Blog Posts from Discover Nature Notes - 2015

Even in the dead of winter, things can get pretty lively around a bird feeder. It’s a meeting place for cardinals, blue jays, nuthatches and those “little brown birds”… the sparrow.

For many of us, the flashy, bold blue jay was the first bird we learned to identify. Jays are conspicuous because of their size and striking color.

Everyone enjoys a crackling fire on a cold winter night. Besides providing warmth and cheer, fire is part of an essential chemical cycle, the carbon cycle.

When discussing snakes, it’s important to separate fact from fiction. There are many myths about snakes. Immigrants brought myths from Europe and started new myths as they became acquainted with North American snakes.

“Birds of a feather, flock together.” Whoever coined that phrase noticed that when birds group together, they are usually of the same kind. But, what benefit do birds get from flocking?

The bobcat’s habitat has played a vital role in the history of the animal’s survival. Despite the profound change from wilderness to developed land, bobcats have managed to remain Midwest residents.

A heavy morning dew touches all of nature, especially the fine, geometric threads of a spider web.

Watch for flying bull-bats, a nickname for the common nighthawk in the September sky. Nighthawks are not “hawks” and also fly during daylight hours. Their loud calls will jar the night.

As streets and highways invade more and more animal habitats, the number of road-killed animals rises.