Wildlife

A couple of weeks ago around 7 am, the neighbor’s large dog was barking in our yard. Our two smaller dogs weren’t barking, but they were looking up into a tall tree. In the branches – two black bear cubs! We figured the bigger dog had frightened them, and they climbed to safety. Glancing around, …

You may have heard it in the evening or late into the night: a yip, a chattering howl, an eerie chorus that reminds you that something is wild and awake and on the move. You don’t have to live near woods or a forest to hear it; you can hear the sounds in neighborhoods, towns, …

I’m not really scared of snakes, though they sometimes surprise me by seeming to appear out of nowhere. Over the years, we’ve found a number of black snakes in our yard; they’ve been in our chicken coop, in our driveway, even in my mother-in-law’s house! There have been enough of them that we began to …

The other day, as we were opening the door to go out, my daughter, son, and I heard something screaming in the woods up the hill behind our house. It sounded a lot like a person, and she and I became quite alarmed. It didn’t seem to bother my son at all. “Did you hear …

Whenever I mow close to the house, I notice a number of insects moving out of the grass. Some go up towards the windows and hang on the screens. There will often be at least one or two praying mantises in the group, some large and some small. And each time, I’m amazed by these …

Have you ever had a surprise guest to a barbecue or picnic? A few years ago we had a picnic in our backyard with lots of extended family. After eating, one of the kids needed to throw something away, so I told them to bring over a large garbage can. Imagine their surprise when they …

It’s happened again in my daughter’s basement bedroom! A new visitor appeared last week – and this time I became worried too. As she went in to get ready for bed, she flicked on the light, and found a black widow crawling up the wall! We’ve seen enough black widows outside over the years to …

My teenage daughter has a basement bedroom, one she doesn’t want to share with either her sister home from college or creepy crawlies from outside. She is always dismayed, then, when she finds either in her room, especially a creepy crawly. And the one that bothers her is the most is the centipede. With the …

It’s early December, and almost all the deciduous trees in our yard are bare. That makes it easier to see some feathered friends, especially cardinals with their bright red plumage. One red bird that’s difficult to spot throughout the year is the scarlet tanager. In the summer, these birds usually stay among the thick foliage …

We have had a few cold snaps already, and I’ve noticed a sharp decline in the number of insects around. So when my son and I were pulling up some vines the other day, you can image our surprise when a swarm of yellowjackets came up from the ground. We took off running as fast …

This Thursday is Thanksgiving, which for many Americans means a table laden with food like mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, pumpkin pie, and of course, turkey. And while you may be familiar with the domestic farm-raised turkeys that often end up as part of the Thanksgiving menu, there is another kind of turkey out there …

My seventeen-year-old is not a fan of creepy-crawly things, and she’s been working hard at keeping them out of her room. We live in an older home, so sometimes this proves to be quite a challenge. Imagine her shock and dismay to find another outdoor creature inside her space. This time, though, it wasn’t a …

We love snow days at my house. Because it doesn’t snow that often, we’re outside even on bitterly cold, windy snow days. Then, when we’re just too frozen to stay out any longer, we head inside for a bowl of hot soup or chili. But have you ever wondered what the birds eat during the …