I’ve always been interested in insects and spiders, but being small they are very hard to draw from life. Another option is to use dead specimens under a scope, which loses all of the magic of a heathy specimen. Getting … Continued
We get White-breasted Nuthatches year round here in Michigan. They are energetic little birds with just the right amount of attitude. A five year old was watching me draw while I was waiting for my kids at karate. I asked … Continued
I found my first Eastern Box Turtle in January of 1989. It was a Florida subspecies. What a fantastic experience that was. At the time I was in grad school and was a Teaching Assistant for a course on Ecology … Continued
Most sparrows don’t seem very dramatic at first glance. From a distance the majority seem to be generic little brown-gray birds. With time and a nice set of binoculars, the sparrows really come to life. You get to appreciate how … Continued
Harvestmen are an interesting creatures. Growing up we always called them daddy longlegs. The scientists call them Opiliones. Although they are arachnids, they are not spiders, despite sharing many superficial characteristics. Both have eight legs and two body segments. In … Continued
There are certainly a lot of interesting backyard birds. Of them, I’m quite fond of catbirds. They regularly visit to the jelly feeders that we started for the Baltimore Orioles. We have been surprised at the number of birds that … Continued
House wrens cause me some conflict. They are undeniably cute. These tiny birds also seem intelligent, resourceful, adaptable and curious. Those are good qualities. At the same time, they are bullies having some nasty habits. The little squirts have a … Continued
At first glance, the milkweed leaf beetle looks like a ladybug on steroids. After that cursory look, you can appreciate that it has a more dome-like abdomen, larger antennae, and is missing the white dots on the side of the … Continued
Bigger isn’t always better. These tiny weevils are fascinating despite their minuscule size. It is easy to overlook these 5-6mm beetles. I didn’t come across these much as a kid growing up in rural western New York. In Michigan they … Continued
