Tag Archive | Adaptation

Discover the Wonders of Nature Through the Eyes of a Biologist

Did you know that millions of dragonflies migrate each fall? Did you know that shrews traverse their underground tunnels using echolocation? Did you know that some plants need fire to survive? These are some of the fascinating discoveries I reveal about the plants and animals found along the Connetquot River on Long Island in New […]

Mystery of the Tawny Sac: Understanding the World of the Praying Mantis

i ‘My childhood home was one of the thousands of post-World War II houses constructed on land that once was farmed for potatoes and other crops on Long Island. Yet, my yard was bustling with nature: butterflies visiting flowers, eastern cottontails hiding in the landscaped shrubs, and English sparrows nesting in the eaves of our […]

Have You Ever Seen a Grackle Fish?

During a recent trip to a restaurant on King’s Bay in Crystal River, Florida, I walked out on the dock where boat-tailed grackles were having their dinner too. I watched them strike the water to snatch small baitfish from the water and perch on the posts and railings of the dock where these birds and […]

The Plant That Escaped the Garden

The Plant That Escaped the Garden

Native to Europe, north Africa and areas in Asia, the lesser celandine was introduced into the American garden landscape in the 1900’s for its beautiful shiny yellow flowers and glossy green kidney shaped leaves. The plant adapted so well to our gardens that it escaped into nearby native woodlands where it formed thick mats of […]

The Tick Terminator

The Tick Terminator

Looking out my Florida room window into my backyard, I was pleasantly surprised to see North America’s only marsupial in my garden – the opossum. Normally, nocturnal, it must have been hungry to be out during the daylight scavenging for a bite to eat. There is plenty to munch on – frogs, lizards, snakes, large […]