Nature Note: A Naturalist's Travels Through Nature

The Dangerous World of Butterflies: The Startling Subculture of Criminals, Collectors, and Conservationists by Peter Laufer, Ph. D. is an amazing ride through the world of butterfly obsessive people both good and bad and the intentions associated with that obsession. This books origins are as surprising as the content within as it begins with a chance meeting and comment by the author at a press conference about a recent book he wrote on the Bush war in Iraq. When asked about what his next book would be about, he jokingly replies: "...my next book...is going to be about butterflies and flowers." The response from the audience was predictably panto, but who was to know the journey it would take him on. Soon Laufer would encounter Jane and Jerry (Gerry?) Foulds who ran the Nicaragua-based butterfly preserve called Nicaragua Butterfly Reserva and introduced him to the astounding array of behaviors and colors associated with the native butterflies of this exotic land. As he g...

Ever seen Ax Men? No, I'm not going to start singing the "Lumberjack Song". But there's a specific tool used in logging to grind stumps and trees down that I thought of when I saw these critters today.   These Black Swallowtail ( Papilio polyxenes ) caterpillars were rescued from the makeshift butterfly house and are now growing in the office. They're currently feeding on Fennel ( Foeniculum vulgare ) and do so with extreme efficiency. They're so cute, especially when you give them a little squeeze so that their little horn appears. This is used to startle predators and prevent them from being eaten. They also produce a smell with it as well, but these little ones seemed a bit small. Later this weekend, I'll have a review of "The Dangerous World of Butterflies: The Startling Subculture of Criminals, Collectors, and Conservationists" by Peter Laufer, PhD. See you all soon!

A Palm Warbler ( Setophaga palmarum ) feeds among fading Goldenrods ( Solidago spp. ) and New York Asters ( Symphyotrichum spp.). A Song Sparrow ( Melospiza melodia ) plays hide and go seek while giving alarm calls all the while. This Brown Thrasher ( Toxostoma rufum ) proved to be a tough cookie to ID. I thought I was looked at an inverted color jay or even a late cuckoo, but the shape didn't seem right. I've been lucky to see so many this year. A Field Sparrow ( Spizella pusilla ) looks on as I watch it from the trail. Wary, but ubiquitous birds of the fields and meadows on the Stony Brook Millstone Watershed property. A towhee's eye view along one of the trails at SBMWA. The ground is just littered with hickory nuts at this time of year attracting the attention of squirrels and children alike. A recently molted American Wigeon ( Anas americana ) was floating around the pond. It was pointed out to me by my roommate and his girlfriend. Plenti...

As the end of the year draws close, I'm increasingly drawn to the idea of combining my nature blog with my birding blog. I came to this conclusion as I don't tend to update either in a timely manner, that having one blog to worry about would be easier than coming up with content for two. So I'll be posting other nature-based stuff from this account as well. Another announcement I wanted to make was that I'm restarting the Babe Ruth of Ornithology tournament. I felt that I didn't leave it off on a good note (considering I didn't even finish it either) and that I didn't learn what I wanted to in order to complete the goal. The format I'm pursuing this time around is one of multiple sources, as well as inquiring the input of others rather than my own biased opinion. Most of all, I'm curious to see where my quest will take me. My parents have mentioned multiple times that this idea should be published and I'll admit, I have thought about it. First ...