A lot of people do not like snakes. But snakes are actually a valuable part of the environment, and they have an important role to play wherever they live. Most snakes are totally harmless, too.
All in Wildlife Watching
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Elusive Red-Eyed Vireo
There are many birds that are often heard but rarely seen. One of those is the elusive Red-Eyed Vireo. These birds are a dull olive-green color above with a white breast.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Multi-Colored Striped Shiner
Minnows are interesting fish that most people never think about. When people do think of minnows, they usually think about them as being used as bait to catch bigger fish.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Hungry Ring-Billed Gull
Gulls, or seagulls, as many people refer to them, comprise a large group of birds that are associated with water and coastlines. The Atlantic and Pacific oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, the Great Lakes – all of these host populations of different species of gulls.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Native Forest Tent Caterpillar
Caterpillars are cool creatures. They hatch from tiny eggs and usually grow through multiple stages, or instars, before going through the amazing process of metamorphosis and turning into a beautiful butterfly or moth.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Tiny Least Sandpiper
Of all the various shorebirds in North America, the Least Sandpiper is the smallest. In fact, they are only a little larger than a sparrow. They are mostly brown above with mottling on their head, back and wings. Their bright white belly stands out against their coal-black eyes and bill.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Beautiful Rainbow Trout
Trout are coldwater fish. The rainbow trout prefers water temperatures ranging between 45-65 degrees Fahrenheit, and they need cold, clean water with good oxygen levels to thrive. Although they can endure warmer water temperatures into the mid-70s, they will always seek out cooler water if it is present.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Reclusive Swainson’s Thrush
There are quite a few different species of thrushes in the bird world, and one of the more interesting is the Swainson’s Thrush. Like most thrushes, these birds are fairly shy and secretive. They prefer to stay out of sight in the shelter of the forest’s dense undergrowth where few people see them.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Tiny Summer Azure Butterfly
There are lots of beautiful butterflies flying around in North America – big ones, small ones, colorful ones – but one of the smallest is the Summer Azure butterfly. This beautiful, tiny butterfly has a wingspan of only about an inch and a half, and it flies very quickly and erratically through the countryside.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Grass-Loving Savannah Sparrow
There are many different species of sparrows in North America, and some of them can be difficult to identify. Most of them are relatively small and brown in color, and most people just call them “sparrows”.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Periodical Cicada
The Periodical Cicada is a fairly large insect that emerges en masse – or in huge numbers – in the eastern half of the United States in certain years. The adult insects of many of these species have black upper bodies with orange legs and orange underparts.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Common House Sparrow
Few birds are more common in North America than the House Sparrow. That’s somewhat unfortunate, since house sparrows are not a native species here. They are actually native to Europe, Asia and North Africa.