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Cannibal flies among fiercest insect predators
Red-footed cannibal fly, Promachus rufipes, with paper wasp/Jim McCormacColumbus DispatchAugust 19, 2018NATUREJim McCormacThis is the summer of the cannibal flies. For people fascinated by the...
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A bizarre aspect of the gray hairstreak
A week or so ago, I visited a place I seldom see, Erie Sand Barrens State Nature Preserve in Erie County, Ohio, which is not far inland from Lake Erie. The place abounds with biodiversity, including...
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An epic Adams County (Ohio) foray
Anyone who has checked in with this blog on any sort of regular basis over the years (1,811 posts over nearly a decade, thus far!) has probably noticed two recurring names: Adams County, and John...
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Nature: Latest bird atlas shows species rebounding, declining in Ohio
Double-crested cormorants at Lake Erie/Jim McCormacColumbus DispatchSeptember 2, 2018NATUREJim McCormacEarly in my birding years back in the 1970s, a double-crested cormorant was a big deal. Most years...
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Zombie Fungus rides again!
A female Carolina leafroller cricket, Camptonotus carolinensis, emerged from its lair and exploring leaves at night. I made this image last year in a southern Ohio forest. While these exceptionally...
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Bird program: This Thursday night, 7 pm!
A great egret displays its aigrette feathers - the showy plumage that nearly led to its demise.I'm giving a free program this Thursday evening, commencing at 7 pm, at the Grange Insurance Audubon...
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Shawnee Photo Workshop!
A gorgeous pastel sunrise colors the foggy waters of Turkey Lake in Shawnee State Park, Scioto County, Ohio. Debbie DiCarlo and I conducted our 6th Focus on Photography workshop on the weekend of...
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Nature: Seldom-seen caterpillars vital link in food chain
A mammoth hickory horned devil caterpillar/Jim McCormacColumbus DispatchSeptember 16, 2018NATUREJim McCormacCaterpillars represent the vast underworld of the food chain. Out of sight and out of mind,...
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Nature: Humans malign, persecute, crowd out snakes
A juvenile northern copperhead/Jim McCormacColumbus DispatchSeptember 30, 2018NATUREJim McCormacVenomous snakes strike way over their weight in regard to reputation. They can pack a punch, but the odds...
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Golden cinnamon ferns
Lush beds of cinnamon fern, Osmundastrum cinnamomeum, brighten seasonally damp swales in a beautiful prairie savanna complex yesterday. This scene was photographed in The Nature Conservancy's Kitty...
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Hocking Hills redux
A set of hand-hewn rock steps exits a tunnel in the sandstone cliffs of the Hocking Hills at Old Man's Cave. This area is renowned for its beauty, in Ohio and far beyond.I'm always in a game of...
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Mackinac Bridge
The mighty Mackinac Bridge, festively lit and stretching five miles across the Straits of Mackinac, linking Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas. This image was shot last night during an approaching...
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Autumn Upper Peninsula
The "Big Mac", or as it's properly known, the Mackinac Bridge. This massive span links Michigan's Upper and Lower peninsulas, and is a gateway to true north. I made this image from the Upper Peninsula...
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Nature: Monarch butterfly numbers increasing by droves
A monarch taps nectar from a swamp milkweed/Jim McCormacColumbus DispatchOctober 21, 2018NATUREJim McCormacOn Sept. 15, 2013, my Nature column covered monarch butterflies. The message was gloomy....
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Fall color, finally!
A gorgeous palette of colors paints a pond at Myeerah Nature Preserve in Logan County, Ohio, this morning.Until the last few days, I'd not seen much in the way of vibrant fall foliage here in Ohio. The...
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Ohio Caverns: "America's Most Colorful Caverns"
Recently, I had a rare opportunity to descend into the depths of the remarkable Ohio Caverns with only two other people, one of which was an exceptionally knowledgeable guide named Karen. She works for...
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Nature: October brings sightings of 2 rare birds - gray kingbird and northern...
A gray kingbird recently sighted in Clark County/Jim McCormac Columbus DispatchNovember 4, 2018NATUREJim McCormacOctober was a notable month for Ohio birders. Nothing exhilarates the binocular-toting...
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Bird photography talk: Worthington, Ohio, Wednesday evening
A Franklin's gull's reflection melts into a puddle of quicksilver. Deer Creek Reservoir, Pickaway County, Ohio, October 21, 2017. Canon 5D IV and 800mm lens, f/8, ISO 400, 1/1250, +0.3 exposure...
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Black-legged kittiwake in central Ohio!
Waters cascading over Hoover Reservoir form the backdrop for a soaring juvenile kittiwake.Conferences, speaking and other stuff had kept me from triggering a camera shutter for far too long, until a...
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Nature: Well-managed Ohio Caverns strike awe in visitors
Visitors to Ohio Caverns will find stalactites, stalagmites and calcium tubes among the many natural underground wonders/Jim McCormacColumbus DispatchNovember 18, 2018NATUREJim McCormacIn 1896,...
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