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Outdoor

Caterpillars, moths, and butterflies!

As late summer sets in, it is the perfect time to go outside and look for butterflies and moths. Butterflies can be found in open areas fluttering around near flowers. Worldwide there are an estimated 180,000 butterfly and moth species but even here at Audubon you can find a wide diversity of ...

In living color before our eyes, in hiding

The natural world is a multi-sensory experience if you allow it to be. Stand in a cool breeze, or find a warm patch of sunshine. Listen for birds calling and insects buzzing. Literally stop to smell the flowers. Not all of them smell fantastic actually, but sometimes that unpleasant smell also ...

Natural insect repellents abound in nature

Summertime comes with lengthy days, warm sunshine, beach visits, and beautiful greenery in the forest. However, summertime also comes with mosquitos, biting flies, and other insects that we consider bothersome and can leave us with red itchy splotches on our skin. To combat the irksome ...

The magical world of owls

Recently I heard the familiar “coo-oo, coo, coo” of a Mourning Dove and it got me thinking about how I used to believe it was an owl hooting (I always heard it as a “hoo” and not a “coo”). Although owls are usually nocturnal, meaning they are not awake during the day, it sounded ...

Fireflies are lighting up summer skies. But still on the decline

NEW YORK (AP) — Fireflies are lighting up summer evenings across the U.S. Northeast, putting on dazzling shows in backyards and city parks. There's no official count, but experts say a particularly wet spring may have created the ideal conditions for young fireflies to grow into adults to ...

Flocks, herds, swarms and more

A flock of geese, a school of fish, a swarm of bugs… all three of these things have something in common. They are all groupings of animals and the names we use for them. Some of the more common grouping names are flocks, herds, and packs. Those are terms we often use for the animals that ...