Look for shorter tails on voles and lemmings
Scurrying around underground, in meadows and through leaf litter are several small, furry mammals. Last week, I wrote about the mice found in North Idaho…
Tag: Outdoor Column
Small, furry critters include more than mice
Signs of the smallest mammals are more frequently seen than the animal itself unless you happen to see one scurry across the road. Mice, voles,…
Being green in winter isn’t easy
Compared to the Midwest, the forests of North Idaho are filled with more conifers than deciduous trees. Conifers keep our forests green through winter as…
Stromatolites a window into Earth’s history
Fossils offer a glimpse of what organisms have lived on Earth, such as woolly mammoths and Tyrannosaurus Rex- yet most don’t exist today. Some fossils…
Caching allows early nesting for Clark’s nutcracker
Laying eggs in March would be a risky venture for most birds because of the lack of food available to feed nestlings. But an alpine…
Sweet cottonwood fragrance will announce spring
One day in early spring, the sweet fragrance of cottonwood buds will fill the air. The large pointed buds of black cottonwoods are filled with…
Life under an icy ceiling
Winter brings hardships for many animals–lack of food, deep snow and cold temperatures. For fish sealed from the winter landscape by a ceiling of ice,…
Thermometers help us define hot and cold
What does cold mean to you: 32 degrees, 0 degrees or minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit? Mid-winter temperatures of 32 degrees Fahrenheit are balmy for someone…
White-tailed deer skull yields rare surprise
After picking up his white-tailed deer skull from the taxidermist this fall, Kody Atkins found out the deer had an uncommon feature–upper canine teeth. The…
Chickadees utilize various tactics to survive
One of the most loyal visitors to bird feeders are chickadees. No matter what the weather, chickadees quickly dart to a feeder, grab a seed…
Challenge yourself to get outside more this winter
While winter is great time to plan for summer hikes, camping trips or hunting trips, don’t forego exploring the outdoors in winter because of the…
More to a fire than flames and ashes
Staring into a campfire, watching the flames flicker and flare until the wood is reduced to glowing red coals can be mesmerizing. The warmth of…
Small, furry critters include more than mice
Signs of the smallest mammals are more frequently seen than the animal itself unless you happen to see one scurry across the road. Mice, voles,…
Being green in winter isn’t easy
Compared to the Midwest, the forests of North Idaho are filled with more conifers than deciduous trees. Conifers keep our forests green through winter as…
Stromatolites a window into Earth’s history
Fossils offer a glimpse of what organisms have lived on Earth, such as woolly mammoths and Tyrannosaurus Rex- yet most don’t exist today. Some fossils…
Caching allows early nesting for Clark’s nutcracker
Laying eggs in March would be a risky venture for most birds because of the lack of food available to feed nestlings. But an alpine…
Sweet cottonwood fragrance will announce spring
One day in early spring, the sweet fragrance of cottonwood buds will fill the air. The large pointed buds of black cottonwoods are filled with…
Life under an icy ceiling
Winter brings hardships for many animals–lack of food, deep snow and cold temperatures. For fish sealed from the winter landscape by a ceiling of ice,…
Thermometers help us define hot and cold
What does cold mean to you: 32 degrees, 0 degrees or minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit? Mid-winter temperatures of 32 degrees Fahrenheit are balmy for someone…
White-tailed deer skull yields rare surprise
After picking up his white-tailed deer skull from the taxidermist this fall, Kody Atkins found out the deer had an uncommon feature–upper canine teeth. The…
Chickadees utilize various tactics to survive
One of the most loyal visitors to bird feeders are chickadees. No matter what the weather, chickadees quickly dart to a feeder, grab a seed…
Challenge yourself to get outside more this winter
While winter is great time to plan for summer hikes, camping trips or hunting trips, don’t forego exploring the outdoors in winter because of the…
More to a fire than flames and ashes
Staring into a campfire, watching the flames flicker and flare until the wood is reduced to glowing red coals can be mesmerizing. The warmth of…