Around here it was an amazing fall – full of fall wildflowers, late season pollinators, and beautiful fall colors. We were seeing and hearing reports of butterflies well into the first week of November! Then the seasons changed, almost overnight, as we were plummeted into early winter. However, I wouldn’t […]
Beetle
18 posts
I absolutely love fall! The temperatures are much nicer. The fields are a riot of color – lots of bright yellow, of course, but also purples, whites, pinks, oranges, and scattered other colors. Goldfinches are everywhere. And then there are all the butterflies, bees, wasps, and other “bugs” busily going […]
The last month or so has been incredibly hot, dry, and humid where I’m at. Heat indexes of over 100 have become normal. I’m very grateful for all the wildlife that I can view from the house while sitting in the air-conditioned comfort on those hotter days. Yet, even with […]
I used to think that there was only one type of firefly. I think many of us go through that stage. Looking back, I have to laugh because why would there only be one type of firefly? I mean, we have more than one type of bird, butterfly, frog, fish, […]
What a difference a couple of months have made! The leaves have fallen off the trees and I can once again see the road from my house. The fall warblers have migrated through and my winter suite of birds are arriving. The flowers have stopped blooming and beautiful seed heads […]
It’s been a while since I shared some of my nature-related discoveries with you. So, I thought it was about time to do it again, especially since I found and was able to observe so many fun and cool nature-related discoveries in August and September. Below are just a few […]
One day, late last summer, I decided to see how the berries were developing on the devil’s walking stick (Aralia spinosa) at the back of our property. The devil’s walking stick patch grows along the edge of the woods next to one of our fields. It was sunny, hot, and […]
This episode is different from anything I’ve done before, because Michael Hawk, who hosts the Nature’s Archive podcast, and I are sharing each other’s episodes. One of the things I really like about the Nature’s Archive podcast is that in addition to the biology, Michael also digs into the stories […]
After a crazy February and early March, spring has finally sprung! The red maples and elms bloomed at the beginning of the month. Now, the spicebushes are in full bloom and the early spring ephemeral wildflowers are starting to dot the woods. Not to mention the spring peepers are calling […]
This week’s episode of the Backyard Ecology podcast is the conclusion of our conversation with Lynn Faust. Lynn is the author of Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs: Identification and Natural History of the Fireflies of the Eastern and Central United States and Canada. In this episode, we continue to just […]
For many of us in the eastern U.S., warm spring and summer nights are characterized by the methodical flashing of fireflies and lightning bugs. Fireflies and lightning bugs are exactly the same thing. I grew up calling them “lightning bugs,” but somewhere along the line picked up the term “firefly.” […]
Hi Everyone! On today’s episode of Backyard Ecology we talk with Dr. Kirsten Traynor, a research associate at Arizona State University and the editor of 2 Million Blossoms, a quarterly magazine dedicated to protecting our pollinators. Our conversation takes a curvy, twisty path that covers multiple different topics including what […]
Over the last few months, I’ve been researching and working on a new project. Today I’m super excited to announce that I am launching a Backyard Ecology podcast! For those who might be wondering, a podcast is kind of like an audio version of a blog. I started listening to […]
Many people believe that nature is only “out there” – in national parks, other large chunks of pristine land, or some far-off exotic place. For a long time, I did too. But the truth is that nature is everywhere and there are still plenty of discoveries to be made about […]
Rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium) is an unusual wildflower native to open areas in much of the central and eastern U.S. In the wild, it is an indicator of high-quality remnant prairie or barrens. It is also commonly included in prairie restoration or large pollinator plantings. In recent years, it has […]
Sweet goldenrod (Solidago odora) is one of the over 30 species of goldenrods native to Kentucky according to the USDA Plant Database. This species of goldenrod is also native to most of the eastern U.S. (sorry Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Maine – it’s not native in your states) and a […]
I have always loved watching fireflies and lightning bugs dance in the backyard. They are one of my favorite insects and bring back lots of childhood memories. Even today, I will run outside to watch the first fireflies of the year or to see a particularly good display. Fireflies and […]
The tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), a.k.a. yellow poplar, tulip tree, or tulip magnolia, is a common and important part of our forests. Despite the name, tulip poplars aren’t poplars. Instead, the tulip poplar is in the magnolia family and is part of a genus that only has two species – […]