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
One of the more recognizable birds in North America has to be the Northern Cardinal. Almost everyone can identify the male. They seem to be plastered on every bag of bird seed, so they are a popular marketing tool as … Continued
As a homeschooling Dad I try to keep some of our studies on the sly. We don’t really stop our studies when all the other kids are on break… instead we do what I call the “Summer Slow” where we … Continued
Sparrows are underrated. To most people they are just LBBs–little brown birds. Sure, they aren’t the flashiest of birds, but they have a subtle beauty about them. Some are downright beautiful if you only take the time to look carefully … Continued
