Nature Note: A Naturalist's Travels Through Nature

October is a strange month. Everything about it reeks of Hallowe'en or pumpkin flavoring or the last dregs of summer slowly fading into the bright fall colors and fresh breezes that we all wait for in the waning month of August. But there is something else just as noticeable as fall arrives and settles in and those are the abundant insects and other invertebrates that seem more visible than ever. While they are not a group that many are willing to actively look out for, they certainly are common enough to warrant a second look. This is the time of year when the crickets are in full song and the fuzziest caterpillars are migrating over the lawns and fields looking for a safe place to hole up for the winter months. It is also the time for the last butterflies flitting through the sunshine and for spiders to build their webs in wide open spaces to capture their abundant and unsuspecting prey. It has been over the past few weeks that several new and familiar invertebrates have caug...

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!