Bird vs. Fish

My Favorite Places I’ve Been Birding

Phew — just typing that title sounds daunting; there are so many! I don’t know how I’m going to break this list up but I figured I’d at least start it and chip away as I go. Please comment regionally with your favorite places too! My current home city is Duluth, MN so my favorite […]

MD Historic Land Cover

This is long overdue, but I’m finally trying to do a deep dive into what my home landscape would have looked like. The land cover would have been broadly (i.e. statewide) hardwood-dominated forest composed of “oak, tulip-poplar, eastern hemlock, beech, loblolly pine, white pine & American chestnut.” However, a more detailed account records a fascinating prehistory: By 400 CE, holly, […]

MD Butterflies

We arrived late tonight/early morning at home, where we’re stopping over before making the final leg of the move. So, I compiled a list of species that can be found in my home region (PD) this time of year (L-July)! pipevine swallowtail spicebush swallowtail little yellow sleepy orange dainty sulphur hickory hairstreak: historical records from […]

Moving to Cape May!

Today we left the Midwest; moves are always bittersweet. Yet, I’m so excited to explore the ecosystems of my soon to be new home!

WI Butterflies – Last Week July

marine blue – very rare! green comma tawny-edged skipper

L.H. Barkhausen

We walked around in the sensory woods and up to the observation tower tonight!

Lilly Lake

We got Paul’s canoe and went for a paddle on this lovely Brown Co. WI lake this evening!

NEOWISE

We got to see this amazing comet tonight!

WI Butterflies – 3rd Week July

Bold species found in Douglas Co., WI! striped hairstreak northern broken-dash black dash

Enos Colburn park

We revisited the park this evening but with new eyes: I learned that the trees were more or less “original,” or probably a century or 2 old! I looked at the 1976 Wisconsin historic landcover map, and learned that Paul’s grandparents’ suburban yard was likely originally sugar maple, basswood, red oak, white oak and black […]