Backyard Naturalist: Beavers: Nature’s Swiss Army knife of tools
As recently as 10,000 years ago, beavers as large as bears thrived across the continent. Now extinct, these creatures shared a common ancestor with your neighborhood beaver.
Michael's Latest Articles
Backyard Naturalist: The October surprise I’ve come to expect
Backyard Naturalist Michael Pappone's annual October surprise isn't what you think it might be.
Backyard Naturalist: You can go home again: Visiting yesteryear’s backyard
For a nature lover, the journey to and from a place like South Dakota guarantees a change in scenery–and the avifauna that go with it.
Backyard Naturalist: Watching “broadies” from the mountaintop
Broadies share the airways with a dozen other raptor species. On a good day, watchers can log falcons, eagles, hawks, vultures and ospreys, along with ravens, crows and occasionally the lone hummingbird.
Backyard Naturalist: Can you learn to love a stinker?
Skunks are, in fact, all over the place.
Backyard Naturalist: Loons: Guardians of the wilderness
We can all enjoy the company of loons without even leaving the Commonwealth thanks to the Biodiversity Research Institute.
Backyard Naturalist: Tree swallows herald fall’s arrival
Such is the life of a tree swallow: filled with beauty, alive with frenetic activity and fraught with endless uncertainty. Carpe diem.
Backyard Naturalist: Bats: One of nature’s most beneficial animals
Bats are one of the nation's most beneficial animals, as they munch on many pests.
Backyard Naturalist: The long-toed, grumpy-faced, chameleon-like gray tree frog
The nocturnal gray tree frog, while elusive, can be heard throughout the spring and summer breeding season.
Backyard Naturalist: Monarch math… Or the world’s longest relay race
Why choose numbers over poetry to celebrate the wonder of America’s favorite butterfly?