I was not the one to find the first morel of the year. Luckily, I’m very fond of my friend Zaac, who has a wonderful ability to spot an emerging morel in leaves.
I was surprised to see how much time this garter snake spent checking me out:
The moving picture feature of my Canon PowerShot A710IS comes in very handy on the trail.
These two rattlers were busy on Schunemunk Ridge several weeks ago, oblivious to their human audience.
Luckily they provided an opportunity to get still photos, too.
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. (more…)
Tags: Flowers, Hiking, Insects, Journal, Mammals, Reptiles
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? (more…)
Tags: Birds, Flowers, Hiking, Journal, Mammals, Reptiles
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.
Tags: Hiking, Insects, Mammals, Reptiles
This is the sound of spring peepers and wood frogs singing a duet when the weather was warm last month.
Tags: Hiking, Reptiles, Video, Water
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.
The pickerel frog had motivated my search. eNature, like Patuxent, offers photos, descriptions and sometimes audio. I’ll always love my books, but I really love the added info in these files.
Tags: Internet, Nature Curriculum, Reptiles, Tracks
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.
At dawn the air is cool, scented with pinkster and sweet fern. Yesterday fog swirled above the lake surface; today there is a barely perceptible breeze. (more…)
Tags: Climate Change, Hiking, Journal, Reptiles, Skywatching
Here’s what was on my mind this past week while (mostly) immersed in nature. (more…)
Tags: Birds, Foraging, Hiking, Internet, Journal, Mammals, Reptiles, Shelter, Skywatching, Survival, Tracks, Trees
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. (more…)