If you grow grapes (Vitaceae spp) in your backyard in North America, you might encounter this strange, alien-looking caterpillar lurking among the vines, as I did. Eumorpha achemon is the Achemon Sphinx moth, a very large species of moth which is nocturnal and feeds on nectar. Although it is sometimes considered a pest of vineyards … Read more

The Black Hills are an isolated range of mountains sometimes referred to as the “Island in the Plains.” The relatively higher elevation and forested hills provide an isolated habitat for species that do not occur anywhere else in the state of Wyoming. My graduate work is focused on the Northern Long-Eared Myotis (Myotis septentrionalis), a … Read more

Walking out to the Lesser Prairie Chicken leks in the dark was my favorite time of day. In the big, open pastures of Kansas ranchland, there was little to navigate by except the stars. At my favorite lek, I found the traps between the bright stars of the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia. I was alone … Read more

It was 11 P.M., and I had a bat tucked into my jacket to keep it warm when a deer made a “chuff” alarm call somewhere nearby in the darkness. This was nothing new–the deer are most often making this alarm because they have caught scent of humans in their forest. My field partner and … Read more

A pair of house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) were particularly active near our field camp in the Black Hills National Forest, near Sundance, WY. House wrens are common in North American woodlands, and are known cavity nesters. Typically, a nest site will be chosen in a tree, though in urban areas, the birds are known to … Read more

While working in an office as a data technician this past winter, I unexpectedly received an invitation to join an 8-day long expedition into Lechuguilla Cave in New Mexico. While all caves are unique and harbor interesting research opportunities, Lechuguilla stands out among the rest. A 140+ mile long system, the cave is well-known for … Read more

When I first started exploring caves, I was surprised by the lack of life I encountered in these cold environments (30-45 degrees Fahrenheit). Contrary to the ideas that classic cave horror movies like “The Descent” propagate, there is not enough food in these systems to support large cave-adapted predators–especially ones interested in eating people. But … Read more

I am amazed when I look  out over the semi-arid desert, knowing that the harsh environment actually shelters a variety of wildlife. Hiking through rough scrub and dusty red soil, we scare up fence lizards and many-lined skink. We walk in the tracks of the wild/feral horses, and we drive carefully around blind curves to … Read more