Deer are social creatures and so there is a need to communicate with one another. Sometimes it’s one on one trash talk, while other times it’s an alarm to an entire group.

There are several ways a deer communicates that it is alarmed about something. Stamping one hoof several times shows mild alarm. Next it may snort, which sounds like someone blowing their nose very hard, and has a high pitch sound. Lastly, when disturbed enough they will run, flipping their tail straight up and exposing the bushy white underside. This is called tail flagging, and it tells the other deer to get the heck out of Dodge.

During August and September, it is easy to spot Joe-Pye Weed along roadsides and woodland edges. I wondered about its name, so I did my usual research thing and discovered the following.

The Joe-Pye Weed common one around here is Eupatorium fistulosum. It has another nice name as well, Queen of the Meadow. It is a tall, slim plant 5-10 feet in height, with whorls of dark green, spear shaped leaves along the stem. What will catch your eye is the dome-shaped cluster of dull pink flowers that bloom from August into October. It is common in our area and easy to spot even from a moving car.

On October 26 be sure to look to the east at sunset and behold the most famous of all full moons, the Harvest Moon. Its nostalgia goes back to the days before electricity, when it was used as a night light by farmers to work longer in the fields to get the fall crops in, hence the name. But the Harvest Moon stands out for other reasons as well.

The eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) is a member of the squirrel family and very common in our area and locally called ground squirrels. They are the little reddish-brown squirrels you see scurrying about in the woods. The average chipmunk is only 5-6 inches long with a narrow bushy tail. When they run, note that their tail is held straight up.

The mourning dove (Zenaidura macroura) is truly an All-American bird that can be found from coast to coast. It is brownish gray in color and around 1 foot in length with a wingspread of 20 inches. The dove has a long, slender tail that is white bordered and a black spot behind the eye. The species is monomorphic, meaning the male and female look alike. Birds that show distinct differences between the sexes are classified as dimorphic.

No one can deny that we humans like to see nature. It’s why we set aside land for city parks, national parks, and greenways. It’s why we get our fingernails dirty planting trees and flowers in our yard. And I don’t think anyone would dispute that being in a forest or quiet natural area has a calming effect. Some recent research is verifying that there is a relationship between the natural environment and improved health outcomes. Science guys love to hang impressive titles on things, and in this case enjoying nature is receiving “spatial emotional stimulus”.

Skunks need no introduction, with their black and white markings and universally known odor. The most common species in our area is the Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis), also known locally as a "polecat". This is another example of old English making it over the ocean and then preserved in mountain speech. Polecat was the name of a similar skunk species in the old country, which was particularly bad for raiding hen houses on farms. Poule is an old French word for "fowl”. The other alternative is that the first element is from the Old French pulent, which means "stinking."

The standard definition of a plant is a life form that is green and capable of making its own food through photosynthesis, and for the majority of plant families that is true, and designated as autotrophs, meaning “self-feeding”. But there are plants that defy the status quo and lack the green chlorophyll needed for food production, and must get their nourishment through other means, some by taking it from other plants by sucking their version lifeblood, sap.

One of the joys of summer is watching bright colored butterflies flutter from flower to flower feeding on nectar. Some moths are also beautiful to see, but most tend to be dull in color and only seen at night. Because of this you probably notice more butterflies than moths, even though there are four times as many moth species.

My fun and my work for decades has involved walking over rough terrain, so finding practical but comfortable shoes or boots has been critical. They’re so important to me that I end up emotionally attached to them and mourn when they finally wear out and I must let them go to shoe heaven. I’m teary eyed right now just thinking about it, so today’s article is advice on choosing footwear that will be your close friend.