Yesterday and today Judy and I sat for an hour on the back porch, watching birds. This was not an example of us wasting time. No, it was an example of us carrying out our responsibilities as Citizen Scientists. Specifically, we were taking part in the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). Launched in 1998 and …
We’re having a blizzard today, possibly a foot of snow or more by tomorrow morning. I’m not complaining, though. I get to spend the day on the porch watching the birds at the feeders. This is the kind of weather that keeps the feeders busy. There are lots of Woodpeckers, Chickadees, and Goldfinches – but …
Scientists have just released this year’s report on the number of Monarch butterflies overwintering in Mexico. Those numbers, measured in the amount of land occupied by Monarch colonies, vary from year to year. The last three years, however, have all been at historic lows. There was an increase over last winter, from 0.67 to 1.13 …
Judy saw a coyote trotting down the street in front or our house a few days before Thanksgiving. Hurrah! I like to think that this means we now have our own neighborhood coyote, maybe even our own pack. We need some predators around here to control the number of rodents, especially (speaking as a gardener) rabbits. …
There was an interesting article in the New York Times on Monday about Monarch butterflies and milkweed. The takeaway is that planting Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias currasavica) may do more harm than good, according to several researchers. Milkweeds, of course, are the only plants that are eaten by the caterpillars of Monarch butterflies.Changes in farming practices …
Scientists have determined that Bumblebees are the cutest insects. That’s an official fact. They are the teddy bears of the insect world, furry and rounded. Of course, they are teddy bears with five eyes, two big compound eyes and three little “primitive” eyes. There are 46 species of bumblebee native to North America. They are …
There was a somewhat encouraging but confusing opinion piece in the New York Times on Friday about the decline of honeybees. In the column, biologist Noah Wilson-Rich states that “Scientists I’ve spoken to in both academia and government have strong reason to believe that CCD [Colony Collapse Disorder] is essentially over.” Wilson-RIch claims that there …
Our week in Wisconsin was about more than just falling out of kayaks. It was also about enjoying the natural world. And we particularly enjoyed the natural world on the day we went hiking at the Hunt Hill Audubon Sanctuary, which was about 30 miles from our cabin. Hunt Hill has 400 acres of woods, …
I was going out this morning to pick tomatoes when I saw an unfamiliar butterfly on the Mexican Sunflowrer (Tithonia rotundifolia). Judy grabbed her camera and came outside to get some pictures. However, the humidity was so high that her lens fogged over. So, if you’re wondering what photos look like taken with a fogged …
There are a lot more bees in our garden this year than last. That does not mean, I realize, that the crisis of bee survival is abating, but it is nice to know that at least our garden provides bees with good foraging. Here’s a little video of the bees on our anise hyssop (Agastache …
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