The Wonderous Complexity of Gender and Sexuality In Nature

The misconception that multiple forms of sexuality and gender expression is unnatural seriously needs correction because there are so many examples of such diversity in the natural world, in plants, fungi, mammals, amphibians, insects, fish and more. If you think LGBTQ+ is complex, you’re right! I’ve been learning that my …

If You Go Down To The Woods Today … You May Hear A ‘Kent’!

  (Monroe, Louisiana, Saturday April 16th) This possibility is very hot news! To an ornithologist and most naturalists it would be the single most exciting sound to hear.  A ‘kent’? What on Earth is that? The kent is one of the trade-mark calls of one of the world’s most elusive …

Hail To The Kinglets!

My wife and I were walking the trail that winds past the photo-blind at Black Bayou National Wildlife Refuge on Sunday afternoon. The air was cool, the sunshine, warm. The woods seemed unusually quiet and lifeless and it seemed that we wouldn’t get many wildlife pictures after all; then quite suddenly, the surrounding woodland came alive with the movement of these scarcely-glimpsed little sprites as a bird wave washed over us!

There are fewer leaves now to conceal them, yet the Kinglets, genus Regulus, seem very clever at using the remaining cover to confuse my camera’s autofocus. This is a natural consequence as they seek food in nooks, crannies, curled leaves and other such hard to reach places.

A Wood Stork Wonderland at Russell Sage WMA

  Louisiana’s Russell Sage WMA makes a great day out for wildlife photography despite being just minutes away from the restaurants and shopping outlets of eastern Monroe! In our hearts we were hoping to capture some good bird sightings to report on our Birding Trail project for Louisiana Tourism. Yesterday …

The Women Fighting Wildlife Crime in Vietnam

This new movie shows how the women of Education For Nature Vietnam (ENV) combat the illegal wildlife trade in Vietnam, tackling almost 3,000 cases a year. This short film highlights how ENV tackles a case, from the moment wildlife crime is reported, to how they facilitate confiscations, arrests, and prosecutions, …

Studying up before my Safari!

When the Sun rises over the great mosaic of grassland and Acacia trees of Kenya’s Maasai Mara, as it has done since the dawn of mankind, the experienced eyes of wildlife rangers are alert for signs of poaching activities that threaten to set the country backwards. One such ranger, is …

Explore Nature’s Role in Climate Mitigation and Adaptation. Nature For Life Hub Starts Tomorrow, Sept. 24 2020

Nature For Life Hub Starts now, Sept. 24th, 2020 at 09.00 in New York, hosted by UNDP’s Learning For Nature website. Click this link to join the free The Nature for Life Hub – a virtual venue for a four-day program of multiple events “delving deep into specialist topics, practical …

Raised for release! Young Freshwater Turtles in Close-up.

Kimmie and I had a very fun and highly privileged view of North American freshwater turtle hatchlings recently at University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) courtesy of the head of the Herpetology Department and Louisiana Master Naturalist, Professor John Carr. We had enjoyed John’s lectures on herps previously with the Louisiana …

Spice of Life: Who’s Been Eating My Stereaceae?

Who’s been eating my what? Charles and I went on a fungi-hunt, or foray, and we saw a ton of this kind of orange stuff on logs. In appearance it’s not unlike breakfast cornflakes. We took a million pictures or so, then submitted our “finds” to iNaturalist. If we don’t …

Spice of Life: Slugs and Snails

If you’re a mollusc, you’re a part of a very large phylum of creatures, including squids, clams and octopuses. And if you’re a slug or a snail, and you cruise around on your belly and leave a trail, then you’re a gastropod too–gastropod is Greek for “stomach foot”. And since …

Spice of Life: Nuts About Squirrels

In Louisiana, the mention of a squirrel would elicit conversations about how this rodent should be cooked. I personally prefer to adore ’em–not eat ’em. Today, we can learn about the fox squirrel. Recipes can be found elsewhere. 😉 This creature’s bushy, red tail tells us why it might be …

Spice of Life: The Rough with the Smooth

You, I and this snake know that most folks don’t take too kindly to the “no shoulders”. Ever since that incident in the garden of Eden way back when … Anyway, I’ve grown much fonder of snakes since I have proven by practice that they are not out to get …

Spice of Life: “Reed-Jumper of Louisiana”

Spice of Life: “Reed-Jumper of Louisiana” They do seem to be the busiest birds in the forest–always flittin’ and hoppin’ and tellin’ you like it is. Find out more about the little brown, plucky bird with a pert tail living in your neck of the woods.

