Cat Patrol
Why oh why is this cat outside? They kill literally billions of birds across North America each year before we even mention their damage to the small mammal population, the majority of these strikes being for play or to satisfy an instinctual need – not survival. Let us also remember the safety of these furry family members as we enter the cold weather season apart from all of the other threats such as vehicles, chemicals, larger mammalian predators, and so on. Please, please, please keep your cats in your home. They live far longer this way and your vet bills will go down as...
Read MoreEastern Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum)
I love happy endings! Several weeks ago, one of our neighbors contacted me because she had seen a gorgeous Eastern Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum) near her bird feeders. She liked the snake, but liked her birds better and did not want to see her bird feeder become a snake feeder. I assured her that Milk Snakes are more likely to help her control the rodents in her yard than decimate her songbirds, but we agreed that if it would show up again I would come and get the snake and find it a new home. To my great surprise a few days ago I got a call from our front desk that somebody wanted to...
Read MoreSwamp Sparrow
Swamp Sparrows can sometimes be difficult to photograph, but no one told this bird that it was not supposed to be captured this way! Those brush piles can be very productive at this time of year. Make sure to have one or two in your yard this winter, especially if you have bird feeders nearby. They provide cover and a great photographic opportunity.
Read MoreYellow-striped Armyworm Moth
This looks like the Yellow-striped Armyworm (Spodoptera ornithogalli) moth featuring a delightfully intricate and attractive pattern on those wings. There are shapes, lines, blurry patches and designs within designs. This late August sighting knew how to show off its subtle beauty.
Read MoreExplicit Arches
While I have not posted too many moths lately, I have kept on mothing, as a young Roger Tory Peterson did, throughout the summer. It is time consuming to go through the photos that I take of what I find at my lights, especially when trying to identify eight or ten or more new species. Every couple of weeks there are different species occurring as flight seasons shift through the year. Some of that identification is going to have to wait for the winter. Nevertheless, I discovered this outrageously cool individual last night that I had to share now. Naturally it was on a shutter on the side of...
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