Clik here to view.
Riley's Clearwing Moth, a remarkable mimic
Last Sunday was a fantastic immersion into natural history, high on a ridgetop in rural Washington County, Ohio. A bunch of us were guests of Julie Zickefoose, and we explored her property and some...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Brown Booby makes first Ohio appearance!
Birding by boat. A small flotilla of birders/photographers (the two groups are largely inseparable these days) watches what is easily the rarest bird in Ohio right now. On August 25, Henry Trimpe...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Booby is dead, long live the Booby!
Photo by Jeff Harvey, posted with permissionWe - the birders of Ohio - were rocked by some unfortunate news this morning. I received an email around 8:30 am from Bob Lane, along with some photos taken...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Nature: Despite "ick" factor, spiders play vital role as predator
A pirate spider lurks under a leaf/Jim McCormacNature: Despite "ick" factor, spiders play vital role as predatorColumbus DispatchSeptember 6, 2020NATUREJim McCormacLike it or not, we’re entering prime...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Eastern Racer
An excellent find on last Tuesday's foray deep into Adams County (Ohio) was this fine Eastern Racer, Coluber constrictor. The animal was basking on sun-soaked leaf litter near the trail, and held tight...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Concretions, galore
Hundreds of concretions litter the stream bed of Deer Creek in Pickaway County, Ohio. These concretions are composed of siderite, a type of iron carbonate, and many are massive. Over the eons, they...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Big backyard buck!
I glanced into the backyard "refuge" a few days ago only to see this stud. He was eating my beauty-berry plants. He may be the father of the two fawns that frequent my yard, and he may be looking to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Curve-lined Owlet: A most extraordinary caterpillar!
A typical Ohio woodland, especially in southern Ohio's Adams County, where I made this shot. The leaves in the foreground belong to Common Greenbrier, Smilax rotundifolia. Many hikers/woods-people...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wayward brown booby a delight for Ohio birders
A juvenile brown booby on its favorite perch along Nimisila Reservoir near Akron/Jim McCormacWayward brown booby a delight for Ohio birdersColumbus DispatchSeptember 20, 2020NATUREJim McCormacBig bird...
View ArticleClik here to view.
American Pipit
A portion of the massive mudflats at the upper end of Hoover Reservoir in Delaware County, Ohio. Mudflats of varying size form here every autumn, and this can be a great place for seeking shorebirds. I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The onset of fall color
The first blushes of fall color paint trees along the shoreline of Alum Creek Reservoir in Delaware County, Ohio this morning. My hunch is this will be a doozy of a fall for brilliant foliage. Autumn...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A few fall warblers
The extreme upper end of Alum Creek Reservoir, in Delaware County, Ohio. The beginnings of fall tinge the foliage with bits of color. This spot will look autumnally fantastic in a few weeks.I was here...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Two cool and unusual moths
A gorgeous insect and one that was utterly unknown to me when I photographed it WAY back on June 14, 2013 in Adams County. It is the Ornate Compacta Moth, Compacta capitalis.I'm hard at work on a major...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Nature: Curve-lined owlet caterpillars have a remarkable ability to...
A curve-lined owlet dangles from a leaf in Adams County/Jim McCormacNature: Curve-lined owlet caterpillars have a remarkable ability to camouflage themselvesColumbus DispatchOctober 4, 2020NATUREJim...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Black Witch in Ohio!
A Black Witch, Ascalapha odorata, rests on the hand of your narrator, the latter appendage offering a size scale for the enormous moth. Note the moth's beautifully intricate patterning and subtle...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Northern Flicker
A Norther Flicker sits for a portrait. This bird is a male, as evidenced by the prominent black "mustache" (malar stripe).I don't get many flickers in the yard, thus I was pleased to look at the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Raccoons raiding feeders
A young but already robust Raccoon, Procyon lotor, treats your narrator's bird feeder as its buffet. The masked bandidos are a nightly occurrence in the backyard.I don't mind them, too much. Raccoons...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Virginia Creeper: Stunning Fall Color
A liana of Virginia Creeper, Parthenocissus quinqefolia, partially frames a window at the back of my house.Virginia Creeper is a native vine, and a member of the Grape Family (Vitaceae). It turns an...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Nature: Northern flicker a showy, mesmerizing bird
A northern flicker stretches on a feeder at Jim McCormac's home/Jim McCormacNature: Northern Flicker a showy, mesmerizing birdColumbus DispatchOctober 18, 2020NATUREJim McCormacOne fine April morning...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Monkey Slug: larval bizarro world
While going through scores of photos for a book project, I re-encountered these shots of a Monkey Slug, Phobetron pithecium, from Adams County, Ohio on September 17, 2016. The moth it becomes is nearly...
View Article