Curious as to where the only wild red wolves live in the US, why flying squirrels glow pink in the dark, or what it is like to walk with polar bears? Want to learn more about the underdogs in nature?
Join us as we look through our lens and follow our fascinations in learning all about our misunderstood critters. Fall in love with opossums, bats and yes, even snakes.
And let us know your fascination. You just might see it featured here!
Gray Foxes: The Joy of Living with Them
The leaves next to Dale's studio are rustling. Cool, it must be our resident black snake, who we haven't seen in a long time. Then a tiny...
Skunks
Have you ever thought about skunks? Probably not until you smell one. Why is that? They seem forgotten until that dreadful smell hits you....
Eight Amazing Facts about Fireflies
So many amazing facts about fireflies are swirling around in my head. And watching fireflies glow in the backyard makes my heart sing. Fond...
When & How To Put Out Hummingbird Feeders (Updated 2023)
An age-old dilemma. When to put out hummingbird feeders? Well, in North Carolina, ruby-throated hummingbirds are often spotted along the...
Snake Guards Can Help Save Your Bluebirds
Just What is a Snake Guard? If you have a bluebird house or any kind of bird nesting box, you might not have given much thought to snake...
Educational Programs: The More You Learn, the More You Love
Education programs for wildlife are magical. But what does that mean? First, close your eyes. Next, listen to the video. Ok, it is a little...
The Fascinating World of Bees as Pollinators
Did you know when a honey bee stings you, it usually dies? And it's always a female? So the honey bee really doesn't want to...
For the Love of Red Wolves
Let's start with a question. What is the most endangered wild animal in the US? Black-footed ferret Eastern hellbender Gray bat Red wolf...
Love To Stack Rocks? Don’t Be a Hellbender Homewrecker!
You may be a hellbender home wrecker and not even know it. But first what the hell is a hellbender, also affectionately called a snot...
The Best Seven Manatee Facts
Have you ever seen a manatee in the wild? It is an amazing experience. You almost want to hold your breath while in their presence so you...
The Magic of a Sea Turtle Baby
Could it be a sea turtle baby? As we walk down the beach in Ponte Vedra, FL we see a tiny brown lump. And it is moving! Is it a crab? Sea...
Incredible Skunk Spray. Everything You Want To Know
Skunk spray. Ever wonder about it? Do you know skunks only spray when they are scared? But first, let's delve into why it smells so bad. And...
Turtles vs Tortoises: The Astonishing Differences
Confusing! What exactly is the difference between turtles vs tortoises. Or are they one & the same? Let's find out.A quick overview of...
How to Plant a Tree
How do you plant a tree? Ok, I have to confess I have never really thought about it. You dig a hole and put the tree in it. Wrong! Apparently, we...
How to Do Successful Wildlife Rescues
Are you helping or hindering when you do wildlife rescues? Well, let's start at the beginning. What happens when you see an animal in...
Creating a Red Wolf Sculpture
A red wolf sculpture was not on our minds when we visited the NC Zoo in 2018. But after seeing their red wolves for the first time, we learned...
Why Do Beavers Build The Most Amazing Dams?
Ever wonder why do beavers build dams? I know, it is not something you think about every day. But when you do... Beavers want to...
Beavers
Do you feel strongly about beavers? Some people think they are pests, cutting down trees and some, like us, think they are saviors of our...
What In The World Do Wolves Eat? Think Blueberries!
We never really thought about what wolves eat until we saw a pack of 18 gray wolves at Nanuk Lodge outside Churchill, Canada. We were...
Do You Fear Bees? So Do Elephants!
How Can Bees Help Elephants? As elephants and humans compete for scarce land and water resources, they come into conflict, sometimes with...
Bog Turtles
How come we have never heard of bog turtles? Yet they happen to live in our state. Are you fascinated with turtles, especially...
Sea Turtles
What exactly are sea turtles? We think of them as the mariners of the sea. And they have superpowers! But let's start at the beginning....
Frog Skin: The Ultimate In Recycling
Frog skin. I never really thought about it. Other than it feels slimy to the touch. Hmmm, bet you never thought about it either, did you? But...
Porcupines
Do you know porcupines climb trees? American porcupines are another misunderstood animal. Many folks believe they can shoot their quills at...
Discover How The Amazing Fox Uses Earth’s Magnetic Field
Using Earth's Magnetic Field To Navigate Do you ever go into the woods and use a compass to find your way around the forest? The compass has a...
Horseshoe Crab Blood: How It Can Save Your Life
We just got our first COVID-19 vaccine. Which is a little scary since the vaccine is brand new. But we take comfort the vaccine is free of...
Red Foxes
Foxes in your neighborhood? You might be surprised to learn red foxes are one of the most widespread land mammals, other than humans, on the...
Garden Bugs Come In All Colors! Discover Why.
A Garden Bug Confession I have a confession to make. Garden bugs are cool, but I didn't grow up caring much about bugs. One of my favorite...
Jellyfish
Have you wondered if a jellyfish is a fish? You know the slimy blobs you see on the beach? When you start learning some jellyfish facts, you...
Giraffes
There are so many interesting giraffe facts about the tallest animal on our planet. So let's get started. First, giraffes are about 15-20 feet...
A Great Time To Be A Citizen Scientist
Dream of being a Scientist? Wouldn't it be cool to be a scientist? It turns out you may already be a citizen scientist and don't even know it....
Black Bear Facts: Busting Misconceptions
Whenever I see a black bear wander through our property, my heart skips a beat, and I am in complete awe. How do they survive in our...
