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.

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.

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.

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 yellow jackets, paper wasps, and hornets most people think of when they hear the word “wasp”) as well as sawflies and horntails–––the ancestors of solitary wasps.

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