I started this blog after a 40-year career in Natural Resources, so I could continue sharing my flora and fauna observations as I survey around the state of Maryland.
Siberian Squill
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Siberian Squill is a flower planted in yards and is now escaping cultivation and showing up in natural areas. If it is planted in your yard, please don't let it spread out of your yard!
Recently, a friend asked me what were all the white trees he was seeing blooming along all the highways? Unfortunately, those trees are the non-native Bradford Pear. This is an invasive species. When you see it in bloom at this time of year, it is obvious how much it has spread around the area.
Greetings, Most of you are probably noticing more spiders around as we head towards fall and young ones are maturing. I found this beautiful Yellow Garden Spider this week. It is a member of the Orbweaver family. These are the spiders that build the large round webs that many people say look like a bicycle wheel with spokes. The one in the photo below is a female, the males don't have the bright yellow colors. The white zig zag pattern in the web is referred to as stabilimenta. It is thought that this gives added support in the center of the web, making it more difficult for larger insects to escape. Hope you will love this idea. I have a vegetable garden in my backyard and I have a problem with the non-native cabbage worms on my kale plants. I have been picking them off my plants and then throwing them in the webs of the many Orbweavers in my yard! It is fun to watch the spiders attack instantly and then wrap their...
Greetings, It is not every day I find a Red-headed Woodpecker nest. Last week however, I found two in two days. July 2nd, I was conducting my weekly Breeding Bird Atlas survey in my assigned area of Woodbine. Imagine my surprise when I turned the corner of A. E. Mullinix Rd., a red, white & black colored bird flew right in front of me and landed in a Walnut tree. I stopped right there on the road with excitement, a Red-headed Woodpecker (RHWO)! The bird then flew down to a fence post right along the road and I was able to get a look and a photo, but disappointed that it did not have any food in its bill. Those of you familiar with A. E. Mullinix Rd. know that it is without a shoulder and parking is very difficult. A car came up behind me and I had to move on. All I could think was that bird had no reason to be there if it wasn’t breeding. I know at this time of year, RHWO’s are feeding their young now. I was pre...
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