KNC
A Lac du Bois Morning
From time to time we will feature outings from some of our members as they go out to experience nature quietly, bringing only walking shoes and a camera. On a mid-May morning, I went out to Lac du Bois, paddled the lakeshore, then went for a walk into the hills above. A few shots and comments are shared here. Some American coots hid in the rushes and reeds, but swam into the small bays too. I find coots less likely to fly away than other waterfowl as I glide by. … Continue reading →
The Value of Grassroots Citizen Science
In an article on HuffPost, The Case for Citizen Science, the writer makes a case for the value of A famous philosopher once said that the unexamined life is not worth living. Life is a big game, and there are lots of reasons to live, but we surely can make life better by examining and reporting our findings, and citizen scientists are a major part of that endeavor. Won’t you join in the game? The Citizen Science Association promotes the idea of Citizen science as the involvement of … Continue reading →
Sage Whispers – January 2020
Sage Whispers – September 2019
Ants, Caterpillars, and Lupines
This photo shows ants on a silky lupine flower. See the whitish grub-looking thing? That’s a caterpillar! It might grow up to be a beautiful butterfly one day. In particular, it’s a caterpillar in the family Lycaenidae. Watch how jazzed these ants are about this lycaenid caterpillar: Why are these ants hanging around with caterpillars? Well, the caterpillar honeydew is full of sugar and amino acids. The prevailing idea has been that ants benefit from eating the honeydew, and in turn offer protection to the butterfly larvae. … Continue reading →