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Nettie Lake's loons
This is part of the viewscape from the cabin where I'm staying, at NettieBay Lodge. That tiny island in Lake Nettie - the house hasn't been used for some time - is smack in the midst of a large,...
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Snowshoe Hare!
A Snowshoe Hare, Lepus americanus, regards your narrator, possibly with a mix of curiosity and distrust. I encountered this bunny yesterday while exploring a remote area of the Lake Huron shoreline, in...
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Photographing loons
A post or so back, I shared some photos of Common Loons nesting in a beautiful lake in northern Michigan. That prompted some notes from persons interested in loons and their conservation, wondering...
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Warbler mania along Lake Huron
A beautiful male Blackburnian Warbler works its way through a white cedar on the shore of Lake Huron in Presque Isle County, Michigan. Our group headed afield bright and early this morning to explore...
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Bearberry, Iris, and Sedge
Presque Isle County, Michigan, where I've been for the past eight days, is full of botanical eye candy. It is a botanist's Eden. I've got a lot of photos of interesting plants, and will try to put a...
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Canada Fly Honeysuckle
I'm back from ten days in northern Michigan's Presque Isle County, and wading through scores of photos. I was up there for the fourth year in a row, leading excursions in partnership with the NettieBay...
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Cool encounter with an Eastern Hognosed Snake
Yes, this post is about a snake. Time to click on through if you are an ophidiophobe. But remember, the following is just pictures and words. And the protagonist of this tale is utterly harmless, and...
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Chickadees nest in drinking fountain
Ah! Here we have the perfect antidote to the creature in the previous post, at least for some of you. While the aforementioned hognosed snake is utterly (and inexplicably) terrifying for some, the...
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Depth of field
I don't claim to be a professional photographer, but the photo bug has hit me pretty hard over the past half-dozen years. I've pulled the trigger enough times, with enough cameras, on enough different...
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Pogacnik discovers long lost orchid!
Photo: Gary MeszarosThe beautiful image above, made by Gary Meszaros, is of a place known as Morgan Swamp and was featured in the book that Gary and I collaborated on: Wild Ohio: The Best of Our...
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Sea Lamprey
The bright red roofs of the Hammond Bay Biological Station glow against a blue northern Michigan sky. Set on the shores of Lake Huron, this site is biologically interesting in more ways than one. We...
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Ohio's most stunning orchid has arisen!
Last Saturday was a whirlwind of travel. I left that morning, and drove to Hastings, Michigan and Michigan Audubon's Otis Farm Bird Sanctuary. I was there to give that evening's program, which was,...
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Mothapalooza Openings!!!
 Luna, Actias lunaMothapalooza is a guaranteed to be a surefire cool event the likes of which has never taken place before, at least in these parts. It takes place at Shawnee State Park, June 14-16....
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From rock, to plant
Beautiful and wild, the cold rocky shoreline of Lake Huron in Michigan's Presque Isle County offers a glimpse of utterly untrammeled wilderness. Of all of the diverse habitats in this region, this...
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Least Tern!
This is, without doubt, one of the worst photos to appear on this blog. But the bird in the picture is identifiable, and it is a Least Tern! This species is a major rarity in Ohio, with on average...
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The virtues of native plants
Up close and personal with the inflorescence of a Downy Wood Mint, Blephilia ciliata. A stunning plant to be sure, and one that should be a welcome addition to any yardscape. Besides minty good looks,...
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Black Kingsnake!
Last Saturday, I put in a marathon day in one of my favorite parts of the world - southern Ohio's diverse Adams County. I got down there at 9 am, and met up with John Howard at his house, which sits in...
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Mothapalooza - it worked!
A group of moth'ers inspects the bounty at a light sheet deep in Shawnee State Forest, around midnight last night. The sheet was covered with myriad moths of many different species.The landmark...
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Caterpillars and moths
I've got moths on my mind, and probably will for some time. The giant lepidopteran fest known as Mothapalooza will do that. We saw so many species in so many different groups of organisms at...
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Mothapalooza: a recap
A group works a mothing sheet late at night, deep in the woods at Shawnee State Forest. Our recent Mothapalooza event saw about 150 attendees visit the lodge at Shawnee State Park, right in the thick...
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