I hadn’t been over there for several years, and it was time to refresh some old memories of forest walks and boat or kayak trips… Continue reading
Now as quiet as wind whispering through grass, a plateau rising from the flats of northern Alaska was for thousands of years a lookout for… Continue reading
Light rain fell as I left the Valley but, as usual, it fell more heavily as I neared the downtown area. Fog lay thick over… Continue reading
There are more than 20,000 species of ants, including such noticables as picnic ants, sidewalk ants, carpenter ants, and so on. Less noted by most… Continue reading
Most organisms have one of two basic, genetically programmed life histories. Some can (potentially) reproduce several times during their lives; they are said to be… Continue reading
Cow parsnip is known in our field guides as Heracleum lanatum, although it sometimes has other names. The flowers are typically displayed in big, flattish… Continue reading
I recently learned about a mysterious, relatively rare affliction of plants called “fasciation.” A fireweed plant at the Point Bridget trailhead had not developed the… Continue reading
The spring and summer flower show at Cowee Meadows (way out on the Point Bridget Trail) is always a treat, and the broad uplift meadows… Continue reading
Recent long-term studies revealed a three-quarters reduction of insects in parts of Germany and an 80 percent decline of pollinating flies at a field site… Continue reading
Most birds build some sort of nest where the eggs are incubated. In many species, the female does that job, and in many others both… Continue reading
Mid-June, and a few days ago we saw a wood duck with two tiny chicks on Moose Lake. Another female with two fluffy ones came… Continue reading
Spring temperatures were cool this year, but the lengthening days gave birds the signals they needed to start the baby business. By mid-May, a few… Continue reading
Egg-dumping refers to the behavior of a female who puts her eggs in another animal’s nest, leaving all other parental behavior to the host. Some… Continue reading
The sun came out! So it was a day for me and a friend to head to the Boy Scout Camp Trail, dodging rain puddles… Continue reading
I went on the Audubon cruise to Berners Bay in May, on a drizzly, breezy day. On the outbound trip, we enjoyed some of the… Continue reading
A parental duty of feeding the offspring can be very expensive in terms of energy expenditure and sometimes risks of predation. Many animals avoid that… Continue reading
Kevin White has placed his hands on the long, white fur of more than 400 Alaska mountain goats during the past 20 years. His diligence… Continue reading
These are some natural history tidbits about three of the several species I’ve enjoyed seeing this spring. Yellow-rumped warblers Usually the earliest warblers to arrive,… Continue reading
Two college students will soon be stuffing snow from the slopes of Alaska’s highest mountain into Nalgene bottles. Their goal is to see if that… Continue reading
A walk at Fish Creek was productive, as it usually is. The marine side of the point was full of ducks: widgeon, green-wing teal, mallards,… Continue reading
