Category Archives: Bunglesome Biologist – Fauna – Critters

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
Bear Family in Cades Cove

June 26, 2009 – 1:21 pm

Dawn Roark, Manager of GSMA’s Cades Cove and Townsend stores, took these photos of a bear family (a mother with 3 cubs) “vacationing” in Cades Cove.

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GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
Where’d You Get Them Peepers?

May 22, 2009 – 9:11 am

Check out these cute Spring Peeper frogs. Courtesy of Ann Froschauer. A young peeper is on a blade of grass. The adult is on the hand and is only about 0.75 to 1 inch long.

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GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
Hiking in the Rain

May 4, 2009 – 9:09 am

Here are some lovely photos of flora and fauna in the park taken during the rain this weekend by Ann Froschauer. Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis) Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum commutatum) Great Blue Heron (Area herodias) Large Bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora) Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) Greater Yellow Lady’s Slipper (Cypripedium pubescens)

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GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
Elk Corps Volunteers Sought

April 20, 2009 – 8:31 am

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park Volunteers-in-Parks program is currently enlisting volunteers to assist with the experimental elk reintroduction project in Cataloochee Valley, N.C. The “Elk Bugle Corps” program was created in 2007 to assist rangers with providing visitor information on responsible elk viewing practices and elk behavior and to help with parking and traffic [...]

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GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
Really Really Red

April 16, 2009 – 8:05 am

This is the reddest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s a Black-Chinned Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber). This one was spotted crossing the road. They migrate this time of year after warm rains to mate. So be careful on park roads, especially at night because there are sometimes mass migrations of these fellows. So [...]

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GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
Holy Flashbulb Batman !!

February 20, 2009 – 2:30 pm

Do Not Try This At Home or in the Park !! Don’t go batty. You should never handle a bat because it forces them to use up their fat stores and they can die. Bats are our buddies because they typically eat half their body weight in insects every night. And left unmolested they can [...]

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GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
Prehistoric Monster?

September 29, 2008 – 2:10 pm

No, it’s not Godzilla, it’s a Giant Gyrinophilus Ann Froschauer found this weekend while hiking along Road Prong Trail. And if this guy doesn’t seem tough enough already, Ann says if you look real close you can see black borders highlighting lighter-colored lines that run from its eyes to its nose. She says these are [...]

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GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
Possum in a Pear Tree

August 21, 2008 – 7:46 am

No, it’s not a hillbilly version of The Twelve Days of Christmas. It’s Peter Possum patiently waiting for a pear to fall off a pear tree so he can eat it. Photo by GSMA’s own Sharon Ryan.

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