By Rachel Sargent Mirus On a winter day, I drove down to a nearby wetland bisected by a town road and walked carefully onto the ice. I was looking for cattail heads to dissect so I could meet the caterpillars […]
Category: The Outside Story
Column, The Outside Story
The under-ice food web is alive, well
By Declan McCabe Earlier this winter, I took to the pond ice — not to skate, but to peek below the surface. Although lake ecologists once considered the plankton in frozen lakes to be dormant during winter, recent studies reveal […]
Column, The Outside Story
Ruffed grouse: Our unexpected winter visitor
By Tim Traver A few weeks ago, I noticed a dark, football-shaped shadow skulking quietly among the stems of honeysuckle and lilac by our driveway. I was throwing seeds to the blue jays that wait for it in the morning, […]
Column, The Outside Story
Crows in winter
By Susan Shea During winter, I catch glimpses of crows as they fly swiftly over our valley, cawing, or gather in small groups to feed on roadkill along the highway. Sometimes I find their wandering tracks leading to holes in […]
Column, The Outside Story
Western conifer seed bugs come inside
By Declan McCabe I was settling in to answer a few emails when I heard, “Dad, some huge bug just flew into the lamp shade!” As the designated bug catch-and-releaser, I pressed into action. A western conifer seed bug (Leptoglossus […]
Column, The Outside Story
How birds weather winter
By Rebecca Perkins Hanissian Were it not for compelling evidence to the contrary, I’d believe I descended from birds – migratory birds in particular. So familiar to me are the urges and behaviors of migratory birds, I’m pretty sure I […]
Column, The Outside Story
Mushrooms in winter
By Frank Kaczmarek Winter is far a far cry from being prime mushroom hunting season. Most fungi stop producing mushrooms, or fruiting bodies, in early autumn, and their hyphae (filamentous structures that are the main part of the fungal body) […]
Column, The Outside Story
Downy woodpeckers are well adapted to winter
By Lee Emmons On winter mornings, I often venture outside to photograph the assembly of birds that visit the feeders in my front yard. One of the regular visitors is the diminutive downy woodpecker, which clings to my peanut feeder, […]
Column, The Outside Story
Fungi may kill winter ticks, and help moose survive
By Rachel Sargent Mirus Legend says a stake through the heart will kill a vampire. But it’s a bit more complicated if you’re plagued – as moose can be – by tens of thousands of tiny blood-suckers. In the case […]
Column, The Outside Story
Snowy owls erupt in number
By Meghan McCarthy McPhaul Here’s a quiz for Harry Potter fans: What kind of owl played Hedwig in the movies? If you guessed a snowy owl, you’re correct. With their bright yellow eyes, bulky-looking bodies, and white feathers that cover […]