The Wildlife Code

10/08/2026

10/08/2026

A sweet lead of an American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) GIANT that will be on our upcoming list to see in the very near future. A BIG thank you for the amazing leads that get sent in for us to check-out.
🌳💪🌳🇺🇲🌳👀🌳

10/08/2026

My wife found this Eastern Black Swallowtail caterpillar (Papilio polyxenes asterius) feeding on some dill in the garden. When threatened, these caterpillars often evert their osmetarium, an orange, forked structure covered in chemical repellants. To add to the effect, they often raise up and wave the front half of their body, attempting to wipe these defensive chemicals on the aggressor. 😱

What a great idea for a Halloween costume!

10/08/2026

Young Male Impala.

Young male impalas leave their maternal groups around four to six months of age to join all-male groups called bachelor herds.

Young males find safety in numbers by grouping together away from dominant territorial rams.

Because of their smaller horns and lower social rank, young males cannot challenge older rams or breed until they reach about four years of age.

Bachelor group members spend much of their time sparring and play-fighting to build the strength and skills needed for future territorial battles.

During the rutting season (the impala mating period), the savanna transforms into a high-stakes, chaotic battleground. This season usually peaks toward the end of the wet season, around May.

The quiet life of the bachelor herds ends when mature rams undergo an intense behavioral and physical change to claim territory.

Dominant rams produce a shockingly loud, guttural roar-grunt and snort. This sound can be heard across the savanna to warn rivals and attract females..

Males rub specialized glands on their foreheads against trees and bushes to claim territory.

Rams become so consumed by defending their harem (which can include up to 100 females) that they barely eat or sleep. They rapidly lose weight and condition.

For the young male impalas, the rut is a brutal wake-up call.

Dominant territorial rams aggressively chase all bachelor males away from the female herds.

While young bachelors (under four years old) are not strong enough to hold a territory, they will occasionally try to sneak into a harem to mate while the dominant ram is distracted fighting another rival.

Because the alpha rams exhaust themselves defending their territory, their reign usually lasts only a few days or weeks. Stronger bachelors from the herd will constantly challenge and replace them.

10/08/2026

Behold the olm (genus Proteus)! This intriguing aquatic amphibian thrives in lightless, watery caves throughout eastern Europe. It eats, mates, and sleeps underwater, breathing through external gills. It’s also nearly blind, as developing eyes in a dark cave isn’t an efficient way to spend the body’s resources. The same principle accounts for the olm’s pallid coloration—pigmentation is an unnecessary luxury when you spend your life in darkness.

Photo: Sebastian Voitel, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist

10/08/2026

Swamp loosestrife (Decodon verticillatus) looking great up on the shores of Lake Michigan! Growing up, the most common loosestrife I would encounter was the invasive purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) so it is very refreshing to spend time in wetlands surrounded by this wonderful North American native. This species is native to wetlands of eastern North America.