Monthly Archives: August 2014

Signs of Summer 13: A Monarch Update and True Names

Monarch update! There have been several monarchs fluttering around my stand of milkweed plants. I am watching closely for caterpillars! These will be the larvae of the migrating butterflies, the ones that will fly all the way to Mexico. I … Continue reading

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Signs of Summer #12: Green Apples, Symbioses and the Gene Pool

Deborah and I were sitting out on our deck a few nights ago watching the flurry of activities that always precedes sunset. The main event of the evening involved two squirrels playing tag and chase up in one of the … Continue reading

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Signs of Summer 11: Turkey Vultures

The turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) is a bird that everyone knows and almost no one loves. They are a joy to watch soaring along in their great circles across the sky, but the closer you get to them the less … Continue reading

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Signs of Summer 10: Campus Nature Trail, Succession, and Existence

The Campus Nature Trail is celebrating its 30th year of existence this coming academic year. The group of students who worked so hard in 1984 and 1985 to visualize, fund (via University grants), and then build the trail are now … Continue reading

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Signs of Summer 9: More Snakes!

Carl Meyerhuber is a longtime friend and teaching colleague, and he is also a lifetime reptile lover. Carl told me last week that he had found an old Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission pamphlet that listed and described the five … Continue reading

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