Invasion of the House Finch
Once upon a time, House Finches (Haemorhous mexicanus) only lived west of the Rocky Mountains. Then, in 1940, a group of captive birds flew to [...]
Gnarly Trees
Branches of the live oak (Quercus virginiana) loop and twist their way toward openings in the forest canopy. Many branches sag down to the ground [...]
Cold Feet, Warm Heart
Raleigh has had a fit of cold, snowy (and icy) weather this week. So while I watched this snow-covered Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) swim around [...]
The Fashionable and Practical Turkey Vulture
Turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) remind me of 16th century European royalty (you know those “ruffs” they wore around their necks?). That regal appearance results from [...]
Who’s in My House?
Tiny rustling noises arise from our kitchen garbage can. I tip-toe up to it and out pops a little fuzzy face with a twitching nose. [...]
Talking Turkey Parts
The male wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), weighing in at around 20 pounds, is one of the largest birds in North America. By comparison, many domestic turkeys [...]
A Study in Scarlet
No doubt you’ve been wowed this autumn by the crimson colors of the red maple (Acer rubrum)! This tree, native to eastern North America, has [...]
Spooky Spider
I love Halloween. It’s the time of year when I can leave all the spider webs up around the front stoop and call them decorations. [...]
A Tale of Two Hemlocks
I have never poisoned anyone. I recently learned that if I were to try, I would be very bad at it. The hemlock I thought [...]
Warts & All!
Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire, burn; and cauldron, bubble. Shakespeare’s witches open Macbeth by tossing a toad into their cauldron, along with parts of [...]
Ferocious Beauty
Carnivorous plants have turned the tables on food webs. Rather than insects munching on plants, these plants chow down on insects. The “traps” of yellow [...]
Nothing Gold Can Stay
The American goldfinch (Spinus tristis), like many animals, changes colors over the course of a year. In the summer, male goldfinches dress in bright gold [...]
Mushroom Musings
With last weekend's rains, mushrooms have sprouted up all over Raleigh yards, neighborhoods and parks. The above is a composite sketch of all the beautiful [...]
Squirrel Sketch
If you live on the East Coast, I bet you encountered at least one eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) during your regular comings and goings [...]
Slugfest
Follow that trail of slime to an amazing creature. It walks on one foot, perches two eyes way over its head, and has a saddle [...]