Late summer 2021: I made a first attempt to raise Monarch butterflies. I bought lantana plants to provide nectar for the butterflies and milkweed plants as food for the caterpillars. Since earlier caterpillars kept disappearing from my butterfly plants outside, I brought them to a habitat inside my screened porch to give them a better chance at survival. See what happened to 6 Monarchs in the videos here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPe3Kb4Rsrb8G2KsZNVM0Jdlvocf7sABk

One of six Monarch butterfly caterpillars that I’m raising at home. All of the caterpillars were disappearing from my butterfly plants outside, so I brought them to a habitat inside my screened porch to give them a better chance at survival. So exciting to see this transformation as it happened!

Who reigns the parking lots? Here’s a glimpse at the geese in charge.

Spotted this one with unusual coloring on a warm, early fall evening. It was eating grass and drinking from puddles, ignoring a nearby trashcan.

 A rainy week, an abandoned suburban pool, and a warm May evening set the stage for one of my most amazing experiences this season. Cope’s Gray Treefrogs called so loudly that I needed earplugs. A random Green Frog made me laugh with it’s banjo string “plunk” call. Squawky Green Treefrogs were also nearby, as well as a toad or two!  

Stick around to hear how loud they get and see the little Cope’s Gray Treefrog cameo! 

 Cope’s Gray Treefrog | Green Treefrog | Green Frog | Southern Toad

Summer bonanza of frogs in the dark - crank up the audio and just listen.

Solid despite so much traffic!

Have you ever seen a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron before? They’re pretty stunning compared to the other wading birds I’ve seen. Spotted these in Portsmouth, VA!

Crank up the volume to hear this spring cricket with interstate traffic in the background.

Spying on a House Finch and listening to it’s springlike chirpy songs.

Lots of post-blizzard activity in southeastern Virginia, January 2018.

Thanks to the help of Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, I figured out the identity of this mystery… Eastern Gray Fox! Spotted at twilight in a suburban industrial park in June (perfect nightmare for my phone’s lens and image sensor).

I love hearing all of the crickets, cicadas, katydids and other insects that are in full swing with all their little sounds in the late summer nights. All of these conversations surrounding us - different pitches, rhythms, intensity - turning the evening into something magical. 

Here’s a sample of what I’ve heard in southeastern Virginia.