Finished its job

Finished its job

Today it was still cold and windy. So it is back to the warm Monday’s outing. Tomorrow more treasures from sunny Monday’s outing! A moon-watching robot can demystify what migrating birds do at night Great job Wes! Spiders are much smarter than you think Variations in Earth’s Magnetic Inclination Are “Stop Signs” for Migrating Songbird…

Milky white…

Milky white…

Take heart, spring is just around the corner as we still slip and slide today. With only one more cup of hot cocoa mix, it better be here sooner than later LOL. However, a lot of our native plant seeds need this cold stratification to germinate. So maybe just think of the good this cold…

Long johns day, eh!

Long johns day, eh!

OMG, it is cold today! Hence the long johns for me. Gracie, however, is always prepared with her fur coat LOL. In contrast, today’s post will take you back to our Monday’s outing when it was in the 70’s. The Unsung Heroes Who Ended a Deadly Plague The reign of the dinosaurs ended in spring…

Organ Pipe Mud Dauber

Organ Pipe Mud Dauber

While at Dixon a few weeks ago, I decided to collect a mud dauber nest/egg casing. It is a long bodied black wasp that is non-aggressive unless molested. Good to know right 😉 The scientific name is Trypoxylon politum. It was named in 1773. Politum comes from Latin meaning polished or smooth. Would one of the…

Same place

Same place

A few days later, Gracie and I decided to head back to the piney woods again on the grasslands with a few other two legged nature enthusiasts. Warming Temperatures Are Turning Antarctica Green For Female Yellowthroats, Beauty Isn’t Just Skin Deep Mosquitos learn to avoid pesticides after just one non-lethal dose Keep looking! The more…

A cool day

A cool day

A cool day and Gracie was feeling good. So a short morning outing to the grasslands was just the ticket on February 11th. 🙂 To sum up the outing, Gracie had a good time! Indeed, we did too! Also of note, the Tiny Bluet (Houstonia pusilla) and Whitlow Wort (Draba cuneifolia) are blooming now (Feb…

At the top of hill

At the top of hill

We were now winding our way back down the hill. The robber fly is an aerodynamic acrobat that can catch its prey in midflight Lichens Are in an Evolutionary Race Against Climate Change Where Black and Indigenous History Come Together Keep looking! The more you know, the more you see and the more you see,…

At the car

At the car

We made it back to the car, BUT I wanted to look for one more thing out on the barrens above the grotto. So off we went. Hidden Diversity: Undiscovered Species Are Hiding Right Under Our Noses Smithsonian Honors Female Scientists With 120 Bright Orange Statues Dinosaur Faces and Feet May Have Popped With Bright…

Back to the prairie

Back to the prairie

After being blown away by the soda straw stalactites, we decided it was time to head towards the car. This Ancient Roman ceramic pot was probably a portable toilet, study finds 6 strangest hearts in the animal kingdom A 7.5-feet-long mushroom canoe demonstrates the powerful versatility of mycelium Keep looking! The more you know, the…