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
Category: Animals
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
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
Cicada Brood XIX is Happening Now
The periodical cicadas are here! Brood XIX is scheduled to emerge from the ground this summer. This brood has a 13 year life cycle (other broods have a 17 year life cycle). Above ground, they live for 3 to 4 weeks, just long enough to find a mate and lay their eggs. When the eggs… Continue reading Cicada Brood XIX is Happening Now
Cicada Brood XIX Molting
I went for a walk around 9am today. I headed for the Shiloh greenway and was welcomed by the sound of the periodical cicadas! I posted about my first sighting earlier this week. I headed for the older trees to look for cicadas. I found a bunch of discarded shells on the trees, leaves and… Continue reading Cicada Brood XIX Molting