Nature Note: A Naturalist's Travels Through Nature

It's important to take time to slow down even when you're a naturalist. Life can rev you up so quickly, so efficiently, that even in your daily routine, you might fail to notice a new spiderweb forming on a nearby window or the chewed remains of a walnut left by a squirrel on the front step. Recently, I have been looking to flowers to help buoy my mood. Alison has left for Nevada and although it's only been a week since I've seen her, the absence she left is palpable. I am alone and feel it as well. In an effort to try and motivate myself and brighten up the apartment where we have lived for the past four months, I bought a bouquet of sunflowers. I love sunflowers. Alison loves sunflowers too. They did an excellent job for a few days, but now their bulbous yellow crowns are drooping and fruit flies have taken up residence on their hairy stalks. As I write this, one is perched gingerly on the underside of one stalk, vibrating every time my fingers strike a key. I tho...

Adult snapping turtle at Beaver Lake in Baldwinsville, NY About two weeks ago on a visit to Beaver Lake Nature Center in Baldwinsville, NY, I spied a snapping turtle ( Chelydra serpentina ), paddling in the shallows of the pond. Rising from the muddy depths with plodding steps, it poked its head out of the water for a quick breather and a glance around. Fortunately I wasn't planning on going swimming that day, but certainly many a swimmer has felt the rush of adrenalin and pang of fear as they notice these ancient reptiles cruising past their toes! Snapping turtles have always had a fearsome reputation. Their fast and powerful bites are what enables them to capture fish, frogs, snakes, mice, and carrion, as well as some plant matter as well. Their bite force, while powerful, isn't the most powerful of all turtle species. According to a study by scientists from University of Amherst, University of Miami, and University of Massachusetts found that while the snapping tur...