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Fringed Gentians
 As most plants decline, fringed gentians put on a showTHE COLUMBUS DISPATCHOctober 19, 2014NATUREJim McCormacThou blossom bright with autumn dew,And colored with the heaven’s own blue,That openest...
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The Buck Moths ride again
Last weekend was a whirlwind tour of the state. I was in northeast Ohio on Saturday to give a talk for Summit County Metro Parks (thanks for having me, Meghan!). Since that program wasn't until 7 pm, I...
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A pictorial stroll through Kent Bog
A trip to Akron last Saturday took me near one of Ohio's most iconic natural areas, so I left early to spend some time in Kent Bog. Or, as it is formally known, the Tom S. Cooperrider Kent Bog State...
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Beautiful mushrooms, ill consequences
On my recent foray through Kent Bog, written about HERE, I couldn't help to notice a multitude of colorful mushrooms. Nor could I resist going prostrate on the wet boardwalk to make images. I am not...
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Stiff Gentian, Gentianella quinquefolia
A particularly luxuriant Stiff Gentian, Gentianella quinquefolia, is apparently content in an Adams County, Ohio cedar glade. It shared space with dozens of others, and I made these images last Sunday,...
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Hike to Buzzardroost Rock
Last Sunday, October 25, dawned crisp and clear. I know, because I watched the sun came up as I drove to one of my favorite places in Ohio. This day was to be the last of the great fall days,...
View ArticleRiver Otters squeaking like squeeze toys
Now here's something one doesn't hear everyday. Laura Hughes recently sent along another fabulous trail cam video that she and her husband made in the backwoods of Monroe County in eastern Ohio. This...
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Robins, waxwings, and honeysuckle
Amur honeysuckle, Lonicera maackii, cloaks the understory of an Ohio woodland. This plant, and a few other closely related species, would get my vote as worst invasive species of upland habitats. This...
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Sandhill Cranes at Jasper-Pulaski
A gaggle of birders packs the viewing platform at Jasper-Pulaski Fish & Wildlife Area near Medaryville, Indiana. I made a whirlwind trip here last weekend, connecting with a friend from Chicago,...
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Odd looks of jumping spiders belie fearless predators
A mustached jumping spider will stalk its mealCOLUMBUS DISPATCHNovember 16, 2014NATUREJim McCormacJumping spiders are the extroverts of the arachnid world.Most spiders prefer to stay out of sight and...
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A rough day on Lake Erie
Lake Erie, as seen from the fishing access parking lot just east of the power plant in Eastlake, Ohio.I traveled to the Cleveland area and specifically Holden Arboretum yesterday, to give a program for...
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Some encounters with mammals
A herd of Bison grazes the vast grassy plains of the Wilds in Muskingum County, Ohio. Their captive herd seems to be expanding, and there were a number of bisonlets among the ranks, so reproduction...
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Progress = Cinnabons!
Western North Dakota, just north of the small town (pop. about 1,750) of Watford City. All of those square or rectangular pale patches are fracking pads. The boom is on in the Roughrider State (so...
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Northern Shrike, aka "Butcherbird"
Big fluffy cumulus clouds drift across a blue prairie sky. This is one of my favorite places in Ohio, Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area in Wyandot County. I've been coming here since I had a driver's...
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Black-legged Kittiwake in central Ohio!
The upper end of Deer Creek Reservoir in Fayette County, Ohio, where beautiful little Deer Creek begins to become impounded by the big dam some distance to the south. Bob Royse found a Black-legged...
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Spring Grove Cemetery and the Braun sisters
The impressive entrance to Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati. When passing through these battleship-like gates you know you've arrived somewhere of note. Of course, for most of the residents it's a...
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Woolly-bears make bad meteorologists
Ah, the Woolly-bear, Pyrrharctia isabella, America's most beloved caterpillar. The tubular little beasts are impeccably zoned into neat patterns of burnt-orange and black, making for a darn...
View ArticleSkunk "hikes" egg
You can probably file the following video under strange things almost no one ever gets to see.The beloved Striped Skunk, those handsome if not occasionally malodorous black and white beasts, are well...
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Red-headed Woodpeckers plundering acorns
This juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker was one of many busily harvesting acorns today at Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area. Oak of several species are plentiful throughout the 9,000+ acre wildlife area, and...
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Orioles and elms
A good-sized American Elm, Ulmus americana, stands alone on a field edge. Its whiskbroom shape is apparent even from afar. I tend to notice big elms, and generally pay them more than a passing glance....
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