An excerpt from E.A. McIlhenny’s 1935 book, The Alligator’s Life History: “On one occasion I saw a Duroc boar hog that weighed not less than five hundred pounds caught by a large alligator while the hog was swimming across a stream about eighty feet wide. The hog had a regular crossing place at this point, andContinue reading “That’s the last time I saw that hog alive…”
Tag Archives: iNaturalist
Okefenokee Tiger Moth Caterpillar
The Okefenokee blackwater is decorated in the spring with the golden fingers and bright green plumes of the Golden Club plant (Orontium aquaticum). The waxy leaves are shed water droplets and always seem dry, hence the name “Neverwet.” As I had my canoe anchored on a bed of bonnet lilies to photograph some GoldenContinue reading “Okefenokee Tiger Moth Caterpillar”
Alligator’s Diverse Diet
As an iNaturalist project admin, I completed a review of over 19,000 American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) observations uploaded to iNaturalist between 2009 and December 31, 2020. Photographs which depicted an American Alligator eating a prey item were added to the iNat Alligator Appetites Project. The result revealed a gruesome smorgasbord of dainties enjoyed by thisContinue reading “Alligator’s Diverse Diet”
Okefenokee Gold Mine
The Okefenokee continues to make the news as conservationists sound the alarm against a proposal from Twin Pines Minerals to mine thousands of acres alongside the National Wildlife Refuge. This mining operation isn’t a modern day gold rush, but a search for titanium dioxide. Even so, there is Gold in the Okefenokee! A different sortContinue reading “Okefenokee Gold Mine”
Raptor Feast
This feast took place outside of the Okefenokee, but the hawk was so cooperative it just begged to be posted on the Okefenokee blog… Leaving my office in Walton County, Georgia, a Red-tailed Hawk was feasting upon an Eastern Gray Squirrel by the roadside. I pulled my truck closer and watched it tear apart itsContinue reading “Raptor Feast”
Okefenokee Zale Moth Caterpillar
How cool. I had no idea that the Okefenokee had its own moth! And I wasn’t even on the lookout for this little critter when I found it. My daughter and I were paddling north up the Suwannee Middle Fork (red trail) from Billy’s Lake. The run is usually quite wide, but at some pointsContinue reading “Okefenokee Zale Moth Caterpillar”
Outside the Okefenokee: Jorō Spider Invasion
Today’s post takes us outside the Okefenokee. But who knows if this foreign invader will eventually spread through Georgia and into the swamp??? Although it didn’t cause national hysteria like the beetle invasion of 1964 (or was it Beatles in the British Invasion???), I did happen to hear about the Jorō Spider invasion of 2014.Continue reading “Outside the Okefenokee: Jorō Spider Invasion”
Virtual Okefenokee Exploration through iNaturalist
The Okefenokee has grown into an obsession! Even though I have opportunity for only a few “boots-on-the-ground” days in the Swamp each year, I love exploring it year-round through online and print publications. I just can’t get enough! My favorite way to get into the swamp (virtually) is through iNaturalist. Just like paddling down an OkefenokeeContinue reading “Virtual Okefenokee Exploration through iNaturalist”
Okefenokee Swamp Melanistic Pileated Woodpecker
Going through some older Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge posts, I found this unique observation from April 12, 2010 by iNaturalist member Marv Elliott: a melanistic Pileated Woodpecker (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/538467). Contacting Marv about his observation, he replied: “My wife (Susan) and I are birders and Naturalists. We were driving the main road, saw the pileated and knew itContinue reading “Okefenokee Swamp Melanistic Pileated Woodpecker”
Okefenokee on iNaturalist
Another great way to explore the majestic Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia is through the app iNaturalist. The Okefenokee has its own project page where you can see all the “citizen scientist” and naturalists posts in one place. Sign up for Okefenokee NWR on the subscriptions and help fellow Okefenokee Adventurers ID theirContinue reading “Okefenokee on iNaturalist”
