Clik here to view.
Hummingbird clearwing moths
I didn't let much grass grow under my feet this weekend. Saturday, it was off to Caesar Creek Lake in southwest Ohio, where I met up with Ned Keller, Kathy McDonald, and Debi Wolterman to sort out last...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A gallery of moths, from Mothapalooza
The last weekend in June saw the epic Mothapalooza conference take over Burr Oak State Park's lodge with 150 avid moth-ers. A definite highlight was the nocturnal field trips. Both Friday and Saturday...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tricolored Bats!
A tightly packed scrum of Tricolored Bats, Perimyotis subflavus, clusters in the dim recess of a building in Warren County, Ohio. I was down at Caesar Creek Reservoir last weekend to meet with our...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Butterfly Workshop recap
Yesterday, the Midwest Native Plant Society hosted a Butterfly Workshop in this building - the Caesar Creek Visitor Center, owned and managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The facility is a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A prairie comes to life
This is the approximate view from my office, in a very urban part of Columbus, Ohio. In 2012, this lush growth of wildflowers was barren mowed lawn, largely lacking in life. BORING, and not at all...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Wood Frog, in the woods
A Wood Frog, Lithobates sylvatica, peeks from a leafy shelter in a Geauga County woodland. These small frogs are conspicuous in early spring, when mating orgies occur in vernal pools. The males belt...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lesser Grapevine Looper
A Lesser Grapevine Looper, Eulithis diversilineata, rests under your narrator's porch lights.I found myself chained to my desk today, writing, writing, writing. Come nightfall, I took a break to see if...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A trip to the prairies (or what's left of them)
A summer would be incomplete without a visit to the scraps of remaining prairie west of Columbus. A few sites like the above, tiny 1/2 acre Bigelow Cemetery, are all that remain of the formerly vast...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Plant hires ant bodyguards
Ah, the beautiful little prairie at work! I've written about this one-third acre transformation of barren turf grass into biodiversity boiling over before, HERE. Today, I trotted outside for a brief...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A MEGA macro lens
Be warned, I have a new lens and things might get weird on here from time to time. Above, the superb Canon MP-E 65 mm f/2.8 macro lens. This is truly one of the most bizarre lenses out there, and it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks!
A small knot of birders takes a break from oohing and aahing over a trio of very rare birds (for Ohio) in the wetland in the backdrop.Last Friday, I got a phone call from Larry Richardson, the guy in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tiger Beetle larva: Absolutely ferocious!
A pair of Festive Tiger Beetles, Cicindela scutellaris, makes love in the sand. If all goes well, they will spawn some of the most ferocious, nightmarish larvae that ever was.There are about twenty...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A white Cardinal-flower
Photo: Bill FisherBill Fisher, Director of the Crawford County Park District, sent along a photo that really grabbed my eye. It is a snow white Cardinal-flower, Lobelia cardinalis, and as can be seen...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Passenger Pigeon Symposium: August 29-30
A quartet of extinct birds (L to R): Passenger Pigeon, Carolina Parakeet, Ivory-billed Woodpecker, Eskimo Curlew. You, I, nor anyone else will ever get to see one of these species - they're gone, for...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Midwest Native Plant Conference recap
The 6th annual Midwest Native Plant Conference took place this weekend, and what a great time it was. For the fifth year in a row, we centered the event at Bergamo Center on the sprawling grounds of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bands pinpoint oldest of birds
An "ancient" female Ruby-throated Hummingbird, caught and banded by Allen Chartier, proved to be eight years, one month of age. Photo courtesy Allen Chartier.BANDS PINPOINT OLDEST OF BIRDSColumbus...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ohio Sustainable Landscapes Symposium
Swamp Milkweed, Asclepias incarnata, a beacon for pollinating insects and a big producer of Monarch butterflies. Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 13. That's the date of the annual Ohio...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Carolina Wolf Spider rediscovered!
Your narrator wrestles with two savages that collectively outweigh him, and that's saying something! This pair of St. Bernards are named Chloe and Lula, and they're a barrel of laughs. Nothing like a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Piping Plover braves Conneaut!
A typical scene at the "sand spit" at Conneaut Harbor, Ohio. Conneaut is wedged into the extreme northeastern corner of Ohio, on the shore of Lake Erie. It is a legendary birding locale, and in this...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sycamore Tussock Moth caterpillars
A stately Sycamore, Platanus occidentalis, rises from rich alluvial soils along a stream. White and brown barked Sycamore trees are easily recognized, and are the most conspicuous tree that defines the...
View Article