Jeanine Farley

A reputation for unintelligence is belied by its foraging tricks and its ability to run mazes. But it faces serious population declines.

Common nighthawks ( Chordeiles minor ) are crepuscular birds that eat flying insects. You'll spot them swooping and wheeling like aerial acrobats to catch bugs in mid-air. They are closely related to whippoorwills with the same teeny beaks that open wide into surprisingly enormous insect-catching mouths

American goldfinches ( Spinus tristis ), also called “yellow birds,” are small sparrow-sized birds with black wings. In summer, the males are brilliant golden yellow with a black forehead, and, despite the name, females are olive-yellow below and olive above.

“Dreaded Army Worm Appears in Cambridge—Lawns Devastated in Wards One and Two—Ordinary Methods of Extermination Ineffectual.”

Legendary 1940s and 1950s baseball announcer Red Barber said that he first heard the phrase sitting in the catbird seat during a poker game in Cincinnati during the Great Depression.

As I was riding my bike the other day, I spotted an insect on the pavement. Not wanting to harm it, I swerved around it, but as I did so, I realized that the insect looked a lot like a spotted lanternfly.

That early fall nor'easter we had recently brought up the question : How did critters survive days of wind and rain?

As the days get cooler, bumble bees realize it may be time to slow down Jo F. writes: I have a garden in Neighborhood Nine that has dahlias.

The Canada goose used to migrate, using the state as a waypoint. But now they live here year round.

Snail mucus acts as both a lubricant and an adhesive. How can this be? By producing mucus that both flows and grips, snails are able to move forward and even crawl up a fence or hang upside-down from a leaf.