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.

I’d heard of Dog Days all my life but only knew that it referred to the sweltering heat of late summer when dogs laid around more and were prone to go mad (with rabies). I had a request from a reader to write on the subject in more depth, so if you’re curious as well, read on.

My uncle Cas Newton Day remained a kid at heart to his last days. I loved him for it and I think (and hope) a little of it rubbed off on me. To illustrate, he and I, both grown adults, were helping hang tobacco in a barn that had very soft dirt at the entrance. We noticed funnel shaped indentions in the soil, and he suddenly got down on his hands and knees, put his mouth near one of the indentions and yells “Dooodlebug, doodlebug, house on fire!” After I got over my fit of laughter he pointed to the hole and upon close inspection, I saw that a small bug had surfaced at the bottom of the hole and was squirming around fit to bust. He had called up what I now know is an Antlion, but to generations of youth before me were called Doodlebugs, and it was a common fun activity to yell at them in this manner so that the sound vibrations would disturb them and make them surface from their lair.

By Steve Roark
Volunteer, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

It interests me how trees are so often intertwined with our culture and history. The 250th July 4th celebration of our Independence is a good time to review the history of the Liberty Tree, a symbol for individual liberty and resistance to tyranny.