Monthly Archives: January 2011

The personalities of cats

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

I’ll never cease to be amazed by the distinct personalities of domestic cats.  I’ve had quite a few cats in my life; I currently have five, and they’re all as unique as any people you may know.  Here’s a synopsis … Continue reading →

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Snow Tracks: Coyote

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

Tracks from members of the dog family vaguely resemble those of cats, with one especially distinct difference.  Cats have retractable claws, and normally don’t leave claw marks unless they lose their footing.  Dogs generally have fixed claws, and almost always … Continue reading →

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Random Plant: Boxelder

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

Boxelder trees (Acer negundo, Aceraceae) are easy to identify in the winter thanks to their distinct seeds.  Like other members of the maple family, these trees produce seeds with papery wings known as samaras.  Unlike other maples, boxelder samaras tend … Continue reading →

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Snow Tracks: Mouse

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

The tracks above belong to a mouse (Mus sp., Muridae).  When moving quickly they hop along and leave large footprints with their rear feet.  They also tend to leave streaks where their tails drag along behind them.  The smaller print … Continue reading →

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Snows Tracks: Wild turkey

Posted on January 15, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

There’s a large group of wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo, Phasianidae) living near my parents’ house, but thus far I haven’t been lucky enough to photograph them.  While out looking for them the other day, I did find a lot of … Continue reading →

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Geologic Overview of the Cheat River Gorge

Posted on January 13, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

The Cheat River Gorge is a remarkable natural feature located in northeastern West Virginia.  This area is known for beautiful scenery, white-water rafting and rock climbing, all thanks to the geologic processes that have forged this wonder. From the Cambrian … Continue reading →

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Still alive and kicking…

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

New Year’s Eve was a rather mild day amidst a cold Michigan winter, and I ventured into the woods to poke around.  I tore into some rotting wood and found these little guys nestled inside.  I really don’t know what … Continue reading →

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Snow Tracks: Squirrel

Posted on January 10, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

Squirrels (family Sciuridae) leave some interesting tracks.  Generally all four paw prints are located close together, but the sets of prints are relatively far apart.  The tracks in the photo above were spaced out about every three feet. Squirrel tracks … Continue reading →

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Random Plant: Honey locust revisited

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

I last wrote about honey locust trees (Gleditsia triacanthos, Fabaceae) back in the warm month of September, when these trees were lush and green.  Now that we’re in the depths of winter these deciduous trees have gone through senescence and … Continue reading →

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Guess That Poop #2

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

What animal made this granola-like feces?  Scroll for the answer: 5 4 3 2 1 This is a dropping from a raccoon (Procyon lotor, Procyonidae).  Since raccoons will eat a wide variety of food, their scat can vary quite a … Continue reading →

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Random Plant: Northern whitecedar (arborvitae)

Posted on January 3, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

Commonly planted as an ornamental tree, northern whitecedar (Thuja occidentalis, Cupressaceae) is native to northeastern North America.  Commercially it’s better known as arborvitae, which is probably more accurate than calling it a “cedar.”  True cedars are in a different genus … Continue reading →

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Tiny mushrooms

Posted on January 2, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

While out in the woods the other day I noticed these extraordinarily tiny mushrooms (class Agaricomycetes) growing on the bark of a tree.  The caps were only about two to three millimeters in diameter. I suspect this fungus was taking … Continue reading →

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Guess That Poop #1

Posted on January 2, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

What animal made this pile of pellet poop?  Scroll for the answer: 5 4 3 2 1 This is the feces of a white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus, Cervidae).  It’s hard to believe such a large animal can make such tiny … Continue reading →

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Some hardy wild herbs

Posted on January 1, 2011 by Jeremy Sell

So far this winter has been cold but not terribly snowy here in southeast Michigan.  Low temperatures have been down to the single digits Fahrenheit (F), and we’ve been through at least a couple of straight weeks with highs only … Continue reading →

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