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Plethodon complex salamander
Yesterday, March 12, I photographed a salamander in the yard. After I did an initial search for an ID, I sent the photos to Bill Dunson. He forwarded them to a couple of experts and recommended that I send the pics to the president of the Virginia Herpetological Society, which I did.
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FINALLY...The Elusive Red Crossbill
In the birding world, folks talk about their nemesis bird, the one that got away, that elusive, irritating species that everyone else sees but you. Bragging rights and chest pounding are not uncommon.
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Fox Squirrel
The fox squirrel that first appeared in the yard on December 12 continues to return periodically. This morning, Christmas Eve, it came to the pole feeder in front of the study window, enabling me to take a photo in spite of the cloudy weather.
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September sightings
I had several interesting visitors to my moth sheet and porch during September. The first was an American Toad that was obviously looking for a meal.
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Painful garden encounter
For the first time in nearly five years, I have been able to garden again. It became crucial to create a deer free zone, not an easy task...combining hard work and the cost of fencing.
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What moths do at night
Because we see moths at lights or resting quietly somewhere during the day, it's easy to forget that many of them sip nectar just like their butterfly cousins. Here are two that visited my butterfly bushes on August 31.
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Orange-striped Oakworms
This is the wandering season for oakworms. They come down from the trees and look, sometimes at considerable distances from the trees, for places to pupate in the ground. My wife found one and later I found two more on the back porch. Here's the caterpillar.
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Dragonfly Migration at Rocky Knob
Watching dragonflies as they fly southward across the pasture at Rocky Knob is for me the favorite part of the fall migration watch. I enjoy the flights of hawks, and swifts and swallows, and butterflies too. Perhaps a close 2nd to the dragonflies are the hummingbirds.