Maybe I’m selfish, but I just hate to see the trails like this. I’m thinking of all the animals that will need to find a new home. I’m thinking of the plants that are being crushed under the logs and trucks. I’m wondering which plants will grow, and which plants will not come back now… Continue reading A Little Heartache on the Shiloh Greenway
Category: Animals
A Little Humor on a Rainy Day
I came across this scene at Church Street Park this morning. A mallard duck was voicing his opinion about something to the rabbit nearby. The rabbit was just casually eating some grass. I laughed as I recalled the Saturday morning cartoons from my childhood: Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck were always arguing about something, and… Continue reading A Little Humor on a Rainy Day
A Little Visitor
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).
Adorable Ducklings
I love watching the babies this time of year! There is a mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos) family with 10 ducklings at Morrisville Community Park this spring.
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
Ants
Have you ever noticed the large ant mounds that always seem to appear after the rain? The ants are busy rebuilding and relocating their nests. We saw at least 8 large ant hills on our walk today, all of them swarming with activity. This ant hill didn’t appear to have much going on. But look… Continue reading Ants
Biting Insects
Have you ever been bitten by a horsefly? Wow, that hurts! When I’m outside, I expect ticks to jump on me and mosquitos to bite me. Otherwise, bugs tend to leave you alone if you leave them alone. Right? I guess not. I walked out my front door and felt something like a razor hit… Continue reading Biting Insects
Black and Yellow Garden Spider
Fall is a great time to observe spiders. This is a black and yellow garden spider (Argiope aurantia). The female spider, shown above, can be over an inch long! Notice the zigzag pattern inside the web. This is called the stabilimentum. It is unclear what its function is, but it might be a warning to… Continue reading Black and Yellow Garden Spider
Box Turtles
Have you seen any box turtles (Terrapene carolina) this summer? I’ve seen three box turtles just in the last week, so I decided it would be a good time to learn a little bit more about them. Box turtles move very slowly. Their territory is usually under two acres and they have a very strong… Continue reading Box Turtles
Buffleheads
We went out for a walk on Sunday afternoon. It was National Bird Day, but it was very cold and cloudy. There weren’t any birds to be seen. We walked down the Shiloh Greenway toward Church Street Park. There was a pair of mallard ducks swimming in the pond there. We stopped to watch them… Continue reading Buffleheads