Sadly this isn’t my backyard. I would love to see a mountain lion like this. So close. A real wild mountain lion. And I am safe.
Related: Backyard Wildlife: Bears – Backyard Wildlife: Hawk – Backyard Wildlife: Great Spreadwing Damselfly
Sadly this isn’t my backyard. I would love to see a mountain lion like this. So close. A real wild mountain lion. And I am safe.
Related: Backyard Wildlife: Bears – Backyard Wildlife: Hawk – Backyard Wildlife: Great Spreadwing Damselfly
Here is a video of some bears wandering around in a backyard. This was the first time the owner saw bears in their backyard. The bears found a great source of food in the apple tree. It is exciting to see nature in our own backyards. Though admittedly most people could would rather have nature be limited to animals that cannot harm them or their family.
Related: The Cat and a Black Bear – Friday Fun: Mother Bear Rescues Cub From a Tree – Backyard Wildlife: Fox – Bear Defeats Combination Bear Lock
Evolution Right Under Our Noses by Carl Zimmer
In March, he and his colleagues reported that almost all the tomcod in the Hudson share the same mutation in a gene called AHR2. PCBs must first bind to the protein encoded by AHR2 to cause damage. The Hudson River mutation makes it difficult for PCBs to grab onto the receptor, shielding the fish from the chemical’s harm.
The AHR2 mutation is entirely missing from tomcod that live in northern New England and Canada. A small percentage of tomcod in Long Island and Connecticut carry the mutation. Dr. Wirgin and his colleagues concluded that once PCBs entered the Hudson, the mutant gene spread quickly.
Carl Zimmer again does a good job of explaining science in an engaging way. It is interesting to learn about science and evolution in urban environments. Lots of life manages to survive the challenges of urban life and it is interesting to learn what scientists are finding about that life.
Related: Trying to Find Pest Solutions While Hoping Evolution Doesn’t Exist Doesn’t Work – Microcosm by Carl Zimmer – New Yorkers Help Robot Find Its Way in the Big City – Parasite Rex – Backyard Wildlife: Great Spreadwing Damselfly
I have enjoyed seeing chipmunks run around my yard for several years, but getting a photo of them is not easy. They are quite fast and don’t sit around for long. Occasionally they will seem to bask in the sun while they are eating a seed but then they are always quite far away. This is the best image I have been able to get.
Chipmunks have an omnivorous diet consisting of grain, nuts, fruit, berries, birds’ eggs, small frogs, fungi, worms, insects and on occasions small mammals like young mice. At the beginning of autumn, many species of chipmunk begin to stockpile these goods in their burrows, for winter. Other species make multiple small caches of food. These two kinds of behavior are called larder hoarding and scatter hoarding. Larder hoarders usually live in their nests until spring. Cheek pouches allow chipmunks to carry multiple food items to their burrows for either storage or consumption.
Related: Spring Tulips – Backyard Wildlife: Great Spreadwing Damselfly – Backyard Wildlife: Hawk – Backyard Wildlife: Fox
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One the first flowers to bloom in my yard this year are some bleeding heart flowers (shown the photo). If I remember right, I planted them last year. I love perennials: I just plant them once and then get to keep enjoying them. I also find that some plants that are supposedly annuals seem to keep coming back (I think the plant must just manage to hang on, even if they often don’t, and so are called annuals). I enjoy gardening a bit, but don’t really spend enough time to know much about it. I just do as much as I feel like – and often am so busy that amounts to not much.
Also known as Lamprocapnos spectabilis they are a rhizomatous perennial plant native to eastern Asia from Siberia south to Japan.
Related links: photos of Spring Tulips from my yard last year – First Flowers of Spring (2009) – What Are Flowers For? – Backyard Wildlife: Turtle – great sunflower photo with bees
Robins like to attack my holly tree and feed on the berries. Getting photos of them is hard but there are lots of them flying around all excited (I did manage to catch one of them in the photo on the left). This tree was actually here when I moved in but I also do try to nurture and add plants that feed wildlife. I like just planting things that will feed and shelter birds (and others) rather than filling bird feeders myself. There is information on how to use your backyard to promote wildlife.
Related: Backyard Wildlife: Crows – Backyard Wildlife: Hawk – Backyard Wildlife: Fox
See some more great photos of the hike on Penang Island in Malaysia, from the Capturing Penang blog.
Related: Backyard Wildlife: Fox – Backyard Wildlife: Great Spreadwing Damselfly – Backyard Wildlife: Turtle
The White House added a bee hive last year. An Excellent White House Bee Adventure
Related: Bee Colony Collapse Continues – Virus Found to be One Likely Factor in Bee Colony Collapse Disorder – President Obama Speaks on Getting Students Excited About Science and Engineering – Bye Bye Bees – The Great Sunflower Project
Nice view out my window from my desk today. This wonderful hawk landed on my deck and I was lucky enough to have my camera right next to me. It is so nice to be able to have this view instead of a view like the IT Crowd staff have in their basement IT office.
If you let me know what type of hawk you think this is that would be great – including links to an identification page would be appreciated too. Last time people helped identify a Sharp-shinned Hawk enjoying a meal. Enjoying nature in your back yard is a wonderful thing.
Related: Backyard Wildlife: Great Spreadwing Damselfly – Backyard Wildlife: Fox – Backyard Wildlife: Turtle – Backyard Wildlife: Birds
photo of lettuce in my garden
I planted lettuce in my backyard for the first time this year. I have enjoyed growing food in my backyard for the last several years. First it is very convenient. I want something to eat I can just go grab it out of the garden. Also it is healthier that many of the other things I might snack on. In addition, you can save money by growing your own food. And it is good for the environment (granted individuals don’t have much of an impact, but millions of people growing some of their own food does – reducing the amount of food transportation on the environment).
Also, I just find it cool to grow food in my yard to feed myself.
I don’t use anything to fertilize the soil or pesticides or anything. I just plant and let it grow (sometimes I water the garden). I just have a compost pile that is mainly leaves that I stir into the garden soil. It has worked fine for years now. I will grow tomatoes, berries, peppers, beans, peas and cucumbers again this year.
Related: Rethinking the Food Production System – Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. – Backyard Wildlife: Birds – Pesticide Laced Fertiliser Ruins Gardens – First Flowers of Spring
photo of red and yellow tulips by John Hunter
Photo of red and yellow tulips in my yard. This is by far the most tulips that have flowered. The last several years I think there were 3-5 flowers. This year there are 20 in the front yard.
Related: Backyard Wildlife: Great Spreadwing Damselfly – Researchers Learn What Sparks Plant Growth – What Are Flowers For? – Antelope Island, Great Salt Lake Photos