Confused about deer crossings
This viral video has already had more than 1.6 million views. But it is amusing, so in case you missed it I've embedded in below.
Direct link to video: http://youtu.be/CI8UPHMzZm8.
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Author: Deb Platt
Southeast Ohio Fall Foliage
This weekend we went to two sites to take in the fall color: Airplane Rock in the Hocking State Forest and Christmas Rocks State Nature Preserve in Fairfield County. The trees in Hocking State Forest were just starting to turn colors, so we felt that we were there a little too early to see the colors at their peak. We were also surprised that there was a crowd of people at Airplane Rock. In contrast Christmas Rocks is a bit farther north, and it was definitely more colorful. In addition Bob and Read more ➜ Putting the “Farm” into Malabar Farm
Previously I've discussed Louis Bromfield's home at Malabar Farm, the Bacall/Bogart wedding that was held there, and the beautiful fall foliage. Today I'd like to address the farm itself. While facing the big barn with the mural, you'll note a small sign pointing toward a downward ramp to the left. If you go down this ramp, you can check out the farm animals like the attractive rooster above. Below are a few more animals in and around the barn.
Typically there are some Read more ➜ Can you spot the crab spider?
There's a crab spider lurking in the cluster of flowers pictured above. Crab spiders pretend to be part of a flower, and when an unsuspecting insect arrives to sample the flower's nectar, he'll pounce on it and have it for lunch. If you've spotted him (or given up trying), click the "Continue reading" link to see him plainly.
He's turned his body sideways so he can hold a couple of his legs straight up. He 's trying to pretend that his legs are stem-like structures. Now that I've Read more ➜ September Wildflowers
Below are a couple of dozen wildflowers that I photographed last month. I have numbered all the photos, so you can refer to the flower's number if you want to talk about a specific one. I haven't been able to identify all of them, so if you see one that you recognize please leave me a comment. Oh, and if you think I've misidentified any, I'd love to hear from you.
Read more ➜ The beginning of fall color
Here's several photos from the area around Boch Hollow. They were taken September 29th, 2012.
Boch Hollow is a State Nature Preserve in Hocking County, a bit south of central Ohio.
Read more ➜ Mother Goldfinch Feeding her Fledgling
I decided to set up a bird feeder a few years back because there was just so much snow that year that I felt bad for the little creatures.
Although I originally thought I'd just feed the birds until the snow melted, I ended up feeding the birds all year. One of the rewards of feeding the birds in the summer is getting to watch the parent birds feed their young at the bird feeder. By the time that the young birds can fly around after their parents they are just about the same size as mom Read more ➜ Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies and Black Butterflies of All Sorts
Butterflies with elegant projections extending from their hind wings are known as "swallowtails"; the swallowtails can be seen clearly below. However as a butterfly ages, the outer edges of its wings start to wear away. The thin, little swallowtails are usually the first to go. So you may find yourself looking at a swallowtail species without seeing any swallowtails at all. The "tiger" part of this butterfly's name comes from the four black stripes that start at the outer, front edge of its wings
It's Read more ➜ Beechdrops: Our third plant without chlorophyll
Most plants are green because of their chlorophyll which both tints their leaves and allows them to manufacture their own nutrition. However there are plants without chlorophyll; these plants aren't green, nor do they have leaves. So they turn to other living things to meet their nutritional needs. There are two categories of plants without chlorophyll depending on whether the plant directly gets its nutrition from another plant, or indirectly via a fungus which in turn gets its food from a plant. Read more ➜ Nature Center at Shawnee State Park
While visiting Shawnee State Park, we decided to stop off at the park's nature center, and we're glad that we did. It turns out that this is the only nature center operated by our state government where the public can touch or hold the local wildlife. The wildlife that was present during our visit consisted of various reptiles and amphibians. In the topmost photo, the park's naturalist lifted an Eastern ratsnake from the terrarium and held it so that visitors could touch it's skin. If a guest was Read more ➜