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GIANT SOUTH AMERICAN RIVER TURTLES

      I recently became aware, by a TV program of giant South American river turtles living in the large Orinoco and Amazon Rivers in the tropical Amazon Basin of northern South America.  And what impressed me the most about these giant river turtles is the annual gathering of hundreds of female turtles on gigantic flats of soil during the annual drought when river water levels drop dramatically.           Those female turtles come together on the flats to lay their eggs at one time in the two and a half foot holes they dug in the soil with their back feet, one per turtle, on a bit higher part of the large, drying flats.  Each female lays about a hundred eggs in the pit she dug.  Digging a nursery hole a little uphill helps insure the turtle embryos don't drown before they hatch.  Perhaps, in the past, through trial and error, the river turtles that may have deposited eggs to close to the river have no descendants today be...
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JUNE BEETLES AND DIGGER WASPS

      On the afternoon of July 7, this past, I was sitting in our car in a parking lot and waiting for my wife.  While there, I noticed about a dozen green June beetles zipping back and forth low across a regularly mowed, nearby lawn.  I watched them for a few minutes and remembered they were male and female June beetles seeking mates for mating in the short grass.  Females release pheromones that attract the males.       Adult male and female June beetles emerge from the ground by late June ready to mate.  Males and females are similar in appearance; about an inch long, and dull-green and tan on top and metallic green below, both of which camouflages them.      Adult June beetles are part of several food chains.  They ingest rotting fruit, tree sap and flower nectar.  However, some of these beetles are preyed on by crows, blue jays, American robins, purple grackles and other bird species.    ...
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MINIATURE STREAMSIDE BEAUTIES

      Late in June, while scanning a shoreline of a sluggish creek with binoculars for wildlife in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, I saw beautiful bouquets of water forget-me-nots, and several attractive common bluet damselflies.  Those flowers and insects were studies in miniature beauties.        The streambank was grown up with tall reed-canary grass right to the waterline, offering a green backdrop for the blooms and damselflies.  The forget-me-not bouquets of blooms were nestled charmingly, and peeked out coyly, from among the high grasses that swayed in the wind.  Meanwhile, the small, slender damselflies flew back and forth low over the waterway after mates, or flying insect food.  And some of the damselflies perched on soaked mats of algae in the water's surface, or blades of grass on the shore, where they can watch for food, mates, and rivals in the case of the males.             Forg...
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MY FAVORITE INSECTS

      Several kinds of unusual and attractive insects in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania are of special interest to me.  They have intriguing features and/or life histories.      Furry, rounded, half-inch bee flies are active in April when they visit flowers, such as spring beauties, bloodroots, trout lilies and others, on local, woodland floors, to sip nectar from those blossoms.  They have a protruding mouth that siphons up the nectar.  Some bee flies perch on woodland, soil trails where they fly up when people approach.       Spittle bugs are the nymphs of froghoppers that suck sap from grass and other green plants in meadows and on lawns.  Each spittle bug produces a froth around its body to keep it moist, and hidden, while sucking sap.  The nymphs can be spotted by looking for "spit" on the grass, which is their spittle.        Adult eyed click beetles and the caterpillars of spicebus...
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HOOT OWLS

      Great horned owls and barred owls, together, can be called "hoot owls" because of their loud hooting that thrill some people, including me, and frighten others.  Both these owl species live in woods across much of North America.  And we can identify each kind, even at night, by listening to the rhythm of their boisterous hooting.      Great horned owls' most frequent calling is a deep " hoo-hoo-hoo, hooooo-hooooo " while that of barred owls seems to say "who cooks for you-who cooks for you-alllll".  Both species have other, less frequently heard, vocalizations as well.  Some of those calls can make a person's hair "stand on end".      Though different species, these handsome owls have characteristics in common.  Both are about two feet long and have camouflaged feathering to avoid the harassments of crows and other birds when trying to rest in trees during the day.  Both kinds of owls mostly hunt prey at ni...
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BITTERSWEET NIGHTSHADE JUNGLES

      Bittersweet nightshade jungles have many beauties, and shelter several kinds of wildlife through summer.  This common vine spreads rapidly across the ground and climbs trees, shrubbery and other objects, particularly near streams where the soil is constantly moist.  It can tolerate partial shade.        This kind of nightshade is originally from Eurasia, but is now naturalized in much of the United States.  It is a perennial plant, spreading every spring from its root system in the sheltering ground.  All parts of these interesting plants are poisonous to people and livestock, though nightshade is related to tomatoes, peppers and egg plants.      Nightshade vines sprout early in May, and have several beautiful flowers by early June. Each attractive blossom has five reflexed, deep-purple petals and yellow stamens that come together to a point, making a striking combination of purple and yellow colors. ...
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LANCASTER'S CROW AND RAVENS

      One mid-June afternoon, while doing errands in New Holland, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, I noticed a family group of eight American crows flying about from buildings to a row of staghorn sumac trees, and back again, as if playing a game.  Watching them, I thought about the four species of crows I have seen in Lancaster County over the years.        Various species of the crow family are adaptable and adjusted well to the human-made fields, suburbs and shopping areas we created.  These related birds are intelligent, black all over and utter similar calls, sometimes making them tough to identify.      The southern population of American crows nests across much of the United States.  In spring and summer, I see several pairs of them in farmland and suburbs foraging for food and raising young in tall trees in both built habitats.  Later, I see some of the family groups foraging for food together in the field...
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