Kerry Wixted

Connecting Nature & Community

Author: kwixted0

Eastern Coyotes

A tale I often hear is how Maryland and other state wildlife agencies secretly introduced coyotes into their states. Sometimes, the release was done in conjunction with insurance agencies. Sometimes, it was done just because. People will repeat stories of coyotes running around with “State Farm” ear-tags and the secrecy of the project to reduce
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A Frog-filled Night at Kubah

Nestled not too far from Kuching in Sarawak, Malaysia is Kubah National Park. While the Park hosts bearded pigs and hornbills, it is best known as a destination for frog-focused night tours as well as containing around 93 species of palms. Over 60 species of frogs are found at Kubah, including one of the smallest
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Secrets of Skunk Cabbage

For many years, I took skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) for granted. It was that stinky plant that dominated wetlands and helped frogs hide from my youthful pursuit. In college, I learned how it was a wetland indicator plant, meaning its presence marked a wetland. It wasn’t until I met Master Naturalist (and later friend!), Siobhan
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Vanilla: a Sweet Flavor with a Sticky History

It would be hard to imagine a modern world without vanilla. Vanilla is one of the world’s most popular scents and flavors. It has been used for centuries, and the demand for vanilla far exceeds natural production. In fact, it is estimated that roughly 18,000 metric tons of vanilla flavor is produced annually, much of
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I Like Big Invertebrates, and I Cannot Lie

How do they say it? Everything is bigger in Borneo! At least, that is how I felt when I saw some of the invertebrate species during my time in Sarawak. Below are a few of the species I could identify. Giant Golden Orbweaver (Nephila pilipes)  I missed out on seeing some of the cool spiny
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Of Poop and Parasites: Rafflesia

In the rainforests of southeast Asia, the largest flower species in the world can be found along the forest floor or climbing up vines: Rafflesia. Rafflesia is a genus of around 41 species of parasitic plants, almost all of which are threatened or endangered. The largest flower ever recorded was just over 4 feet in
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A Day in Paradise: Bako National Park

Just outside of Kuching, Bako National Park is a popular tourist destination in Sarawak. It was protected in 1957, making it Sarawak’s oldest national park. While Bako is small for Asian National Park standards, it still delivers in scenery, flora, and fauna. The area contains a lot of limestone which has been carved away by
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A Better Guide to Yellow, Stripey Things

Did you know? Maryland has over 1,200 documented wasp species, many of which are super tiny and exist around you without you realizing they are there. I have spent the last 20 years working with wildlife and unlearning a lot of harmful stereotypes I grew up with (snakes are dangerous/spider bites cause major medical issues/
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Fireflies of Arden

There is something magical about a warm summer night punctuated by the soft glow of fireflies. I have many fond memories of running barefoot in my Baltimore neighborhood, gleefully catching fireflies and wishing I could harness their light for myself. Unfortunately, in some areas, that childhood pastime is being lost due to the decline of
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Giant, Flying Spiders

This week, I have been combatting the clickbait news which has made it seem like giant, venomous spiders are going to drop from the sky. Here are a few things to note: Here is what is true: To provide some more context, ballooning, also known as kiting, is a method by which spiders and some
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