What we can learn from a Harrier’s Butt
About a year ago, I purchased a sexy new digital camera. It was not too expensive, yet had many of the bells and whistles found on high-end units. I … Continue Reading →
Category: Nature
Plants, Animals, Geology, Natural History
Gopher Snake – Master Impersonator!
This is the rare case when I saw the snake before it saw me. This Pacific Gopher Snake (Pituophis catenifer) is five feet long. The coloration of this one … Continue Reading →
Animal ID Joke
I spent the weekend in the field trying to improve my botany skills. It was an exciting trip and I will try to write about it in a future … Continue Reading →
My Life as a Mule Deer
In 1995, naturalist Joe Hutto authored the spellbinding book, Illumination in the Flatwoods. Finding an abandoned wild turkey nest, he incubates the eggs and raises the brood as … Continue Reading →
Alligator Lizard Reprise
If Godzilla can have 31 movies, alligator lizards can have two posts. My previous alligator lizard post showed pictures of a Southern California Alligator Lizard. Despite its name, we found … Continue Reading →
Alligator Lizard
I was hiking with a group this weekend through a coastal savanna (also called coastal prairie). A savanna is a grassland ecosystem where the trees are spaced so widely … Continue Reading →
The Naturalist is an Endangered Species
Did you know that biology students can graduate from college without a single course in identifying organisms? Molecular biology, genetics, computational biology and bioinformatics flourish in today’s universities. But … Continue Reading →
Horsetail (Equisetum sp.)
Horsetail (Equisetum sp.) is a living fossil. The plant’s history traces back to the Paleozoic era, where it dominated the forest understory. The strangely tubular stem is surrounded by … Continue Reading →
Tick Aware – Get a Free Tick Identification Card
Viewing wildlife is invigorating – unless it’s a tick crawling up your arm! This post provides some basic information about ticks you are likely to encounter. There is a … Continue Reading →
Mouse Released into Wild Snatched by Hawk Ruins Good Deed
I consider myself an “animal lover”. But I just can’t help myself from laughing at this video. Sometimes, things don’t go as planned… Video Below… … Continue Reading →