My first year New England Aster is CRUSHING IT! Note to self: better supports for next year.

One of my favorite little corners of our native plant garden. The Dotted Mint is still going crazy and the New England Aster is about to bloom! 🌿📷

Do you like cats, Maine, very cool boats, or lobster ghosts? If so, you might like the #picturebook KITTYBUNKPORT by Scott Rothman and Zachariah OHora! Our family sure did! BRB, just going to adopt another cat so we can name it Chowder! #kidlit

Happy Confusing Fall Warbler season! Palm Warbler. Cape May, NJ in 2023. #migration #warbler 🪶🌿📷

Enjoy a few peaceful moments in this gorgeous field of Joe-pye-weed and goldenrod swaying with the hurricane breeze reaching SE CT! #nativeplants 🌿

I’ve been afraid of bees and wasps pretty much my whole life (since I was 5 and I got stung 12 times in one summer). But spending time in my garden has helped me so much! It’s actually fun now to see what’s buzzing around. Great Golden Digger Wasp and Great Black Wasp. 🌿📷

Who are you, and what are you doing in my marsh?! Marsh Wren (a young one I’d guess with that gape!), New Haven County, CT. #birding #wildlife 🌿📷🪶

When are we getting a monarch caterpillar alphabet #picturebook?? They already do the shapes! #wildlife #caterpillars 🌿

When the butterflies perfectly match the flower color scheme… American Copper on Butterflyweed! #wildlife #nativeplants #butterflies 🌿

I had a fun encounter with an immature Black-crowned Night Heron this past weekend! It grabbed a stick from the grass and repeatedly threw it into a small puddle then struck at it like it was a fish. Maybe practicing its hunting technique? New Haven County, CT. #birding #heron #wildlife 🪶🌿📷

Blue cat with plants Turner design gouache with Polychromos & Luminance pencil Process pics on my Patreon (you can join for FREE) - https://tinyurl.com/5dmkbxz6 #caturday #gouache #kidlitart #illustration

Next time I get my hair cut I’m asking for the Green Heron. #birds #heron 🌿🪶📷

I am speed. Faster than fast, quicker than quick. I am lightning. -Lightning McQueen. - Also this Green Heron. Fairfax, VA. #birding #wildlife #flyday #featheredfriday 🌿📷🪶

Would anyone like to join a Snapping Turtle Appreciation Club with me? Just look at how cool that eye is! 📷🌿 #reptiles #wildlife

The recent #picturebook hits in our house have had one thing in common: hidden details! Check out the super detailed end pages of Our Tree by Jessica Meserve and the “lost” bird in Agent Unicorn by Jenny Alvarado! Both toddler approved! #pb #kidlit

Even Osprey need a beach day sometimes! Virginia Beach, VA. #birding #wildlife 🌿📷🪶

Found some gorgeous mushrooms while birding this morning! Maybe red chanterelles? New London County, CT. 🌿📷

An unusually cooperative White-eyed Vireo. And an unusually accurate bird name! New London County, CT. 🪶🌿📷

It's #kidlitartpostcard Day again! I'm Dani, an illustrator and writer from North West England. I have a background in zoology and science communication so I draw a lot of animals and love natural history picture books.

Decided to check out a new birding spot today. I only managed photos of one bird… but it was a pretty good bird! Blackburnian Warbler. Windham County, CT. 🌿📷🪶

I have no words for this. Nature is so weird. And awesome.

Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, one of the many nest camouflage experts! Taken with a zoom lens and cropped. Virginia Beach, VA. #wildlife #birding 🌿📷🪶

Here is a nice mushroom

The roundest chickadee fledgling I’ve ever seen. 😍😍 Black-capped Chickadee. New London County, CT. 🪶📷🌿 #babybird #birding #wildlife

Rain or shine, the work never stops for a sparrow parent! Song Sparrow. New London County, CT. #wildlife #birding 🌿🪶📷

A very accommodating Barn Swallow! Fairfax County, VA. #birding #wildlife 🌿🪶📷

Just a little bird in a big world. New London County, CT. 🪶🌿📷

Some flowers to brighten a rainy day! 🌿

A Yellow Warbler on the hunt for nesting material! New London County, CT. 🌿🪶📷 #warbler #wildlife

The perfect place for a Purple [Sand] piper. Try saying that 5 times fast! New London County, CT. #shorebirds #wildlife 🌿📷🪶

Anyone want to play “guess that bird?” Hint: I consider it the bravest shorebird ever. Slippery rocks, crashing waves… no big deal for this bird! New London County, #CT. #flyday #featheredfriday #shorebirds 🌿📷🪶

“You know we can see you, right?” Ruddy Turnstone. New London County, #CT. #shorebirds #birding #wildlife 🌿📷🪶

The constant tension between wanting my plants to look pretty… and remembering I planted native species BECAUSE bugs eat them. 🤦‍♀️ #caterpillar #nativeplants #birdfood 🌿

VERY happy all our resident catbirds are back! Pro tip: choose a common bird to be your favorite, so you see it constantly and get that little boost of joy often. Gray Catbird. #birding #wildlife 🌿📷🪶

The blue just after a sunset is, without a doubt, my favorite blue. #sunset 📷

This is our first spring in a new house, so I’m making plant discoveries all over! This stunning meadowsweet just started blooming and I think it’s a native species! The bees are ALL OVER IT! Does anyone know if I can divide it and plant it in more spots around the yard? 🌿

I think I can count on one hand (okay, maybe 3 fingers) the number of Kentucky Warblers I’ve seen out in the open. Definitely in the “hear it but never see it” category! Mobile County, AL. #warblers #birding 🪶🌿

Found a pretty glorious infestation of some kind of caterpillar in one of our backyard maples. They made these cool little pockets between the leaves, I assume for protection. Look at those little legs! The more bird food, the merrier! #caterpillar #invertebrates #wildlife 🌿

Saw (and heard!) my first Worm-eating Warblers of the year yesterday! New London County, #CT. #migration #warblers #wildlife 🌿🪶📷

Anyone else think this Reddish Egret looks a bit like an AT-AT? 😂 Dauphin Island, AL. #MaytheFourth #wildlife 🌿📷🪶

Sure, I’d love to pose for your photo, but migration waits for no camera. Cape May Warbler. Enigma, GA. #migration #warbler 📷🌿🪶

Brb… about to plant our native bleeding heart in every garden I can find. It’s GORGEOUS! 🌿

Spring is SPRINGING in southeast CT! I took a trip to a fabulous native plant nursery and I cannot wait to get my new garden/pollinator habitat going! Wish me luck! 😂 I don’t exactly have a green thumb, but I also don’t have a black thumb. What’s the color for a beginner thumb? 🌿

There’s always that one branch ruining a perfect shot. 😂 Eastern Towhee. Enigma, GA. #wildlife #bird 🌿📷🪶

😡😡😡 www.npr.org/2025/04/22/n...

Signs of spring, ranked.

Signs of spring and a dapper Song Sparrow! New London County, #CT. #featheredfriday #FlyDay #wildlife #spring 🌿📷🪶

A beautiful snowy egret, luckily not symbolic of any actual snow on the ground. Back Bay NWR, Virginia Beach. #waders #waderwednesday #nature #wildlife 🌿📷🪶

And now we play “Spot the Tick(s)” on all mammal photos until November. #tickseason #wildlife #nature 🌿📷

I had no clue that Brant (like most geese apparently) migrate to their wintering grounds as a family. They even stay together as a family unit within big winter flocks! New London County, #CT. #geese #waterfowl #wildlife 🌿🪶📷