If Oleander Aphids could read, they would surely come with their friends and family to the launch of the all-new, second edition of The Incomplete Guide to the Wildlife of Saint Martin. The event is free and open to all and it’s happening this evening from 6-8pm at the Jubilee Library in Philipsburg. From 6-7 there will be a short […]

The big, black bumblebee that lives on St. Martin (Xylocopa mordax) nests in wood, chewing a burrow where it raises its larvae. Today I spotted two nests in a ficus tree on the roadside in Cole Bay. Both were in branches that had been heavily trimmed and seemed to be dead, but still attached to the tree. I would guess […]

One of the frog eggs was deflated, like a raisin, and I gently rolled it in my palm with a little water and the outer membrane came off, revealing the tiny, newborn froglet. It was hard to get decent photos of it because it was so small, and the wet skin reflects the flash, but here it is.

At the book launch, you can buy a copy of the book for $20. We will also have a buy-one-give-one program. For $30, you get one copy to take home with you and one copy will be donated to a school, library or other institution on your behalf. You can sign a sticker at the event that will be put […]

Here are a few more photos of Eleutherodactylus eggs. The froglets inside are almost fully developed and ready to hatch.

Here are a few white-cheeked pintails resting in the shade at mid-day near the Great Salt Pond. On St. Martin, most duck species just spend the winter here, but the white-cheeked pintail is a year-round resident. It’s also known as the Bahama pintail, and the summer duck, perhaps because it is still around during the summer when many other ducks […]

As a follow-up to the frog eggs, here are some of the actual frogs, an adult and a young froglet. We have three species from the genus Eleutherodactylus on the island, but two of them look very similar, so the only reliable way of telling them apart is by the calls that the males make. Although it was daytime when […]

These are the eggs of a tree frog from the genus Eleutherodactylus. Based on the calls I heard in the area where I found them, I believe it is the Martinique Robber Frog. At any rate, this genus of frogs has been highly successful in colonizing the islands of the Caribbean (something that is generally difficult for frogs to do). […]

If the book launch was going to be held in a cave, Jamaican fruit bats would surely bring all their friends. Of course, it’s not being held in a cave, it will be at the Jubilee Library in Philipsburg, one week from today (Tuesday, July 23rd, 6-8pm). The event is free and open to everyone, so please invite your friends […]

Yesterday evening, a little after dark, I noticed something small crossing the street in front of me. It turns out, it was a mole cricket, the second time I’ve seen one on St. Martin. These crickets are nocturnal, and spend most of their time underground, so it isn’t so surprising that I don’t see them often. This one is a […]