Notes from the Field
Interesting Nature Facts #129 – Sphinx Moths
Their size and rapid wing beats allow sphinx moths to hover and feed like hummingbirds, which is why they were nicknamed 'hummingbird moths'. People often mistake the protrusion on the back of the sphinx caterpillar for a stinger. MORE PHOTOS OF BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS...
Interesting Nature Facts #128 – White Peacock Butterfly
When threatened or bothered, the white peacock butterfly will flash its wings and produce hissing sound by rubbing its wings in front of the predator. It is also very long-lived for a butterfly, often living up to 11 months! MORE PHOTOS OF BUTTERFLIES & MOTHS MORE...
Interesting Nature Facts #127 – Zebra Longwing
When it is disturbed, the zebra longwing butterfly makes a creaking sound by wiggling its body. At night, large groups will roost together on tree limbs. They return to the same roost night after night. MORE PHOTOS OF BUTTERFLIES MORE INTERESTING NATURE FACTS...
Interesting Nature Facts #126 – Purple Gallinule
The purple gallinule's long toes make it possible to walk on lily pads - one of the few birds able to do so! Also, when young, these amazingly-colored birds crawl on bushes and out of the nest using tiny claws on their wing tips. MORE PHOTOS OF BIRDS MORE INTERESTING...
Interesting Nature Facts #125 – Whooping Crane
Whooping cranes eat aquatic invertebrates (insects, crustaceans and mollusks), small vertebrates (fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals), roots, acorns and berries. MORE PHOTOS OF BIRDS MORE INTERESTING NATURE FACTS Interesting Nature Facts is a series about...
Interesting Nature Facts #124 – Snakes
Unlike most land-dwelling vertebrates that have a pair of lungs, snakes have one long lung. MORE PHOTOS OF SNAKES MORE INTERESTING NATURE FACTS Interesting Nature Facts is a series about the flora, fauna and places that make North America so amazing. Posts include...
Interesting Nature Facts #123 – Alligators and Crocodiles
Most reptiles have 3-chambered hearts, but the heart of alligators, and all other crocodilians, has 4 chambers – a trait shared with mammals and birds. MORE PHOTOS OF ALLIGATORS MORE INTERESTING NATURE FACTS Interesting Nature Facts is a series about the flora, fauna...
Interesting Nature Facts #122 – Bears
Bears are the only mammals that do not pee or poop for the entire time they are in their winter sleep. In fact, by studying the way bears recycle urine, doctors have been able to help human patients with kidney failure. MORE PHOTOS OF MAMMALS MORE INTERESTING NATURE...
Interesting Nature Facts #121 – Butterflies
Most adult butterflies can't bite or chew. They eat mainly liquids like nectar, sap, juices from fruits, and sometimes even fluids from carcasses. They have a long, tube-like tongue called a proboscis, which works like a straw to suck up liquid. When they're not using...
Interesting Nature Facts #120 – Butterflies
Butterflies taste with their feet and have a suction tube for a mouth. Their eyes are made of 6,000 lenses and can see ultraviolet light! MORE PHOTOS OF BUTTERFLIES MORE INTERESTING NATURE FACTS Interesting Nature Facts is a series about the flora, fauna and places...
Interesting Nature Facts #119 – Deserts
Despite seeming deserted, deserts often have an incredibly diverse ecosystem. In fact, the only other places on earth with more diverse ecosystems than deserts are rain forests. Deserts are often home to a variety of plants, mammals, reptiles and insects. MORE PHOTOS...
Interesting Nature Facts #118 – Ruddy Turnstone
Ruddy Turnstone! Welcome to the next installment of a new series of nature photos that will be short & sweet, and all about the native and naturalized wildlife that is all around us with just one or two interesting nature facts that you might not know about. If...