Wildlife of the Midwest & Beyond
The Wildlife category explores the diverse animals that share our fields, forests, wetlands, and backyard spaces. From migrating birds and woodland mammals to insects, amphibians, and reptiles, this collection highlights the rhythms, behaviors, and habitats of wildlife across Wisconsin and beyond.
Here you’ll find identification guides, seasonal observations, and habitat insights. Many posts explore how wildlife connects to native plants, gardens, waterways, and open landscapes. Some focus on backyard encounters. Others look at species found in marshes, prairies, woodlands, and rural areas.
Wildlife connects closely to the land. Each animal plays a role in the larger ecosystem. Some pollinate plants. Others spread seeds, control pests, or shape habitat.
Whether you’re watching deer at dusk, noticing butterflies in summer wildflowers, or listening for spring birdsong, this space invites you to better understand and appreciate the wild world around you.
The American Goldfinch is a beautiful songbird that you can easily attract to your backyard. The males have bright yellow coats with a bold black cap and black wings barred with white. The female is less striking with olive-yellow feathers.
How to Get Hummingbirds to Nest by You. If you would like more hummingbirds around your yard, you need to provide two sources: food and nesting materials.
Downy Woodpecker The Downy woodpecker is the smallest of North America’s woodpeckers but there are many smaller species elsewhere, especially the piculets. General Information Woodpecker with mainly black on the upper parts & wings, with a white back, throat & belly and a white bar above the eye and one below. Name:: Downy Woodpecker Scientific … Read more
The red-bellied woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker of the Picidae family. It breeds mainly in the eastern United States, ranging as far south as Florida and as far north as Canada. Its common name is somewhat misleading, as the most prominent red part of its plumage is on the head.
Ants are attracted to sugar and sweetness and since hummingbird feeders are made up of sugar water, they, of course, are going to go straight for the mixture. Here are 6 ways to keep ants out of your hummingbird feeders.
The house finch is a small passerine bird that is part of the family Fringillidae. They are generally seen hanging onto the food source their eating from, perched, or scavenging the ground for food.
General Characteristics of White-Breasted Nuthatches One of my favorite birds to watch is white-breasted nuthatches. You can always tell when they are around because they have a unique yank, yank voice and lower hah, hah, hah hah, hah call note. General Information Name:: White-Breasted Nuthatch Scientific Name:: Sitta carolinensis Family: Nuthatch Size: 8 – 11 … Read more
Birds You May Find in Your Backyard
A running list of birds that you may find in your backyard along with some interesting facts, and possible additional reading posts that may help you attract them to your backyard.
Do you grow sunflowers? I don’t have a designated spot to grow them; however, they grow in my yard. The birds plant them! The dried plants make wonderful and free sunflower head bird feeders.
Want to feed some picky eaters that normally don’t always come to the feeder? Make up this dried fruit medley bird food recipe.
Is squash plentiful in the garden? As you enjoy eating squash, save those seeds. Rinse, dry them, and store to add to your bird feeders.
The eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), is a species of swallowtail butterfly native to eastern North America. It is one of the most familiar butterflies in the eastern United States, where it is common in many different habitats.
Coopers Hawk in My Garden
The Coopers hawk in my garden, he enjoys parking himself on my deck rail or the neighbor’s fence and watching over the yard. The backyard feeder birds are an easy target for hawks, they will stand back and watch the songbirds eat their fill and then strike them in flight as they leave.
Keep the squirrels off your feeders by changing your birdseed. Birds like safflower seed squirrels dislike it. So, if you are looking for a great way to feed the birds and keep the squirrels at bay, look toward the seed.
Is it time to clean your birdbath? You just cringed – I feel your pain. Here is an easy way to clean your birdbath and check out the link on how to clean a birdbath and keep the water fresh and clean.
I’m a little embarrassed to say that my birdbath is a mess right now. Over time, the summer weather turns hot and I get “busy.” Too busy to stay on top of cleaning a bird bath. If I am not out there to change the water every day it isn’t easy to keep bird baths fresh and clean.
Wildlife > Birds > Galliformes Are wild turkeys not the ugliest birds you have ever laid eyes on? At least I think so. It is the face that kills me. A face only a mother could love. But, they are big, beefy, and run pretty funny. The only thing I can say that is pretty, … Read more
The silver-spotted skipper is a brown winged skipper with yellowish-orange square and rectangular patches on its wings. The body of this skipper is dark brown and hairy.
Thirteen Lined Ground Squirrel
The thirteen-lined ground squirrel, also known as the striped gopher, leopard ground squirrel, squinney, and as the leopard-spermophile in Audubon’s day, is a ground squirrel. It is widely distributed over grasslands and prairies of North America.