Spice of Life: A Tail of Two Turkeys

Have you ever seen mushrooms like this growing on a log? They are pretty to look at and they provide a residence for a variety of tiny insects, mollusks and arachnids. If you wanted to find out what kind of fungi they are, you’d have to “flip” it, like a …

Spice of Life: Fun with Ferns

Everybody reacts to stress differently. And there are different kinds of stressors. If you’re a plant, stress might come in the form of drought. This plant’s reaction to drought stress, is to dry up. It’s not a simple process. It’s cellular and molecular. It is so complex and cool that …

Spice of Life: The Bug Club

Before, when the roly-polies rolled along and said, “hey, you know, we’re not actually bugs”, that got me thinking. What else isn’t a true bug? I thought that if it was flying around me, crawling on me, or extracting my blood, it must be a bug. They’ve always been ‘bugs’ …

Spice of Life: The Lowly Roly-Poly

Today’s Eye is looking at the roly-poly. Maw Maw and I decided that we know the following things about them: they roll up when you touch them, you just have to look in the dirt to find them and they never have “got on” anybody before. Here’s what I learned …

Spice of Life: Rascal-Distraction

The Raccoon (Procyon lotor) is today’s furry visitor to Wild Open Eye’s blog. Raccoons are a commonly seen creature in Louisiana, near the water, in the woods, in subdivisions. One time we were lucky enough to see one swimming and then it crawled straight up a tall tree. Today, the …

Agkistrodon piscivorus: 20 Cottonmouths in 2020

Many things about 2020 have been difficult. As you know. One thing that was not difficult was finding Cottonmouths on our walks in the woods. Each picture above is of a different individual. All but the bottom right one posed without moving. It’s tucking its head away in the log. …

Oaks of Ouachita Parish

I’ve always wanted to learn how to identify oak trees. I was amazed to see that we have more than 20 species here in our parish in Louisiana! Most of them are red oaks, the rest white. So much to learn! I’ve made some flash cards to help me get …

Spice of Life: Wings and Things and Love is in the Air

Creature Feature: Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Latin name: Coccyzus americanus Nicknames: storm crow or rain crow (they often call before rain) Favorite food: caterpillars, especially tent caterpillars (webworms…?) Habitat: deciduous trees There aren’t too many birds whose calls says “jungle” like the yellow-billed cuckoo.  To hear what I mean, go to The Cornell Lab’s website and …

Kelby Ouchley Awarded Caroline Dormon Prize as Top Louisiana Naturalist in 2020!

By Charles Paxton. Sunday, June 14, 2020 at 3 pm there was a COVID-19-friendly award ceremony held to celebrate the awesome contribution that Louisiana Master Naturalist, Kelby Ouchley has made, and is still making, as a naturalist in Louisiana. The 2020 Caroline Dormon award ceremony was organized by Dr. Bette …

Quest for Ailanthus: The Elm with Fingers and Wings

On my adventure through the yard today, I was looking for the host plant for yesterday’s Atteva aurea. I found a winged elm, (Ulmus alata) with chewed leaves. Could this be evidence of a. aurea? A couple of squirrels were squablin’ or romancin’ (I’m not sure which) in the back …

Ailanthus Webworm Moth

Today’s new species that we’ve discovered is not a beetle like I thought, but a moth like Charles suggested. It is an ermine moth, and most of the species in this family are white or pale gray, giving them the name ermine. Unlike most ermine moths, this moth is diurnal, …

Ouachita Green’s Keeping America Clean!

Our Louisiana Master Naturalist Northeast group first quarterly presentation was made by our member Stuart Hodnett of Ouachita Green, he’s a ‘ can-do’ guy and what he can do is making a massive difference to the quality of the local environment. He gave a PowerPoint presentation on his Non-Profit Organization Ouachita Green, explaining its mission, what they have accomplished in the area recently and inviting all to participate through volunteer activities.

Earth School Is So Cool!

TED-Ed, UNEP, and 30 other collaborators launch a free educational platform “Earth School” for environmental adventures available to teachers, parents, students, and curious global citizens

Our Earth’s Future: Learn About Climate Change Online

Here’s a free online course from the American Museum of Natural History about Our Earth’s Future. See link at https://www.coursera.org/lecture/earth-climate-change/welcome-to-our-earths-future-6U7uT.

1st Q Mtg: The Ivory-Bill!

Originally posted on Louisiana Master Naturalists – Northeast:
Is the ivory-billed woodpecker gone forever? Matt Courtman says, “No!” The Louisiana Master Naturalists – Northeast first quarter 2020 meeting is scheduled Sunday, Jan. 19, at 2 p.m. in the Black Bayou Lake NWR Education Center. As always we begin with a…

Celebrating National Wildlife Refuge Week

Celebrating National Wildlife Refuge Week! Thank God for the U.S. National Wildlife Refuges, say I! They are as much a refuge to me as they are to the wildlife, I think. My life is so much richer for them. Hats off to the founders, the designers, the rangers and managers. God bless them and the wildlife and habitat that they protect. Here’s what I have enjoyed recently!

Celebrate Fall!

Originally posted on Louisiana Master Naturalists – Northeast:
Louisiana Master Naturalists – Northeast will have its biggest presence ever at Fall Celebration this coming Saturday, Oct. 12, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. This is our third year to be at Friends of Black Bayou’s annual event. But this year, instead…

Celebrate Autumn on Saturday, October 12th, at Black Bayou Lake NWR, Monroe.

Friends of Black Bayou once again invite the public to enjoy a day of celebration at Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday, October 12, 9 am-2 pm, beginning with a guided nature walk at 8:30 am.