Predators!

Fresh winter snows make it easy to keep track of our local predators. I hadn't seen or heard any coyotes in these woods for a few seasons, and thought maybe they had moved on or been hunted down. But the snow reveals a pack on the prowl.

Click on "Read more" for a close encounter with a curious coyote.

Spiders in Art, Technology, and Morphology

drawing by Kathy Hodge

Humans tend to have an instinctive fear of spiders, which is probably a good thing, since some species are deadly. Our local R.I. spiders, though, are harmless to humans. ... well, at least, mostly.

Click on "Read more" to learn about spider technology, spiders on drugs, and spiders beneath the sea.

Yes, bald eagles live in R.I.!

Many people still are surprised to hear that bald eagles live in Rhode Island, though they started to arrive here about 10 years ago. Some migrate here in late winter to soar above our rivers and lakes, in search of fish, and others have been spotted nesting in our deep woods in the early spring. At least one has found easy pickings at the state landfill, and can be spotted there often.

Want to see an eagle? Click on "Read more" to learn how.

Fisherville Hikes

The Fisherville Brook Wildlife Refuge in Exeter is one of the best places around for a short hike anytime of year. You can complete the whole loop in about an hour or two, and you'll pass through a forest, over a brook, across a field, around a pond, above a waterfall, and you can explore an old cemetery too.

Click on "Read more" for all the details about this beautiful place. 

Eastern White Pine

Pinus strobus, the Eastern White Pine. From a painting by Mary E. Eaton, 1917.

Eastern white pine, the most common coniferous tree in Rhode Island, is the tallest tree found in our forests. Each tree can live 200 years, and they can grow up to 150 feet tall and 3 feet in diameter. In native old-growth forests, white pines reportedly grew more than 200 feet high, and in the age of sail, they were used as masts for ocean-going ships.

Click on "Read more" to learn about our white pines and forests.

Orion the Hunter

Orion is my favorite winter constellation. He's easy to find even in the city, and a good start to learning your way around the stars.

Click on "Read more" to learn how to spot Orion.

Great blue heron

 

One of our most beautiful R.I. birds is the great blue heron. This classic drawing by John James Audubon captures the heron's grace and quirky personality. 

Click on "Read more" to learn more about the heron, listen to its squawk, 

and find out where you can see one.

The fog catalog

Fog arrives when conditions are right, and although all fog is essentially the same, it forms in different ways. Click on "Read more" for a catalog of Rhode Island fog.

This picture was taken Sunday morning at Salter Grove in Warwick.