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Starlings, white-throated sparrows, dark-eyed juncos, robins, hawks, & cardinals swarmed the oak trees outside my apartment— singing as if it were springtime. The red-bellied and downy woodpeckers scoured the oak trees near my complex. Construction is intense; I worry for the oaks’ roots. 12/13/25
December 15, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Starlings, white-throated sparrows, dark-eyed juncos, robins, hawks, & cardinals swarmed the oak trees outside my apartment— singing as if it were springtime. The red-bellied and downy woodpeckers scoured the oak trees near my complex. Construction is intense; I worry for the oaks’ roots. 12/13/25
A carolina wren checked out my balcony in the morning. This would be the 4th year nesting! 12/10/25
December 15, 2025 at 9:41 PM
A carolina wren checked out my balcony in the morning. This would be the 4th year nesting! 12/10/25
Ribbons of greater white-fronted geese billowed above my apartment complex, pulling and snapping back to an unseen vertex. I heard them before I saw them. The moon’s lunar halo seemed too grand for it to be in first quarter. The flocks flew vertically up: an uncanny illusion. 11/30/25
December 15, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Ribbons of greater white-fronted geese billowed above my apartment complex, pulling and snapping back to an unseen vertex. I heard them before I saw them. The moon’s lunar halo seemed too grand for it to be in first quarter. The flocks flew vertically up: an uncanny illusion. 11/30/25
While we didn’t see any owls, we saw three eastern newts, flying squirrels, and a bobcat crossing the road. ONSC. 11/03/25
December 15, 2025 at 9:31 PM
While we didn’t see any owls, we saw three eastern newts, flying squirrels, and a bobcat crossing the road. ONSC. 11/03/25
The cold front did not bring in any northern saw-whet owls, but a flock of greater white-fronted geese honked over the dense barren forest stand giving us false hope. ONSC. 11/03/25
December 15, 2025 at 9:25 PM
The cold front did not bring in any northern saw-whet owls, but a flock of greater white-fronted geese honked over the dense barren forest stand giving us false hope. ONSC. 11/03/25
An armadillo with a bite mark on its back bled as it paced back and forth, crossing our path three times before disappearing into the night—and potentially a mountain lion’s stomach. ONSC. 11/3/25
December 15, 2025 at 9:24 PM
An armadillo with a bite mark on its back bled as it paced back and forth, crossing our path three times before disappearing into the night—and potentially a mountain lion’s stomach. ONSC. 11/3/25
The Ouachitas were just past peak; the autumnal tones rich but understated— how is it that they look so blue in the distance? A few yellow maples palmed the light my way in Hot Springs. The white roofs of the Mission-style bathhouses were cradled in their valley by the amber canopy. 11/15/25
November 19, 2025 at 7:05 PM
The Ouachitas were just past peak; the autumnal tones rich but understated— how is it that they look so blue in the distance? A few yellow maples palmed the light my way in Hot Springs. The white roofs of the Mission-style bathhouses were cradled in their valley by the amber canopy. 11/15/25
Everything earthly is brown today, and everything empyrean is gray. A downy woodpecker flies onto the bare oak limbs outside my complex. Construction continues in the neighborhood. Wasps linger. 11/19/25
November 19, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Everything earthly is brown today, and everything empyrean is gray. A downy woodpecker flies onto the bare oak limbs outside my complex. Construction continues in the neighborhood. Wasps linger. 11/19/25
First frost day of the season. The red oaks outside my apartment dulled from ruby to brown overnight. The orange maples and yellow ginkgos are still vibrant. The cedars are beginning to dominate in vibrancy among the autumnal mosaic. 11/9/25
November 9, 2025 at 6:36 PM
First frost day of the season. The red oaks outside my apartment dulled from ruby to brown overnight. The orange maples and yellow ginkgos are still vibrant. The cedars are beginning to dominate in vibrancy among the autumnal mosaic. 11/9/25
Oak leaves & maple leaves are piling up at Wilson and in the neighborhood. Lots of mockingbirds, squirrels, and blue jays. Fallen maple leaves are scarlet while strewn black pine needles are ginger red. It’s been overcast, rainy, and 55° throughout the week.
October 26, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Oak leaves & maple leaves are piling up at Wilson and in the neighborhood. Lots of mockingbirds, squirrels, and blue jays. Fallen maple leaves are scarlet while strewn black pine needles are ginger red. It’s been overcast, rainy, and 55° throughout the week.
