Author Archives: Greg Dodge, Ranger
We’re now entering the time of the year when there are more frogs in and around the Wetlands than at any other time. With the offspring of all of the frogs and toads that bred earlier in the season now becoming frogs, the numbers may be as high as they will be for the rest [...]
Large Milkweed Bugs have hatched out as there were many nymphs on the Butterfly Weed in Catch the Wind during the first week of August. This was only a few days after seeing both Large and Small Milkweed Bugs mating and inspecting this plant. Seven days later the nymphs began to take on some of [...]
It was just after noon on the first Friday of August. It was hot and humid. Earlier that morning Wayne, Camp Counselor, had reported seeing a large crawfish walking across the pavement in Explore the Wild. Over the past couple of months many of these large arthropods have been observed walking the paths of both Explore [...]
During the month of July, I casually monitored the progress of two young Cooper’s Hawks that fledged here at the Museum. I would sometimes see the birds through the trees hopping and flying from limb to limb, but more often I would hear them whining for food back among the pines on the north side [...]
It has been widely reported over the last week or so that Eastern Tiger Swallowtails are being seen in large numbers throughout our area (the Carolinas). Listservs such as Carolina Leps have had posts which speak of “an explosion of Tiger Swallowtails” and subject lines like “Tigers!” and ”Day of the Tiger.” It’s no different here [...]
Posted in Insects and Other Arthropods, Summer | Tagged eastern toger swallowtail, large milkweed bug, little glassywing, milkweed, Monarch, pipevine, pipevine swallowtail, Silver-spotted Skipper, small milkweed bug, snowberry clearwing, tuberosa
Pointed out to me by Summer Camp Counselor, Meghan, outside the doorway to the Lep Lab at the Butterfly House, the little snake in the image above was a bold snake, considering it was only six or seven inches in length. Garter snakes are ovoviviparous which means that the female produces eggs but retains the [...]
On July 16th as Ranger Kristin and I walked through Explore the Wild, a tiny, grayish frog hopped out onto the pavement. The tiny frog was a Cope’s Gray Treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis). The little frog (about 15 mm) had only recently morphed from a tadpole after having been deposited in the Wetlands as an egg, [...]
Family of Bluebirds