Gray Wolves
Have you ever thought about a world with no gray (also spelled grey) wolves or wolves of any kind? Hmm. Would we be safer? Would our planet...
Hyenas
How can you not love hyenas, yet they are one of our great, misunderstood animals. Literature, folklore and even movies haven’t done them any...
Amazing Pollinators in the Garden
Amazing Pollinators in the Garden How many pollinators in the garden can you name? Well, of course, there are bees and butterflies, but what about...
Snakes
Snakes need some love. Misunderstood and much needed for our environment, snakes get a bad rap. Here’s a quick quiz. Are you more likely to be...
Misunderstood Scary Spiders. Why Not to Be Afraid!
Are you afraid of spiders? Well, you are not alone. Spiders can seem scary. And 33% of all folks suffer from arachnophobia (a phobia of scary...
Two Best Trees For Wildlife
Who would have thought oak trees support more wildlife than any other tree. I know it came as a surprise to us. Trees and wildlife. We never...
Why Wildlife Corridors are Critical to Our Wildlife’s Survival
What Exactly are Wildlife Corridors? A wildlife corridor. Now, what might that be? We have to admit, we haven't thought much about them until...
Creating Habitat
CREATE WILDLIFE HABITAT WITH NATIVE PLANTS Wildlife habitat. What is it and why would you want critters in your backyard? And what kind of...
How to Plant a Tree. In a Square Hole?
Apparently we are one of the last to know the proper way to plant a tree. Adding over 100 native trees and bushes to our landscape over the...
Benefits of Bogs
Have you ever slogged a bog (a new term we made up to describe walking through a bog)? If not, you have missed a unique, very fun experience...
Vultures
The misunderstood vulture needs some of our love. Vultures are often described as ugly, or even alien looking. And they eat dead things, ugh!...
Opossums
Opossums are great neighbors. But first, let's go through some opossum facts and myths. When you were a kid, were you always the last to get...
Rhinos
Could rhinos go extinct in our lifetime? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. But first some basic rhino facts.How Many Species Of Rhino Exist...
Red Wolves
Have you ever heard of America's red wolf? We hadn't until a few years ago. And then we started learning some red wolf facts that boggled our...
Polar Bears
All bears, to some extent, are misunderstood. We think polar bears fall into the totally misunderstood category First, some polar bear facts....
Owls
Owls are one of our most misunderstood birds. Why? First, let's look at some cool owl facts to understand them. They have no teeth. So how do...
Lemurs
It is hard not to fall in love with a lemur. How can you not love them when one is crawling up your pant leg looking at you with those big,...
Hellbenders
What The Heck Is A Hellbender? Have you ever seen a hellbender? OK, stop right there. What the heck is a hellbender? Well, they just happen to...
Gorillas
Gorilla Facts We love gorillas. They are our closest relative, yet one of our most misunderstood animals. But first, some gorilla facts. Are...
Frogs
So What Is A Group Of Frogs Called? Hmm. It is not a navy, but an army. Just one of many fun frog facts. But what about a group of toads? They...
Flying Squirrels
What Exactly Are Flying Squirrels? Flying squirrels are one of the coolest looking animals on the planet. But they are completely...
Elephants
Fun Elephant Facts Who doesn’t love elephants and want to know some cool elephant facts? First, they are the largest land animal on the planet...
Butterflies
The amazing butterfly. There are so many butterfly facts, it is hard to know where to begin. But here we go. Out of the 20,000 species of...
Bats
It is so hard to sort out what bat facts are true and which are myths. Bats are one of our favorite animals yet they are so...
Saying Thank you
Here we are with Governor Cooper & his wife, Kristin I don't say thank you enough. First, it requires interacting with people which as an...
A Gorilla Win!
Getting in the Game with Gorillas Dale with "Enigma" at the National Sculpture Society show Who doesn't enjoy being acknowledged for their...
Red Wolves Get Huge Boost From N.C. Governor Cooper
Four week old red wolf pups at Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center Hope for the Red Wolves In this season of hope and thankfulness, we...
Gotta Love the Underdog
Finally, an underdog species gets front & center stage. Immortalized as a sculpture and on the cover of a magazine. Wow, it just doesn't get...
A Passion for Wildlife
There is always a back story... How do you capture one's passion? And on paper, no less. Here's the full...
The Red Wolf Art Sculpture is Finished. Now What?
We didn’t think red wolf art would be in high demand. It turns out we are wrong, in a good way! Once Dale completes a sculpture, an obvious...
Create Wildlife Habitat with Native Plants
Wildlife habitat. What is it and why would you want critters in your backyard? And what kind of critters? Animals Need Wildlife Habitat But their...
Extinct No More
Giant Tortoise Discovered Extinct species? What do a giant tortoise and a giant bee have in common? They are both big? True, but even better, they...
Falling in Love
Our Story Begins... Fate. Falling in love. A broken sculpture, a missed art opening, and a chance encounter. It sounds like a mystery. Hmmm. We hear...
Our Weiler Woods Love Story, an Article in Foothills Magazine
Our Weiler Woods love story. We met at one of Dale's art shows, fell in love on first sight (yes, it really happens and we are over 60!), got...
Keystone Species: The Remarkable Benefits
I keep reading about keystone species. But what is one exactly? Is it a new type of animal or plant? Not exactly, but let's start with a...
A New Public Art Sculpture, “Tails to Rails”
Emotional, connected and energized. Three words Dale uses to describe how he feels about his new public art sculpture, "Tails to Rails". Emotional...
Kiss a Frog? You bet!
Would either of us kiss a frog? You bet if it helps protect them from extinction. But we better kiss them quick as they may not be with us much...