Field Sparrow
Chautauqua County certainly has an abundance of old farm fields, but we should be hearing more Field Sparrows (Spizella pusilla), and other grassland birds, singing in the fields and other open areas across our region. The prairie habitat that once covered our landscape is long gone, but old, overgrown fields and hay fields provide a decent substitute for grassland birds. Even though their substitute habitat provides most of what these animals need, management practices can be challenges for them. Timing the mowing of these fields is important to protect nesting birds, and cutting in early...
Read MoreMonarch chrysalis
To whom does this stunning, sea-green chrysalis belong? Why, to the lovely “Danaus plexippus” of course! Before the monarch caterpillar inside initiated it’s metamorphic transformation, it would have fattened up on milkweed leaves in preparation for the process. Once it emerges, the adult butterfly has a long journey to Mexico ahead. Quite a remarkable life cycle; It’s no wonder that a young Roger Tory Peterson was fascinated with our local Lepidopterans!
Read MoreEastern Milk Snake
Here we have an Eastern Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum). These snakes are harmless, beneficial constrictors that help control rodent populations in your backyard. In spite of their considerable size (reaching almost 3 ft) and beautiful coloration, they are rarely seen. When cornered, a milk snake may hiss, vibrate its tail tip (imitating a rattlesnake), and even strike at you. However, its bite is harmless. Give them some space and any snake will slither away – likely never to be seen again. The common name ‘Milk Snake’ comes from an old, mistaken belief that the snakes drink milk from...
Read MoreLaurel Sphinx Moth Caterpillar
This Laurel Sphinx Moth (sphinx kalmiae) caterpillar – photographed by Twan Leenders in Jamestown, NY – definitely deserves to be in the limelight – it actually appears to emanate lime light! Roger Tory Peterson’s fascination with backyard nature began with the moths and birds that he discovered in what is now our own backyard! What amazing creatures await your acquaintance?
Read MoreBejeweled Journeyer
If you look closely, you will notice a metal band on the leg of this young Ruby-throated Hummingbird. It serves to identify unique individuals of these tiny birds and allows biologists to track their migration path. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds breed in the eastern USA during the summer, but they spend the winter in lower Central America. This bird was banded on an RTPI project in western Costa Rica and returned to the same site a year later, after it had made another successful trip to North America – a journey of at least 4,000 miles. Impressive for a bird that weighs not much more than a...
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