The Outside Story: Why some mushrooms glow in the dark
Bioluminescence is light generated from chemical reactions in the bodies of living things, and beings from fireflies and jellyfish to some bacteria and – yes – fungi can produce this effect.
The Outside Story: Varied flora and fauna call cliffs home
We tend to think of cliffs as solely geological features. But they also host distinct natural communities of plants and animals.
The Outside Story ‘Doodlebug, Doodlebug, Are you at home?’
The doodlebug waits. It is patient. It is silent. And it is hidden under a fine layer of dry, loose, sandy soil at the bottom of a small conical pit.
Yes, that’s a wasp emerging from a chrysalis
A caterpillar eats and eats, becomes a chrysalis, and after a period of metamorphosis emerges as a beautiful butterfly! Except, sometimes… it doesn’t quite work that way.
The Outside Story: North meets south with hybrid flying squirrels
If you’re where winter nights are coldest and pine forests abound, you’re likely in the presence of Glaucomys sabrinus, the northern flying squirrel. In warmer regions or hardwood forests, you might find yourself in the company of their southern brethren, Glaucomys volans.
The Outside Story: Spicebush swallowtails rely on beautiful design
The spicebush swallowtail (Papilio troilus) is one of several butterflies in the Papilionidae family, whose range extends into the Northeast. The name is a nod to one of this butterfly’s preferred host plants, although spicebush swallowtails count multiple species in the laurel family among their caterpillar hosts.
The Outside Story: Spittlebugs hide in plain sight
Spittlebugs are the nymphs of froghoppers, insects in the order Hemiptera and the superfamily Cercopoidea.
The Outside Story | The Northern Mockingbird: Master of Mimicry
When I worked on a college campus, a northern mockingbird often accompanied me on the walk between my car and my office.
The Outside Story: Showy, short-lived flying tigers
When our lilacs bloom in late May, pale yellow butterflies with black stripes arrive to feed on their nectar. These are tiger swallowtails.
The Outside Story: It takes a village to raise a veery
If you take a walk through a thick, broadleaf forest on a cool summer morning, you might recognize the cascading, metallic song of a thrush called a veery.
The Outside Story: Firefly season is here
It happens on a warm June evening: in the darkening field near my house, I notice a brief flicker of light. Then another. And another. It’s the opening act of firefly season – a nightly light show, courtesy of a family of half-inch-long insects.
The Outside Story: Of dewdrops and spider webs
On a foggy morning walk, it may seem as if the spider webs on your path have turned into jeweled wonders, every thread a string of gems as smooth as pearls and as sparkling as diamonds.
The Outside Story: When to rescue – or not rescue – a baby bird
This is the time of year when my yard feels bursting with life, as the neighborhood welcomes eastern phoebes, ruby-throated hummingbirds, and broad-winged hawks back from their long migrations.
The Outside Story: The carpenters arrive in spring
Why do ants suddenly appear every time spring is near? Just like bees, they long to be close to you – especially if your home is made of wood.
The Outside Story | Clover: Flower or weed?
Call it a flower or call it a weed – clover is a plant everyone knows. Who hasn’t idled away an hour hunting for a four-leaf clover, hoping for good luck?
The Outside Story: Lessons from raising a baby opossum
Years ago, when I worked at a nature center in Connecticut licensed to care for injured and orphaned wildlife, a baby opossum was brought to us. It was found lying on a golf course and was too young to be on its own.
The Outside Story: The amazing bird egg
I’m often tempted to peek at the eggs inside a phoebe’s nest when the parents leave it to forage for food.
The Outside Story: Birdfeeder season comes to a close
It is a question I face each year as March winds into April: when to take down the bird feeder.
The Outside Story: Ready to start families, owls choose their nests
Among the very earliest signs of spring are the strange caterwauls of the barred owls that haunt our woods as if to say: “Who cooks for you? who cooks for you all?”
The Outside Story: Feathers, wings, beaks make bird music, too
With spring creeping closer, our year-round avian residents such as cardinals and titmice are already raising their voices.