The Questions: Rhonda, East Tennessee, USA – I found this in an East TN lake, between 1-3 feet down, attached to underwater pine branches, gelatinous and slimy to touch. Frog’s eggs or bryozoans? (see photo at left) George, Ontario, Canada – I was cleaning the weeds from around our boat and saw two opaque jelly-like [...]
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What is that popping noise in the lily pads?
The Question: Sitting beside a small lake in Massachusetts with many lily pads, we kept hearing a popping noise, almost like bubblegum snapping. What makes that sound? Submitted by: Greg, New York, USA The Sort of Short Answer: Full disclosure: Greg was visiting me, and we were sitting beside the lake and he asked me, [...]
Is eating dead birds normal for a squirrel or chipmunk?
The Question: From time-to-time, birds fly into our picture windows and die. On two occasions, once last summer and then again just two days ago, a squirrel or a chipmunk retrieved the carcass and proceeded to devour it. This seems to be unusual behavior, and I wonder what triggers it, or if it happens more [...]
What is this Trinity Alps wildflower?
The Question: On a recent mid-July trip to the Trinity Alps in Northern California we saw many of these 2′-4′ tall plants, most just starting to show emerging flower heads. I thought they were so common that ID would be a cinch, but no such luck. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Submitted by: Marianne, [...]
Can I move a monarch butterfly chrysalis?
The Question: There are six gorgeous monarch caterpillars on a milkweed plant in our front yard. The only problem is, the plant is next to a high traffic public sidewalk. Once the chrysalis is formed, can we move each one to a safer location in our back yard? Does it matter where the butterfly emerges, [...]