The surprise appearance of a wild turkey in another bird’s nest has one reader wondering.
David Lukas
Ask The Naturalist: Can Deer Twins Be Born on Different Days?
This week’s guest naturalist David Lukas has the answer to a reader’s intriguing cervid question.
The Cuckoo Wasp: A Gorgeous Parasite
A cuckoo wasp is one of those remarkable animals that appears for just a few seconds and makes you wonder what the heck you just saw.
Learn to Look for Them, and California’s Unique “Turret Spiders” are Everywhere
Tiny turret spiders, hiding in their silk-lined tunnels near your favorite trail, hold geologic secrets in their genes.
Birds of a Different Feather, Flocking Together
Meander through an oak woodland, or even a wooded suburban area, on a winter day, and you’re likely to experience something strange about our winter woodland songbirds: You may not see them at all. Then suddenly the trees come alive with dozens of birds of several species.
Diving into Our Ocean Sanctuaries
While living for a while on the Monterey Peninsula, I found myself drawn time and again from the cafes and shops of Pacific Grove down to the waters of Monterey Bay. Sometimes I would just sit on a bench and look for sea otters resting and feeding their pups in the undulating kelp beds. My time in Monterey was a small but privileged window into the wonderful diversity that makes the central coast of California one of the richest marine ecosystems in the world…
Out on a Limb with Mistletoe
Most people know to watch out for mistletoe at holiday parties, but there’s a lot more to this plant than that one-note holiday refrain.