Category: Door to Nature
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Door to Nature: Barred Owls and Barn Owls
The Christmas bird counts that were conducted on Dec. 14 in the Sturgeon Bay circle and Dec. 15 in the Brussels circle found some owls. The two species that can be found in Door County all year are the great horned owl and the barred owl, and Eastern screech owls have been showing up on […]
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Door to Nature: Nuthatches Are Really Nuthacks
The breeding season is over for the native birds, and with the approach of winter, more species are coming to my feeders. The black-capped chickadees are some of the most frequent visitors to get sunflower seeds, and with every cold front, more seem to be in the yard and at the feeders. Another native small […]
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Door to Nature: Melanism and Albinism
I was driving along County Q in Ephraim recently when a black gray squirrel ran across the road in front of me. It made me look twice to be sure I was seeing straight. We had one of these unusual animals in our yard in the spring of 1995 and again in the winter of […]
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Door to Nature: Mushrooms Galore
The rains have been abundant this fall, and that’s making wild mushrooms grow in many places in great numbers and varieties. I’ve been keeping records of fungi in 15 areas of the county for the past 45 years, and the area with the highest total is Whitefish Dunes State Park, with about 250 species. Many […]
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Door to Nature: Walking Sticks
Camouflage at its best A friend recently showed me a photo she took of a walking stick near her home. No, it’s not a cane to help one navigate rough terrain – it’s an insect. These delicate-looking creatures are not easy to find because their bodies act as camouflage against tree branches and twigs. We had […]
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Door to Nature: Distinctive Sparrows in Fall Migration
Birding friends of mine report warblers that they see passing through on their way south, and many were keeping track of the last hummingbirds to visit their feeders. Birdwatching at this time of year is a bit more challenging because, unlike during spring migrations, birds don’t usually have bright plumage, among other factors. Most people […]
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Door to Nature: Eye-Catching Seeds of Autumn
A good friend sent me a picture of a very unusual plant that she saw while walking on a trail in a northern Wisconsin bog. I had seen it years ago, so I remembered its identity. It was a plume of cotton grass. For my late husband, Roy, it was a favorite northern-area plant in […]
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Door to Nature: Harmless Snakes Need Protection
Just the mention of snakes can make some people writhe in fear or disgust. A bad experience may have made them feel this way, but the snakes that are native to Door County are all nonpoisonous and need to be protected and appreciated. I found a dead red-bellied snake on the brick path in my […]
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Door to Nature: The Large Moths and Butterflies of Door County
Few creatures are as gentle, harmless and beautiful as butterflies. They don’t chase, bite or sting you, and they cannot transmit diseases. I look at butterflies as winged flowers — radiant patches with golden freckles, lazily flying, fluttering, frolicking, basking in the sunshine. They are perfect examples of peace and tranquility. Indeed, butterflies are insects […]
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Door to Nature: Tent Caterpillar versus Fall Webworm
Some springs, like this year’s, had many small trees and shrubs partly covered with the dense webs of tent caterpillars, but recently I noticed different types of webs on some much larger trees along country roads. My good friend Dick Smythe, an insect expert, informed me that there are two different creatures constructing and living […]
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Door to Nature: Spiders of September
September is a great month to search for, photograph, learn more about and increase your admiration for spiders in the great outdoors. On a recent early-morning walk, I saw a lot of dew-covered spider webs suspended between tall grasses along the side of the road. They looked like a fairyland. Arise at dawn and venture […]