During the 1890s, America faced an environmental crisis similar in many ways to our situation today. Our country had nearly ended its westward expansion. Read the Full Story >>
Doug Pifer
Doug Pifer is an artist, naturalist, and writer. He has a Master’s Degree in Journalism from Penn State and has been an editor and art educator. His illustrations have appeared in various books and magazines and he has been a contributor to The Observer for several years. He lives with his wife and assorted animals on 5.7 acres in a historic farmhouse near Shepherdstown.
Saluting A Habitat Tree
It’s good for a tree’s overall health to remove dead branches. And falling limbs can be a true hazard. But there is great value in keeping a dead tree standing in a safe spot in your yard or property. My wife and I were thrilled to discover a big Kentucky Coffee tree growing next to our driveway when we moved here. As it began to leaf out, we sadly learned it was near the end of its life. Read the Full Story >>
Windy Days are Important
Looking out the kitchen window one morning last week, I thought it had started to snow. When I went out later, I saw that my “snowflakes” were really the fluffy seeds of sycamore trees. Read the Full Story >>
Preventing Bird Window Strikes
What should you do when a bird strikes a window of your house? Read the Full Story >>
Howling Around Town With Coyotes
Over the past 20 years, coyotes have successfully repopulated in the eastern half of the United States. Read the Full Story >>
Native Woodrats Return To Jefferson County
Native wildlife returns to West Virginia - Biologists spot two Allegheny woodrats in Harpers Ferry National Historic Park. Read the Full Story >>
Readers Share Some Nature Tricks & Treats
As we spend time outside studying nature, it’s reassuring to observe familiar things year after year. And yet there always remains an element of surprise. Two readers shared their most recent nature surprises with me this past month. Read the Full Story >>
Pollinator Palooza Event at Shepherdstown Public Library
The Shepherdstown Public Library is hosting “Pollinator Palooza,” a four-day (Sep 7 - 10), family-friendly program in its new gardens. Read the Full Story >>
Tracking the Bats Overhead
Last Saturday night, I led a friend and her family on a bat walk. She said it was the only thing she wanted for her birthday, so I met her at her house near Ranson, West Virginia around 8:30 pm. It had rained all day but started to clear up in the late afternoon. Perfect “batting” weather. Read the Full Story >>
Dutchman’s Pipe, the Old Porch Vine
When my wife and I added a new trellis to our old side porch, we knew the perfect vine to plant there. Facing northwest, the porch is shaded by the house until it gets the full afternoon sun, just the place to plant a Dutchman’s pipe, also called pipevine. Read the Full Story >>
Stunning Colors at the Feeder
A half-dozen goldfinches, pure yellow against the fresh grass of May, sought scattered dandelion seeds. Brilliant as they are, they can’t compare to the painted bunting that showed up at Tom O’Connor’s Clarke County, Virginia bird feeder a few days ago. Read the Full Story >>
Reeling In Big Fish & Big Tales
The largest member of the pike family, Esox masquiniongy got the name muskellunge from an Ojibway expression meaning “big fish.” True to its name, a musky grows bigger than any other fish in its habitat. Read the Full Story >>
Drama at the Nest
They were all set to start a family. The nursery was almost ready. Then one day everything changed when a young stranger appeared. Is this the trailer for a new soap opera? No, it’s part of the drama that’s unfolded over the past month keeping viewers tuned in to the live camera feed at the Shepherdstown eagle nest. Read the Full Story >>
The Bradford Pear Outgrows Its Welcome
It sounded like springtime in December. Three dozen robins were singing and scolding on Christmas morning. They had gathered to feed on the fruits of a Bradford pear, an ornamental tree that was the darling of landscapers thirty years ago but is now black-listed by many gardeners and nature lovers. Read the Full Story >>
Barred Owls Hoot a Duet
As a new year starts, I love to step outside at dusk and see the twigs of the bare trees etched against the greenish afterglow of sunset. I was about to call the dogs back into the house when I heard two barred owls hooting. We don’t hear barred owls too often. Hearing them makes me smile. Read the Full Story >>
