256 entries · page 10 of 11
Field Notes, page 10
How to identify the plants, animals, mushrooms, tracks and rocks you find outside, with the look-alikes and safety notes that matter.
Posts, page 10 of 11
TampAGS, for AGS Media / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)FN-0040 · Insects & Bugs
What Are the White Webs in My Trees? Identifying the Fall Webworm
Loose silky webs wrapping branch tips in late summer are almost always fall webworms. Learn to identify them and why they rarely need any treatment.
(c) Heatherelle, some rights reserved (CC BY) / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)FN-0041 · Insects & Bugs
Which Caterpillars Sting? How to Identify the Ones to Never Touch
A few fuzzy or spiny caterpillars carry venomous spines that sting on contact. Learn to recognize the ones to never touch and what to do if stung.
Chuck Holliday / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)FN-0038 · Insects & Bugs
What Is That Giant Wasp Digging in My Lawn? Identifying the Cicada Killer
A huge wasp burrowing in bare soil or cruising low over the lawn is usually a cicada killer. Learn to identify it and why it is nearly harmless.
Judy Gallagher / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)FN-0037 · Spiders, Ticks & Mites
What Is the Big Black-and-Yellow Spider in My Garden? Identifying the Argiope
A big black-and-yellow spider in a web with a zigzag silk ribbon is the yellow garden spider. Learn to identify this harmless late-summer native.
Σ64 (talk) / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)FN-0036 · Wildflowers
Goldenrod vs Ragweed: Which Plant Is Actually Causing Your Allergies?
Goldenrod gets blamed for late-summer hay fever, but ragweed growing nearby is usually the culprit. Learn how to tell these two plants apart.
Didier Descouens / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)FN-0035 · Insects & Bugs
What Is Eating My Tomato Plants? How to Identify the Tomato Hornworm
Tomato plants stripped overnight? Learn to spot tomato hornworms, their damage and droppings, and how to handle them without harsh chemicals.
Richard Bartz, Munich aka Makro Freak / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.5)FN-0034 · Insects & Bugs
Wasp, Yellowjacket, or Hornet? How to Tell Stinging Insects Apart
Yellowjackets, paper wasps, and bald-faced hornets differ in body, nest, and behavior. Learn to tell them apart and which is most likely to sting.
Thomas Bresson / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)FN-0033 · Insects & Bugs
How to Identify a Monarch Caterpillar (and Its Milkweed Look-Alikes)
Identify the striped monarch caterpillar at every stage, tell it from the fuzzy milkweed tussock moth, and meet the other insects on your milkweed.
Bruce Marlin / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.5)FN-0032 · Insects & Bugs
What Is That Loud Buzzing in the Trees? How to Identify Cicadas
That pulsing summer drone is a cicada. Learn to identify dog-day cicadas by sight and sound, tell them from periodical cicadas, and explain the shells.
Bruce Marlin / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)FN-0031 · Insects & Bugs
What Is Eating My Garden? How to Identify Japanese Beetles
Metallic-green beetles skeletonizing roses in July are likely Japanese beetles. Learn to identify them, their lawn grubs, lookalikes, and what to do.
Photo by Scott Bauer. / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)FN-0030 · Spiders, Ticks & Mites
How to Identify a Tick (and Know If It Might Be Dangerous)
Found a small dark bug on your skin after a hike? Learn to identify a tick, tell it from other bugs, know the disease carriers, and take safe next steps.
Rhododendrites / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)FN-0029 · Insects & Bugs
What Is the Spotted Lanternfly? How to Identify and Report It
Identify the spotted lanternfly by its gray polka-dot wings, red underwings, and black-and-red nymphs. Learn why it matters and what to do if you see one.
Christina Butler from Georgia, United States / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)FN-0026 · Spiders, Ticks & Mites
What Is the Joro Spider? Identifying the Giant Yellow Spider Spreading East
Identify the Joro spider by its huge golden web and yellow and blue-black body. Learn why this large but essentially harmless invader is spreading.
Didier Descouens / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)FN-0028 · Insects & Bugs
What Is the Spongy Moth? Identifying the Tree-Defoliating Invader
Identify the spongy moth, formerly gypsy moth, by its hairy caterpillars with blue and red dots and fuzzy tan egg masses. Learn what to do about it.
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources - Forestry Archive / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0 us)FN-0024 · Insects & Bugs
What Is the Emerald Ash Borer? How to Spot the Beetle Killing Ash Trees
Spot the emerald ash borer by its metallic-green body, D-shaped exit holes, and S-shaped tunnels. Learn why it has killed millions of ash trees.
Gary Alpert / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5)FN-0027 · Insects & Bugs
What Is the Northern Giant Hornet ("Murder Hornet")? How to Identify It Safely
Identify the northern giant hornet by its huge orange head and striped body, tell it from harmless look-alikes, and learn what to do if you see one.
Hectonichus / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)FN-0023 · Insects & Bugs
What Is the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug? Identifying the Shield-Shaped Home Invader
Identify the brown marmorated stink bug by its shield shape, mottled brown color, and white-banded antennae. Learn why it invades homes in fall.
Schurdl / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)FN-0021 · Plants, Vines & Weeds
What Is Kudzu? Identifying "The Vine That Ate the South"
Identify kudzu by its three-part leaves, hairy vines, and purple grape-scented flowers. Learn why this invasive vine smothers everything in its path.
Lucas Kendall / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)FN-0020 · Plants, Vines & Weeds
What Is Giant Hogweed? Identifying the Plant Whose Sap Burns
Identify giant hogweed by its towering stems, huge umbrella flower heads, and blotchy purple stalks. Learn why its sap burns and what to do after contact.
Eduard Solà / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)FN-0025 · Insects & Bugs
What Is the Hammerhead Flatworm? Identifying the Invasive Predatory Worm
Identify the hammerhead flatworm by its shovel- or half-moon-shaped head and long flat body. Learn why this invasive predator harms earthworms.
Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)FN-0022 · Wildflowers
What Is Spotted Knapweed? Identifying the Invasive Purple Wildflower
Identify spotted knapweed by its pink-purple thistle-like flowers and black-tipped bracts. Learn why this invasive weed takes over pastures and roadsides.
Eric Hunt / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)FN-0019 · Plants, Vines & Weeds
What Is This Plant? How to Identify Any Plant from a Photo
What is this plant? Learn which features matter in a photo, from leaves and flowers to growth habit, and identify most plants from one good picture.
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)FN-0018 · Trees
How to Identify a Tree by Its Leaves, Bark, and Shape
Identify trees in the field by reading their leaves, bark, shape, and fruit — or snap a photo for an instant answer. Covers oaks, maples, pines, and more.
Rhododendrites / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)FN-0017 · Birds
How to Identify a Bird: A Beginner's Field Guide
Identify birds the way birders do: by size, shape, color, behavior, and habitat. A beginner field guide, plus photo ID for birds that will not sit still.
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