Cow parsnip is known in our field guides as Heracleum lanatum, although it sometimes has other names. The flowers are typically displayed in big, flattish… Continue reading
I recently learned about a mysterious, relatively rare affliction of plants called “fasciation.” A fireweed plant at the Point Bridget trailhead had not developed the… Continue reading
To my left is a man with a thick British accent who piled a few forkfuls of eggs benedict onto the sourdough and ate it… Continue reading
From space, the Nogahabara Dunes are a splotch of blond sand about six miles in diameter surrounded by green boreal forest. Located west of the… Continue reading
The spring and summer flower show at Cowee Meadows (way out on the Point Bridget Trail) is always a treat, and the broad uplift meadows… Continue reading
Recent long-term studies revealed a three-quarters reduction of insects in parts of Germany and an 80 percent decline of pollinating flies at a field site… Continue reading
Most birds build some sort of nest where the eggs are incubated. In many species, the female does that job, and in many others both… Continue reading
Our floatplane cleared the notch in the snowy ridge then turned slightly north as the mountain dropped below us. The pilot gave Mark, Matt and… Continue reading
Mid-June, and a few days ago we saw a wood duck with two tiny chicks on Moose Lake. Another female with two fluffy ones came… Continue reading
“You guys are the result of thousands of years of selection,” Fran Kohl said. “You haven’t scratched the surface of what you can do with… Continue reading
Dolly Parton-inspired fun run raises funds for free books for kids.
Spring temperatures were cool this year, but the lengthening days gave birds the signals they needed to start the baby business. By mid-May, a few… Continue reading
Human footprints preserved in mud at White Sands National Park in New Mexico suggest that humans arrived there — possibly via Alaska — at least… Continue reading
Daylight is unstoppable this time of year. Not like up in the Interior or North Slope, but there is a similar feeling of obligation if… Continue reading
Egg-dumping refers to the behavior of a female who puts her eggs in another animal’s nest, leaving all other parental behavior to the host. Some… Continue reading
More than 100 years ago, a man traveled north on a mission most people thought was ridiculous — to see if crops would grow in… Continue reading
The sun came out! So it was a day for me and a friend to head to the Boy Scout Camp Trail, dodging rain puddles… Continue reading
In my young trout bum days I’d go hard. It was the trade off for living in California. I’d pack my gear so I could… Continue reading
I went on the Audubon cruise to Berners Bay in May, on a drizzly, breezy day. On the outbound trip, we enjoyed some of the… Continue reading
A parental duty of feeding the offspring can be very expensive in terms of energy expenditure and sometimes risks of predation. Many animals avoid that… Continue reading