The common Mourning Cloak butterfly (Nymphalis antiopa) is a beautiful harbinger of spring. It gets its name from the German word “trauermantel”, which translates to “mourning coat” or “mourning cloak”.
All in Wildlife Watching
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: Fast-Moving Leopard Frogs
The handsome northern leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens) has been a perennial favorite among frog lovers for many years. These fast-moving amphibians are usually green or brown in color, with large dark-colored spots on their backs, sides and legs. The spots are reminiscent of the spots on African leopards, hence the name.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Singing Carolina Wren
Backyard birds come in all shapes and sizes. There are robins, finches, sparrows, cardinals, blue jays and many others. But one of the smallest and most secretive is the diminutive Carolina wren. Yet despite their small size and shy nature, Carolina wrens are real powerhouses when it comes to singing.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Cute Whitetail Deer Fawn
It seems like everyone loves whitetail deer fawns. They are so cute, how can you help but fall in love with them? Within 30 minutes of birth, they can stand on their long, spindly legs all by themselves. They may not be terribly coordinated yet, but they will be walking within a few hours.
Close Adventures Of The Wolf Kind
Jenny Biolo, who lives in far northwest Wisconsin, is likely the only woman in the country, maybe in North America, who had to courage to take on a wolf with a stick. “He wasn’t expecting a 33-year old blonde with a stick when came after my daughter’s goat,” said Biolo.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Fearsome Dragonfly
Dragonflies are carnivorous aerial predators. They have a long body and two pairs of clear wings. Their head is dominated by two large, multifaceted eyes that give them superior vision.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Acrobatic Red-Breasted Nuthatch
Some of the fastest and most acrobatic little birds around are the nuthatches. One of those species is the small but feisty Red-Breasted Nuthatch. These tiny, bluish-gray birds have a very distinctive face with a black cap, black eye stripe and a bright white eyebrow stripe.
The Yaak Valley Embodied
Last Wednesday, I was working on a tool shed at our cabin in the Yaak in northwestern Montana. The light was fading, and I was getting a bit tired, so I turned around and headed back toward the cabin, hammer still in hand. I froze.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Unfreezable Wood Frog
Have you ever seen a wood frog? Wood frogs are not as familiar to most of us as the common bullfrogs and green frogs that we see near ponds and lakes, but wood frogs live throughout much of the Midwest and northeastern United States and most of Canada.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Rare Black Squirrel
Everyone is familiar with squirrels. In certain areas, gray squirrels are the most common. In other areas it is the larger fox squirrel. There is another squirrel that you might see, however, and it is jet black.