February seems early for spring, but here it is. Just about every tree that flowers is flowering now, where I live – both the native ones and the introduced.  When I was a kid they bloomed later than this.  Yes,…

I was thrilled – and baffled –  last week, watching Humpback Whales just 100 feet away from our wildly rocking boat. With my son and husband, I was on a whale-watching trip to the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary off…

I spotted this Brown Snake (Storeria dekayi) today on the road while I was taking a walk.   Almost all the snakes I’ve seen on roads in my neighborhood have been Brown Snakes.  I’ve wondered if Brown Snakes enjoy basking on…

Love these stinky Sigmoria millipedes with the bright yellow legs.  About 2 inches long, I see them moving across the forest floor in dampish forests, often in the mountains of NC and Va.  When handled, they give off a smell…

I went out during a drizzle in the mountains last week to look for salamanders. NC has more salamander species than any other state in the US, and with their moist skin, they like damp weather. This Red Eft was…

This Rosy Maple Moth turned up under an indoor light last week in the NC mountains. My friend Sonia pointed out the resemblance to Trump – ha ha! A gorgeous moth, in spite of that. It’s in the family Saturniidae,…

In the North Carolina mountains last week, I saw Pipevine Swallowtails every day “puddling” for water and nutrients. These were on a gravel driveway, lingering for hours. Others were on the ground in a grassy area.  I’ve never seen this…

I shrieked with glee when I saw this beautiful flatworm at a city greenway yesterday, crawling across the path. It’s an awesome “land planarian.” Ten-inches long! I used to find them under rocks in my backyard, back when there was…

Found this lovely in the shed and moved her outside. She’s a Carolina Praying Mantis, a smaller mantis species. That round belly means she’s full of eggs and will lay them soon, to hatch in the spring. Yay! We used to see mantises all the time — now it’s rare. Thanks to urban infill and the dadgum mosquito-sprayers. A guy was spraying my neighbor’s bushes for mosquitoes and had this logo on his business van: “GREAT FOR KIDS AND PETS!” I bet. Anyway, mosquitoes breed in water, not bushes – ???

Found this huge Bessbug in the backyard, displaced by our whacked-out climate. Bessbugs are cool – one of the only beetles that live in groups and raise their young communally. And communicate by squeaking! The rotting logs they live in…