Tag Archive | Adaptation
The Noisy Hawk
Stepping out of my Florida home one morning, I hear the scream-like call of the red-shouldered hawk, a species known for its loud raucous cries and sharp whistles that can be heard from a mile away. I watch it fly over our homes and into a laurel oak tree where it rests briefly then flies […]
The Ubiquitous Moss
Mosses are primitive plants that come in many forms and grow in a variety of habitats. These plants produce spores, not seeds and the spores are so light that they are carried into the atmosphere and around the world. The haircap moss grows on nearly every continent on earth. Up close, it looks like a […]
Wild Goblets
As I have indicated in the last few posts, winter woodlands are at first look, devoid of color. Yet if you take the time to look closely, you can find colorful treasures dangling from shrubs, and growing on the forest floor. One bit of light green that grows amongst mosses on logs and exposed nutrient […]
British Soldiers
I love finding a bit of color in the drab winter landscape. The eye-catching British soldier lichen pops out in the winter woodlands. It grows on fallen decaying logs and tree stumps. Lichens are two organisms that live together for the benefit of each other. Microscopically, you would see a fungus with algae growing on […]
The Turkey’s Tail
The naked winter forest in North America provides an opportunity to find cocoons of overwintering moth larvae, dried wasp galls and fungi that are often overlooked by the average hiker. I love spending the winter in the woodlands to find these organisms. During a recent walk in the Maryland woods, I came across a fungus […]
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