Oak & maple leaves have been falling since last week. Mornings have been 51°-58°F since Sunday. Today winds are higher than normal. Chickadees and titmice call out. Squirrels hustle after the acorns littering the sidewalks. 10/21/25
October 21, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Oak & maple leaves have been falling since last week. Mornings have been 51°-58°F since Sunday. Today winds are higher than normal. Chickadees and titmice call out. Squirrels hustle after the acorns littering the sidewalks. 10/21/25
The Harvest super moon hung low in the sky, its jaundiced face obscured by the gunmetal clouds. By the time I got home, it reached its zenith and lost its foreboding presence. 10/6/25
October 15, 2025 at 4:32 PM
The Harvest super moon hung low in the sky, its jaundiced face obscured by the gunmetal clouds. By the time I got home, it reached its zenith and lost its foreboding presence. 10/6/25
At the dog cafe, a black vulture soared above, inspiring a conversation between me and Lisa. She had to take down her 3 yard birdfeeders because her dog bit one. She still has lots of brown snakes at home. She dropped the Naturalist program because it was too focused on Doomerism. 10/11/25
October 15, 2025 at 4:27 PM
At the dog cafe, a black vulture soared above, inspiring a conversation between me and Lisa. She had to take down her 3 yard birdfeeders because her dog bit one. She still has lots of brown snakes at home. She dropped the Naturalist program because it was too focused on Doomerism. 10/11/25
Grasshoppers, monarchs, and bees flutter around at Woolsey. I grabbed an unmarked plain-bellied water snake with steel blue eyes, preparing to shed. My students took turns holding it; I was ecstatic it didn’t bite. 10/10/25
October 15, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Grasshoppers, monarchs, and bees flutter around at Woolsey. I grabbed an unmarked plain-bellied water snake with steel blue eyes, preparing to shed. My students took turns holding it; I was ecstatic it didn’t bite. 10/10/25
Fall migration picked up at Woolsey. Scissor-tailed flycatchers dive, and my students stand in awe at the prairie acrobats. Bluebirds and woodpeckers perch on the island of trees among the sea of goldenrod. 10/10/25
October 15, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Fall migration picked up at Woolsey. Scissor-tailed flycatchers dive, and my students stand in awe at the prairie acrobats. Bluebirds and woodpeckers perch on the island of trees among the sea of goldenrod. 10/10/25
We walked along Woolsey and found a salt marsh moth, Cirrhophanus moth, lots of grasshoppers, a bubbling crawfish, and giant garden spider. 9/9/25
October 12, 2025 at 5:11 PM
We walked along Woolsey and found a salt marsh moth, Cirrhophanus moth, lots of grasshoppers, a bubbling crawfish, and giant garden spider. 9/9/25
Within ten minutes, a colony of wasps collapsed dead on the apartment stairs. 9/9/25
October 12, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Within ten minutes, a colony of wasps collapsed dead on the apartment stairs. 9/9/25
Mockingbirds are singing at wilson park, just like they did yesterday on rose hill
October 9, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Mockingbirds are singing at wilson park, just like they did yesterday on rose hill
Two turkey vultures circled overhead, chickadees flittered through the post oaks, red oaks, and maples. Mourning doves, blue jays, and titmice called out. It was 63°F and breezy. 10/8/25
October 9, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Two turkey vultures circled overhead, chickadees flittered through the post oaks, red oaks, and maples. Mourning doves, blue jays, and titmice called out. It was 63°F and breezy. 10/8/25
Sapphire maple leaves sprinkle the parking lot. Patches of red maple leaves peek out of the street trees. American redbud seed pods hang on. Bush honeysuckle berries catch the sun like candy. Dusty olive cottonwood leaves coat the right-of-way.
October 8, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Sapphire maple leaves sprinkle the parking lot. Patches of red maple leaves peek out of the street trees. American redbud seed pods hang on. Bush honeysuckle berries catch the sun like candy. Dusty olive cottonwood leaves coat the right-of-way.
The perennials were cut back by Wilson Park. The busy pollinators that swarmed the gardens two weeks ago are mostly gone. 10/6/25
October 8, 2025 at 4:05 PM
The perennials were cut back by Wilson Park. The busy pollinators that swarmed the gardens two weeks ago are mostly gone. 10/6/25
A large monarch flies over the faux cedar-clad apartment complex next door, backlit by the grayest skies of the season so far. A white horizon line separates the slate clouds from the chartreuse canopy. 10/7/25
October 8, 2025 at 4:05 PM
A large monarch flies over the faux cedar-clad apartment complex next door, backlit by the grayest skies of the season so far. A white horizon line separates the slate clouds from the chartreuse canopy. 10/7/25
@ Markham, we found 3 unmarked female box turtles. Two blended in with the leaf litter, one was basking in the sun. We took a different way out of the forest, and my students left my mammal skull on the trail behind us (opossum?). Seed ticks and biting bugs maimed us. No herbaceous layer. 10/3/25
October 6, 2025 at 2:25 PM
@ Markham, we found 3 unmarked female box turtles. Two blended in with the leaf litter, one was basking in the sun. We took a different way out of the forest, and my students left my mammal skull on the trail behind us (opossum?). Seed ticks and biting bugs maimed us. No herbaceous layer. 10/3/25
We caught six eastern box turtles, a skink, and a worm snake at Markham Hill. The understory was largely absent, with bush honeysuckle taking over the midstory and redbuds, oaks, and hickories composing the canopy. The margins of many leaves were made unreadable by unseen pests. 9/29/25
October 1, 2025 at 3:18 AM
We caught six eastern box turtles, a skink, and a worm snake at Markham Hill. The understory was largely absent, with bush honeysuckle taking over the midstory and redbuds, oaks, and hickories composing the canopy. The margins of many leaves were made unreadable by unseen pests. 9/29/25
A road-killed skunk lay out on I-49. Two monarchs crossed Leverett together. Fences of goldenrod interrupt the slopes of fescue at Lake Fay. Two mallards waded below the bridge in the dam spillover— not knowing it is a high hazard for collapse. The roosters by Raisin Canes crowed. 9/26/25
September 26, 2025 at 4:46 PM
A road-killed skunk lay out on I-49. Two monarchs crossed Leverett together. Fences of goldenrod interrupt the slopes of fescue at Lake Fay. Two mallards waded below the bridge in the dam spillover— not knowing it is a high hazard for collapse. The roosters by Raisin Canes crowed. 9/26/25