ARTICLES BY CHRISTIAN RYAN
Lady Beetle
I was homeschooled through much of my childhood. During one such session (math, I think?) in autumn, my sister, mom, and I looked up at our ceiling to find hundreds — literally hundreds — of tiny red and black-spotted “aliens” invading our house through an almost invisible space between the …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 4 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO
Slimy sculpin: Camouflaged predator
If you happen to find yourself wading through one of the many clear, cool, freshwater streams meandering their way across North Idaho, you’re likely to spot some fish. Some, like trout, are skittish (for good reason!), and are likely to dart away before you get real close. Others prefer to …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 4 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
Snowshoe hare: A combination of stealth, speed
Cats, bears, birds of prey, foxes, wolves and even weasels stalk the forests of North America on the lookout for prey. If you’re a small fluffy critter with no teeth, claws, or noxious scent to keep such predators at bay, you’ve always got to be on the alert. One option …
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Fork-tailed flycatcher
Idaho is home to many experienced birders, some of whom will be able to take one look at a bird and say, “Aha! That’s a mountain bluebird!” Or “Ooh! A pileated woodpecker!”
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Consperse stink bug
“I think I stink. I turn the green grass pink. Wherever I go that smell follows. That cloud I make no one can take[1].” That was the first line of a song from a cartoon I used to watch as a kid. The singer was, appropriately enough, a stink bug …
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North American racer
Based on its name alone, you may think of the North American racer (Coluber constrictor) as the black mamba of the New World. Turns out, you’d be quite incorrect!
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 4 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO
White-tailed deer
I don’t know about you, but after so many false starts, I am glad that North Idaho is finally experiencing classic spring weather. So is the animal kingdom!
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Deer mouse: An all-American mouse
There are hundreds of species of mice and mice-like rodents throughout the world. But to most of us, a mouse is a mouse is a mouse. After all, who cares about identifying what mouse species you are looking at when all you want to do is trap, poison, or sic …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 4 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO
Mourning dove
The title of Idaho’s most sad-sounding cry might have to be the appropriately named mourning dove (Zenaida macroura). The oowoo-woo-woo-woo call is quite distinctive and sets them apart from most (if not all) other related birds.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 4 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO
Common green darner
As we transition from winter to spring, nature lovers should take a chance to stroll along North Idaho’s many streams, rivers and other bodies of water. If they are fortunate enough, they might catch a glimpse at one of the most relentless aerial predators of the insect world: the dragonfly.
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Critters of North Idaho: Steller’s jay
Steller’s jay
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