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Sometimes I Even Share!
On June 29, as I walked through my yard, I noticed the wineberries (Rubus phoenicolasius Maxim.) were about to ripen. In fact, several of them had been eaten. Wineberries are a non-native and invasive species. They produce a raspberry-type fruit relished by the birds, who then spread the seeds. Concerned that the plants might spread,…
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Whats in a Butterflies or Moths Name?
This is the second part of my blogs on butterfly and their scientific names. For those of you who like my blogs to be stories, think of this as the story of one of my obsessions. There are more stories to come. As I mentioned in my blog, What is in a Name, Carl Linnaeus is…
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What is in a Name?
Summer is the time of butterflies and moths. Any sunny day, these sprites can be seen visiting our garden. As I learned the common and scientific names, I became curious as to how these insects received their names. More than 380 years ago, Carl Linnaeus overturned the naming system for plants and animals. In his…
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Mulberry is Open for Business
Many animals will visit our yard in the next couple weeks just to sample the delectable fare. Each June, the mulberry tree (Morus alba L.) produces abundant fruit. Early in the month, as the first fruits begin to swell, even before they ripen, some birds stop by for a sample. Each morning as the month…
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Feed Me!!
The movie Finding Nemo got it right when they gave the voice of the young laughing gull an irritating, “ME, ME, ME.” Baby birds, in fact almost any animal that requires the care of their parent, are selfish, self-centered, and annoying. Each species of altricial (cannot care for itself at birth) bird has a way…
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The Story Some Sounds Will Tell
I awoke to a thump on the roof and a quick series of pattering footsteps. Within seconds, a second thump and pattering. Then a third thump. That provided all the clues I needed. At least one of my eastern gray squirrels approaches estrus. For the last few days, I have seen a male squirrel following…
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No Laughing Matter
Earlier this spring, for our daily walk, Eileen and I chose a fishing pier that jutted out into the Atlantic Ocean about two tenths of a mile and stands about 50 feet over the water. We just needed someplace to walk and stretch our legs. We wanted an easy walk and an opportunity to see…
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A Spider Visits
Two not so itsy bitsy spiders climbed on our bedroom wall. Generally, this doesn’t bother us at all. We tend to leave these tiny visitors alone as they really do not impact us when found in our home.
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Something to Crow About
I spy a crow flying overhead, straight and steady, obviously heading to a destination; “as a crow flies.” I attempt an identification and wait for the crow to call. Uh-uh, no luck this time. Isn’t a crow a crow? Most people do not realize that in the United States (including Hawaii) there are possibly five…
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One of THE South’s Iconic Trees
Eileen and I love driving through a tunnel of trees and in the coastal plain of the southern states, one can find many locations meeting this description. A large tree with huge arching branches draped with Spanish moss, the live oak, Quercus virginiana Mill.(1), epitomizes the Deep South. Hollywood only needs to show images of…