Enjoying nature is in the little things, like this insect (I think it’s a firefly) on a laurel node. Dawn and dusk are the best times for hiking; that’s when I see the most wildlife activity.

My early morning nature hikes make me feel like I am in a holy place. With images like this, what other way is there to see the natural world?

The days are still getting longer, making it easier for animals to get around. Here’s who was out and about this morning: This porcupine is aware I’m watching. Porcupines cannot “throw” their quills. Quills penetrate the skin of animals that touch them.

This is the sound of spring peepers and wood frogs singing a duet when the weather was warm last month. The swamp was too deep for me to get a glimpse, but the duet is still beautiful. [youtube lCkHHWFsFzM nolink]

I really like having a ready reference online, in addition to my field guides.

The eNature site is my latest reliable site for identification. It lets me narrow the field by zip code if I want to narrow my search. In addition to the Patuxent site for bird identification, this eNature site is now bookmarked for my ready reference.

I’ve been out at the lake before sunrise for the last several days.

The calendar may say it’s spring, but the heat and humidity say it’s summer.

Here’s what was on my mind this past week while (mostly) immersed in nature.

I know I’m on the right trail at all levels when I get a magical woods moment.

Today I heard the call of wood frogs. It took me a minute to connect the odd quacking with the shallow, partially melted pond, which had been buried under snow the last time I walked here.

What I really like about the enature site and the Patuxent bird site is the sound files and video files for many species.

Nature poem