Dick Walton - Natural History Services
al and hdt

Americas
Maine to Panama

Naturalists know there are endless wonders in local meadows and woodlands, yet we also have the itch to travel.
Exotic wonders pictured in field guides and our own curiosity often take us to places far from home.

Through The Seasons

Phenology is the study of the timing of natural cycles and events and how these vary from season to season and from year to year.
For many naturalists the annual progression of events is their appointments calendar and determines their daily rounds.

Jumping Spiders of North America
Focus on Massachusetts

Worldwide the salticids comprise the largest family of spiders with approximately 350 species in North America north of Mexico.
Approximately 60 species of jumping spiders having been recorded in Massachusetts.

Solitary Wasps & Kin

Female solitary wasps (Aculeata, in part) hunt and capture a variety of prey to provision their subterranean nests.
These videos offer close-up looks at this fascinating behavior as well as videos of social wasps (the insects most people think of when
they hear the word “wasp”) including yellow jackets, paper wasps, and hornets as well as sawflies and horntails–––the ancestors of solitary wasps.

Northeastern Skippers
Identification

Many butterfly enthusiasts are stymied by the skippers.
Most skippers, however, are readily identifiable in the field with the aid of close focusing binoculars.
This online video guide presents the skippers as you will see them in their natural habitats.