I had a terrific time at Sister Regina School in Simpson Bay this morning, talking about how the various animals on St. Martin got here. It was a new presentation, called “Life on St. Martin: An Ongoing Assembly” and you can read a description of it on the EDUCATION page of this site. I think it went over quite well. […]

Cuban tree frogs are a highly-successful invasive species on St. Martin and elsewhere. Even though their tadpoles need fresh water to live in, they are able to live in relatively dry areas. One way they do this is by taking advantage of almost any available body of fresh water, even small, temporary pools. They also have a technique that helps […]

The snowy egret is common on St. Martin today, often seen on our salt ponds where it feeds and nests. I would also guess that it was a common resident 200 years ago. However, 100 years ago it may not have been here at all. It seems strange, but you can find out why at my St. Martin Book Fair […]

For the last couple years, St. Martin and the rest of the Eastern Caribbean have seen large amounts of sargassum coming ashore on our beaches during the summer. Will this be a new annual phenomenon? Or is it part of a larger cycle where the sargassum arrives for a few years, but then doesn’t come for years, or decades? Have […]

The bellyache bush benefits from 24-hour pollination. During the day, butterflies like the great southern white visit bellyache bush flowers for nectar, and at night, moths like the striped grass looper do the same. To learn more about the rhythms of wildlife, from day to night, rainy season to dry and many more, attend the free Wildlife Beats workshop at […]

St. Martin is warm year-round, but has wet and dry seasons. Often, brush fires come with the dry season. In the past, they may have been started by lightning, and today they are more likely to be caused by people, either on purpose, or by accident. Fires can have a profound influence on the ecology of the island. Quick-burning fires […]

Here are some of the photos we took in the mini-studio I set up in the classroom at Sister Marie Laurence School. As you can see, the students were able to collect quite a wide variety of insects, spiders and other invertebrates. We also learned that if you keep two spiders in the same container one might get eaten.

Today at the Sister Marie Laurence School we tried something new. We went on a short hike near Belvedere and collected a few insects and spiders along the way. After the walk, I set up a mini photo studio in the classroom to take macro (very close-up) photos of the animals we found. I think it went really well and […]

Today at CIA I talked with the third grade class about the various relationships between plants and animals. Obviously, a lot of insects feed on plants, and one of the things we discussed was how various caterpillars have specific host plants, often because the plants have developed toxins and the caterpillars have developed the ability to handle specific toxins. One […]

Today I’m giving a presentation to third graders at CIA (Caribbean International Academy) about the relationships between plants and animals on St. Martin. Often insects and plants have evolved together to have both symbiotic and confrontational relationships. This photo shows an Ornate Moth feeding on nectar from a wild pea plant. Plants provide nectar for insects (and other animals) in […]