Comments for Exploring Nature Blog

Comment on Paying Attention to Animal Signs by Catharus

Catharus — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 11:06:42 +0000

‘Always good to read your blog! Thanks! Yes, I wish I were in a location able to take advantage of Sue Morse’s class. It all sounds like a lot of fun!

Comment on Dressed for Winter by catharus

catharus — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 12:38:06 +0000

Lovely story! I didn’t know Barred Owls can change their plumage so in the winter. Thanks!

Comment on Early Morning Sightings by jims

jims — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 19:01:22 +0000

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a muskrat, but we have rodents with the odd name of nutria. They were imported from South America for their fur, but got loose and now inhabit the gulf coast and much of the east coast. They look very much like a muskrat, only larger and without the flattened tail. They’re not terribly welcome as they inhabit wetlands and like to eat roots and bulldoze through the mud, so they are quite destructive. As I recall, nutria eat something like a mere 10% of the plants that they actually destroy as they root.

Comment on A Great Outdoorsman is Lost by Steve

Steve — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 16:48:37 +0000

How sad and depressing. My wife and I have his books, not only because you illustrated one, but because we both recognized that he was a gifted naturalist and writer. Dennis had a real talent for identifying interesting, less travelled paths not found in other books. We also found his tips and advice on hiking with children to be very helpful and right on the money. It’s a bit strange that even though I never met him, I feel like I lost a close friend. That is a testament to the intimacy of his writing. We miss him already.

Comment on When We Were Young and it Rained… Goldfish by jims

jims — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:35:01 +0000

That’s a great idea. I’ll have to look at the source you cited. There are a couple of area in the yard that tend to collect water. I was considering getting the thing declared a wetland.

Comment on The Panda and its Spots by jims

jims — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 16:35:10 +0000

I wonder if another aspect of the coloration is that they have no predators, so there has been no evoluntionary pressure to develop a drab coloration.

Just a thought.

Comment on The Most Dangerous Animal on Earth by jims

jims — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 04:43:42 +0000

The idea that humans are the most dangerous animal was insightful. I wouldn’t have thought of that.

I have to wonder. I think that insects probably have us beat as far as causing deaths, but it’s a pretty close call. It’s ironic that in the 20th century we made the greatest advances in medicine, yet at the same time invented weapons capable of taking lives at a scale unprecedented in all of history.

But insects carry at least as many weapons as we. Yellow fever, malaria, dengue, bubonic plague, trypanosomiasis (sleeping disease), leishmaniosis…just to name a few.

The “most dangerous animals” quiz can be a stumper. Ask people about the most dangerous animal in Africa and they’ll probably say lion. Maybe cape buffalo. But as you’ve mentioned before, the most dangerous animal in Africa is the hippopotamus. Ask someone about the most dangerous animal in North America and they might guess moose (a good answer) or grizzly bears (another good answer), cougars or rattlesnakes; but surprisingly deer cause the most deaths. They can and do attack people. In his autobiography “Guts”, Gary Paulson relates witnessing a fatal attack. Most fatalities, though, are caused when people hit deer on the road and the deer crashes through the windshield. Inadvertent though it may be, it’s still a danger.

Comment on Wanted – Animals – Dead or Alive – Okay… Dead Would Be Best… by jims

jims — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 04:50:19 +0000

I worked with a guy who was married to a forensic veterinarian and she was once pulled over for speeding while she had two deceased dolphins in the back of her car. I thought that was the ultimate. But strapping a former raccoon to the roof of a car–that might take the prize.

Comment on Electrical Experience by jims

jims — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:04:59 +0000

Just had an “electrical experience” here about a week ago.

A particularly violent storm blew in very quickly and I ran outside to make sure that everything was tied down, staked down, etc. I heard a huge thunderclap that told me the lightening was quite close, so I finished my inspection and hurried inside. We heard several more loud crashes after that, then the storm moved on.

Later on while inspecting things we discovered that a tree not 50 feet from the house had been struck. The lightening hit the tree at the very top (maybe 60 feet) and ran all of the way down the trunk to ground. It blew off a strip of bark the entire length of the tree. The strip varies from around 12 inches or so at the top and narrows to around four inches at the bottom. We found pieces of bark blown as far as 30 feet from the tree.

I actually wish I’d seen the strike. It must have been spectacular.

Comment on Electrical Experience by jims

jims — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 04:49:38 +0000

Lightning is an amazing force. One of nature’s ways of reaffirming who is in charge here.

I once had lightning strike fairly close by. In the split second before it hit my hair stood on end and a little voice in my head said “Lightning”. The strike was something I’ll never forget and though I didn’t get hit by electricity, it was a while before I got my hearing back.