By Mike Blair

Chiggers: Try The Wire Brush On The Black & Decker

editor — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 09:52:12 -0700

Chigger bites! Mike Blair's wife, Chris, came back from a walk with the mark of the chigger.
Photo: Mike Blair

Chiggers. Now there’s a scourge that brings to mind words you won’t hear in church. Those little devils are always out there, somewhere, waiting invisibly to cause you a week of misery. Anyone who’s spent much time outdoors can relate.

You expect to find them in dense, heavy vegetation, and the wise never enter such places without wearing long pants and protective footwear and spraying thoroughly with repellent. But sometimes, you get stupid and forget that chiggers may lurk in dry duff along trails, or in mowed lawns and such.

Roadrunner Theatre: Catch a Great Chase Scene

editor — Wed, 8 Aug 2007 09:38:48 -0700

The outdoors is an endless source of natural theatre. Roadrunners are among the most interesting performers. These long-tailed rural sprinters prefer running to flight, and they can run up to 17mph. Their short wings are not built for sustained air travel but serve them well in gymnastic escapes and dashes to capture food.

An Ally Fly in Caterpillar Combat

editor — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:43:03 -0700

Tachnid fly takes aim for a tomato hornworm, Pratt, Kansas

Photo: Courtesy of Mike Blair