  Amphibious Toads Procreate in Perplexing AmplexusSpring arriving in all its raucous and deliberate awakening is heralded by a symphony of vanguard spring peepers, hyla crucifer, that transform the cold and drear into a circus of vivacious trilling.  Berkshire Wild: A Cooper Has LandedThis stately accipiter, a Cooper's hawk, is an infrequent visitor to my avian diner complete with railings where seeds large and small are laid out for any and all local birds braving the cool of winter.  Black Bears Waking Up in MassachusettsOfficials with the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife are warning it's time to take down bird feeders.  Early Hairstreak Brings Eureka MomentsTo find an evasive early hairstreak takes some planning and alert eyes willing to scan the trail out to Stoney Ledge, a lengthy hike on the extended slopes of Mount Greylock.  Turtles Carry a Heavy LoadWhere did the original turtle turn up, so known for carrying its armored shield on its back ?  Injured Hummingbird Heals at Warm LampWhen I awoke next morning, the little bird was still sitting there, perched on the warm rim. No more blood droplets were evident and the bird perked up at my approach.  Turkey Vulture Has LandedIn terms of nesting sites, vultures prefer rocky cliffs, caves, grottos, and crevices. Visit Wikipedia and check their data on nesting places that included abandoned buildings, open fields, and old logs.  Hoosic Riverside Stroll Reveals Incomplete Food ChainBy midsummer the river can decline to a shallow but steady slow flow, indicating that a serious drought has affected the decreasing level of life-giving water borne from mountain brooks, going dry well before wildlife complete their life-cycles.  Butterflies Like it Hot at Mountain MeadowAs I watched the commotion at a clump of bergamot, a cabbage white flit leisurely close to me, as if its curiosity led it within an arm’s reach to check me out. Many species will fly close to you, personalizing my studies, and endearing a recognition of reassurance. That warms the soul.  Chilling Snow Storm Draws Apprehensive Avian MigrantsWearing a rosy red kerchief about neck and breast, the male bird shows a black hood above and a surrounding white below, black wings and white wing bars, and black and white tail.  In Cautious Song, Early Birds Proclaim Vernal AwakeningIt is time with a steel bristle brush to clear out last year's thistles and scrape away any rust clogging the tiny holes suited so well for their small bills.  Cereus: A Night Blooming ChandelierMy first such encounter with a night-blooming cereus came about thanks to a gift from a friend, Alicia, who gave me this same cactus, likely Selenicereus grandiflorus (one of four known species), then only a few branching succulent stems, indeed leggy and sprawling in form.  Grasshopper and Spider: One jump too Many Into OblivionTherein lurk in floral disguise their natural predators, the spiders. Many species garner bold arresting colors that in contrast may deter predators by announcing their yellow and black warning colors of hidden toxicity.  Magical Wings Herald Unique Airlift for DragonfliesAs far back as the Devonian Period, some 340 million to 400 million years ago, insects invaded the dry land, guided by a still mysterious force enabling an aquatic nymph to become a terrestrial flying dragon capable of feeding and reproducing its own species with certain ease.  Pollinators Abound in Search for Sweet NectarIn exchange for cross-pollination, the moth imbibes fructose and glucose, natural sugars, to prolong its life and in time promote its own DNA. Thirsty wasps will bee-line to bump a butterfly off the oasis, as if to claim "Save some nectar or pollen for us!"  Microcosm Holds Surprising Pollinators' DiversityDuring May and June at various sites in the Berkshires, close examination of the floral bloom reveals some welcome surprises regarding pollinating insects.  Warbler Waves Migrating Through BerkshiresDespite the cool spring weather, waves of warblers and songbirds are reaching their familiar feeding grounds, in the deciduous woodlands and sylvan edges, like the banks of the Hoosic River in North Adams.  In Pursuit of Beetle Happiness: Part 3But many beetles degrading and destroying our forestlands summon us to rally in support of effective means to control destructive species that can decimate large stands of our very important trees. Many beetle species and their larvae are equipped with stout jaws or mandibles that are adept at chewing and shredding wood.  In Pursuit of Beetle Happiness: Part 2The most obvious beetle in the milkweed patch is the rosy red milkweed beetle (Tetraopes tetraophthalumus), surprisingly hard to find in any beetle/insect book. Go Google. Occupying a restricted niche, it is found almost exclusively foraging on milkweed leaves and blossoms.  In Pursuit of Beetle Happiness: Part 1In pursuit of beetle happiness, I can cast a note of optimism about the many beetles at large in museums and private collections, that may bring us a profound joy, allowing our sense of inquiry to thrive like a child set loose in New York's American Museum of Natural History.  Good Science at Work Inside Butterfly Magical WingsThe cocoon was spun higher than a man's reach, so I could not tell if it was really alive or empty. Just the find reassured me that Cecropia may be alive and well in this Berkshire wilderness.  Merlins Abide at Spruces ParkI heard a deliberate outcry from above, and looked up to behold some large hawk-like birds swiftly flying between the tall spruces that punctuate the grassy meadow like solemn sentinels.  Hidden Bio-Gem Discovered at Mountain MeadowFollowing a zigzag erratic flight of what looked like a common little wood satyr, a closer look when it roosted on a blade of grass before I could close the shutter, what flew off turns out to be a heretofore unlisted satyrid for Mountain Meadow, the multi-Argus-eyed northern pearly eye.  Swallowtails and Purples Abound at Stoney LedgeI am tempted to exchange the formerly excepted word "flutterflies" into our vernacular, since "flutterflies" does describe the way flutterflies fly, replacing or interchanging at leisure the bold genre in "butterflies," since butterflies do flutter about, to find nectar, or to look for a potential mate.  Hoosic River Host to Mother Merganser and DucklingsAs time passed, I counted five ducklings able to catch a ride on mamma's back, while the rest paddled wildly behind, reminiscent of loons carrying baby loons while crossing an upland lake. This sighting is my first for river mergansers and caused in me a reserved jubilee, a quiet rejoicing that I might behold such a living pageant. |
| MORE STORIES |
| Archives |