue reading “Hawk Heaven”
Autumn Colors Were Already There, Mostly
They’re changing now. It’s that time here in Connecticut when deciduous trees change color and add drama to our forests and landscapes. Most of the colors we see in beautiful autumn foliage have been there all along. As day length and temperature decrease, the cells between the leaf and the petiole (stem) develop a corkyContinue reading “Autumn Colors Were Already There, Mostly”
