Autumn Meadowhawk

Posted on Nov 21, 2016

We are really at the end of the insect season now, and here was likely the last Autumn Meadowhawk dragonfly of the season for me last week. Our warm stretch allowed life to flourish a little longer than usual, a continuing impact of our changing climate. Each year we seem to be setting new records for the earliest spotted and latest recorded individuals of species of butterflies, birds, and sometimes even flowers. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator

Autumn Meadowhawk

Posted on Oct 26, 2016

Here is that other fall dragonfly I was talking about earlier this week – the Autumn Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum). Their common name certainly reflects when they are sighted, and fiery red males like this one add a little pop to the decaying leaves as they devour the last of the flying insects, from moths to mosquitoes. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator

Hidden Wood Duck

Posted on Dec 11, 2015

This pond had a bunch of Mallards, American Black Ducks, and some hybrids…and hidden in the back were a couple of Wood Ducks, a treat for a December day when this water could very well have been frozen over in many other years. I hope you will be able to put on your t-shirt and shorts and get outside to enjoy this unfathomable stretch of holiday heat this weekend. See what you can find and keep an open mind – in the past week I have seen uncommon lingering birds like these, a dragonfly (Autumn Meadowhawk) and a butterfly (Orange Sulphur). It’s unbelievable! Scott Kruitbosch...