Andy Wood

"Once secured this way, the ant-lion injects digestive juices into its prey and sucks the animal dry before casting the empty corpse up and out of the pit trap."

By Andy Wood

You don't have to go too far to find some of the most interesting creatures on Earth.

Andy Wood is education curator for Audubon North Carolina and author of "Backyard Carolina," a collection of his WHQR commentaries.

"It's best to observe young birds from a distance and not intervene because birds know best about rearing their babies... Hands-off is the best policy when it comes to birds."

By Andy Wood

It's May and that means bird nesting season. Almost everywhere you look, from bare sandy beaches, to dense shrub and forest habitat, and even on and around our homes and businesses, birds are busying themselves with nest making, egg laying and baby rearing.

"Sea level rise, melting glaciers, fluctuating weather patterns and shifting ecosystems are all pieces of a complex puzzle being reassembled by a changing planet. And with these changes comes opportunity for our own renewal."

By Andy Wood

Wilmington, NC – This April marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, a celebration of planet Earth that began as an awareness-building campaign with teach-ins at schools and other public places around the country.

"...I guess there were some ten to twenty thousand (robins and red-winged blackbirds) in all... it was an awesome spectacle."

By Andy Wood

Wilmington, NC – The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual winter event designed to connect bird watchers to the science that goes into bird conservation, and it seems to be working. It took place over President's Day weekend. View the statistics here.

"When not hiding under logs and other debris, earth snakes burrow amid leaf litter with the aid of their rather pointed snout."

By Andy Wood

A new trend is growing in communities across our nation with more and more people turning to gardening as a means to reduce food costs, and for some, home gardening can provide assurance of pesticide-free fruits and vegetables. There are lessons a simple garden can offer.

"Calling (the Venus' Fly Trap) rare is an understatement any time of year; but rarest indeed is a fly trap surrounded by snow."

By Andy Wood

Wilmington, NC – Snow is a rare treat in this part of the world, and it is a great excuse to wander around outdoors when cold temperatures might dictate otherwise.

Andy Wood is education curator for Audubon North Carolina and author of "Backyard Carolina"- a collection of his WHQR commentaries.

"I have long fancied the moths...their great diversity of color, size and shape, especially the tiniest among them, make for interesting observation and study."

By Andy Wood

Wilmington, NC – The wonders of nature come in all shapes and sizes.

Andy Wood is education curator for Audubon North Carolina, and author of "Backyard Carolina," a collection of his WHQR commentaries.

"I encourage each of us, if you have not already, to step outside and revel, as the wrens do, in this New Year splendor and promise."

By Andy Wood

Wilmington, NC – With much of our nation locked in the grip of wintry weather, commentator Andy Wood took a stroll in search of spring and found just what he was hoping for.

Andy Wood is education curator for Audubon North Carolina, and author of "Backyard Carolina," a collection of his WHQR commentaries.

"Many leading economists now see green as the new silver and gold and they envision an economic upswing resulting from new technologies that create chambers of commerce and employment, based on, of all things, efficiency."

By Andy Wood

Wilmington, NC – As 2008 draws to a close, commentator Andy Wood has a few thoughts to offer for 2009, and beyond.

Andy Wood is education curator for Audubon North Carolina and author of "Backyard Carolina," a collection of his WHQR commentaries.

"(The Giant Water Bug)...stabs, then injects its victim with venomous saliva that liquefies muscle and organs that the bug later sucks out, as if its prey were little more than a "slurpy."

By Andy Wood

Wilmington, NC – Soon after a drenching rain last week, commentator Andy Wood wandered down to see what the rain added to a small pond he dug on his property last winter that he hopes will serve as a nursery for a rare amphibian called the Carolina gopher frog.