Most people don’t like wasps, and for good reason – they can sting you! But not all wasps can sting, and even though the long-tailed giant ichneumon wasp looks pretty scary and intimidating, it is totally harmless to humans.
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Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Coastal Laughing Gull
Some people think all seagulls are the same. A seagull is a seagull, right? Wrong. According to the book Gulls of North America by Fred Shaffer, there are actually 27 species of gulls in North America alone.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Cheerful Tufted Titmouse
The tufted titmouse seems to be a cheerful bird – at least it sounds that way from its cheerful “peter-peter-peter” song. This small bird is mostly gray with a soft white belly. Most individuals have a light tan-colored patch on their sides, just below their wings.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Colorful Five-Lined Skink
Have you ever seen a skink? Skinks are pretty cool creatures. They are small lizards which are native to North America and many other parts of the world. The Five-Lined Skink, in particular, is a very handsome and colorful little lizard.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Goldenrod Soldier Beetle
Beetles are among the most common insect species on Earth. In fact, there are over 400,000 species of beetles known today, and those are just the species we know about right now. More species are being discovered and named every year.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Enormous Bugling Elk
In the western United States, the second largest member of the deer family roams the mountains and meadows. This is the elk, or wapiti as they were known to Native Americans when Europeans first appeared on the continent.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Ant-Eating Northern Flicker
The Northern Flicker is a large woodpecker that lives throughout the United States and most of North America. These birds are a bit larger than an American Robin and are often seen on the ground, similar to Robins.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Speedy Western Pronghorn
In the western United States, the fastest land animal is the Pronghorn. They look like antelope, and many people called these animals “pronghorn antelope” and “prairie antelope”, but they are actually not antelope at all.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Stinging Bald-Faced Hornet
Hornets! Bald-Faced Hornets! When some people hear those words, their first thought is to run! But there is no need to fear bald-faced hornets in most cases.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Subterranean Crawfish Frog
Of all the different frog species in North America, one of the most unusual and interesting is the Crawfish Frog. These shy frogs spend most of their lives underground, so few people ever see them.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Intelligent American Crow
American Crows are large, common birds that can be found throughout most of the United States and even much of Canada during the breeding season. One area that they really avoid is the dry, desert regions of the southwest USA.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Beneficial Midland Water Snake
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.