Top Photo: Two adult red-tailed hawks silhouetted against the clouds as they soar above Butterfly House. Note that each bird is molting. The two red-tailed hawks above successfully nested on the museum grounds. They’re regular nesters. I rarely see eastern cottontails on our 84 acre campus, until this year. I’ve seen more this spring and summer than I have in perhaps the last 14 years of hiking the museum’s trails. Predator numbers must be down. Besides the red-tailed hawks above,Read more
Posts tagged: #Great Blue Skimmer
What’s Out There?
Top Photo: Great blue skimmer with prey. In one rather quick trip around the outdoor loop here at the museum I came upon a good bunch of interesting sights. In no particular order, here’s some of them. There are banana trees planted at several locations throughout the museum’s outdoor areas. The one pictured is in the garden next to Sprouts Cafe. Pomegranate is growing next to the bananas. Along the edge of that same garden I spotted a banded longhornRead more
Early Fall Sightings.
Out and about now, are a diverse group of fauna and flora. In no particular order, here’s some of the collection. Nettle is most often listed as the host plant for red admirals. The presence of nettle greatly increases your chances of seeing these colorful brush-footed butterflies. But, you may also see them at various locations during vernal and autumnal migrations. Not as noticeable and certainly not as well known as the monarch butterfly’s migrations, these butterflies do move northRead more
Hot Summer Sights
Even though it’s blistering hot outside, it’s still worth the trip outdoors to see what’s going on. Here’s proof. Some dragonflies. A trio of butterflies. A fly. And turtle news. Parting shot. Read more
Odes Around Us
Top Photo: Carolina saddlebags. Dragonflies and damselflies belong to an order of insect called Odonata. Dragonflies are in the suborder Anisoptera, the damsels in the suborder Zygoptera. Dragonflies usually hold their wings out to their sides when at rest. They are typically larger and bulkier than damselfies. Dragons have large compound eyes which, in many species, cover most of the head. Some species eyes only just meet at the top of the head, but still cover a large portion ofRead more
Just some odes
Each year I post some pictures of odes (usually the same species) that can easily be found in our Wetlands. Here’s this year’s group. These are all very common species which can be seen just about anywhere that there’s water. Their abundance, however, does nothing to diminish their allure. And finally, a close shot of… Enjoy!Read more
What Dragonfly is That?
In order to help those of you who are interested in knowing what it is that you’re looking at when you see a dragonfly whiz by you as you stand on the boardwalk and paths that encircle the Wetlands here at the Museum, I’ve decide to offer up a quick and very simple identification guide. Here, we’ll start with two common odes (dragonflies) that could possibly be mistaken for one another. Note: If you don’t care what the names ofRead more
Mocha anyone?
Back in July of 2008 I found the remains of a dragonfly on the path in Catch the Wind. There was enough of the insect to determine that it was a Mocha Emerald, a dragonfly of small, shady forest streams. I added that ode to the list of dragonflies that could potentially be encountered (alive) here at the Museum. I based the dragonfly’s inclusion to the list on the fact that I found the insect where I did (in CatchRead more