We had a little visitor in the yard this week. It’s not every day you get to see a mouse, let alone have one stay still long enough to photograph it! (These pictures were taken through a window.) This is probably a house mouse (Mus musculus).
Month: March 2025
An Unusual Pair of Ducks in Bond Park
I came across a beautiful male wood duck (Aix sponsa) in Bond Park this week. He seemed to be friendly with a female mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos). I read that it’s pretty common for both mallard ducks and wood ducks to breed with other types of ducks. Their hybrid offspring are usually infertile, though. If… Continue reading An Unusual Pair of Ducks in Bond Park
Field Report- March 13, 2025
It’s finally starting to feel like spring! It’s easy to see all of the flowering trees. The cherries are just about done with their blooms, but the plums, pears and magnolias are just approaching their peak. Do you have a forsythia bush in your yard? Their yellow blooms are out now. The eastern redbuds finally… Continue reading Field Report- March 13, 2025
Field Report- March 24, 2025
Spring flowers are blooming everywhere you look! The white cherry blossoms and the eastern redbuds are at their peak. On the Hatcher Creek Greenway, look for dimpled trout lilies, spring beauties and rain lilies blooming in the woods. The violets, green and gold, wood sorrel, running five-fingers, and mock strawberries have started to come out.… Continue reading Field Report- March 24, 2025
First Large Butterfly Sighting in 2025
A male eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) was resting in the sun on the Shiloh Greenway this afternoon. This was the first large butterfly I’ve seen this season. Did you know that the eastern tiger swallowtail is the state butterfly of North Carolina?
Killdeer Crossing
I was watching a pair of killdeer in the retention pond at the corner of Town Hall Drive and Harris Mill Road. At some point, one bird flew away while the other stayed in the pond. I finished taking my pictures of the bird in the pond, and started to walk to the other side… Continue reading Killdeer Crossing
Magnolias are in Full Bloom
Get outside and enjoy the magnolia blooms this weekend!
Quiet Nature- March 19, 2025
Have you ever seen a three-petaled bluet or tiny bluet? How about one with five petals? Take some time to sit quietly and observe a patch of flowers. You never know what you might find.
Spotted Salamanders at the North Carolina Botanical Garden
This week, we visited the North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill. Our intention was to find some spring ephemerals, and we were not disappointed. However, we were not expecting to get a lesson in the life cycle of spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum). As we crossed the bridge into the Coastal Plain Habitat, we were… Continue reading Spotted Salamanders at the North Carolina Botanical Garden
What Flowers Will Bloom Next Month? April 2025
There are so many flowers to look forward to in April! Look for: And many more! Check the April Flower page for the full list of flowers to see next month.