Sometimes called black mallards, black ducks spend the winter here, following the rivers and tributaries inland from the Chesapeake Bay. Read the Full Story >>
nature
Get Cracking, It’s Black Walnut Time
Black walnuts are stately trees with serpentine branches, wide spreading crowns and thick twigs. Read the Full Story >>
Mushroom Fairy Circles
Some mushrooms grow individually, some grow in circles or rings. Read the Full Story >>
Heat Troubles For Wildlife
Extended bouts of intense heat are affecting local wildlife. Read the Full Story >>
Conservation Center Welcomes Public For May 11 Open House
The National Conservation Training Center, located just north of Shepherdstown, will be open to the public on May 11. Read the Full Story >>
The Wild Ramp Is A Local Treat
Doug Pifer writes about falling in love with ramps, an important part of West Virginia's cultural heritage. Read the Full Story >>
Canada Geese Stay Close To Home
Doug Pifer welcomes the sight of a high-flying V of Canada geese as they migrate to and from their northern nesting grounds each year. Read the Full Story >>
Lead Shot Hits The Food Chain
Naturalist Doug Pifer discusses the dangers of lead shot in the natural food chain Read the Full Story >>
Witness The Winter Waterfowl
Thousands of ducks, geese, swans, and loons visit Jefferson County every year, stopping on the nearby Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. Read the Full Story >>
A Crash Course In Bird Feathers
Naturalist Doug Pifer discusses bird feathers. Read the Full Story >>
Hammerhead Worm Has Odd Habits
Hammerhead flatworms, although recently touted as our latest alien threat, have been in the USA since 1891. Read the Full Story >>
Caterpillars With Eyes And Horns
Hog caterpillar (left) and sphinx caterpillar (right). Photo by D. Pifer. Last summer I was lucky to find two amazing-looking sphinx moth caterpillars. They were feeding together on a Virginia creeper vine growing up the bricks next to our back door. My wife had been asking me to remove the creeper vine before its tendrils Read the Full Story >>
Windy Days are Important
Looking out the kitchen window one morning last week, I thought it had started to snow. When I went out later, I saw that my “snowflakes” were really the fluffy seeds of sycamore trees. Read the Full Story >>
Preventing Bird Window Strikes
What should you do when a bird strikes a window of your house? Read the Full Story >>
Reeling In Big Fish & Big Tales
The largest member of the pike family, Esox masquiniongy got the name muskellunge from an Ojibway expression meaning “big fish.” True to its name, a musky grows bigger than any other fish in its habitat. Read the Full Story >>