Ask Chip

Piebald deer

With summer in full swing and people spending more time outdoors this time of year, wildlife sightings have been numerous as of late. Below are three of the more interesting critters that readers have contacted me about recently. One has to do with a white deer, and the other two are sightings of gray treefrogs. I

two bald eagles on a nest

Sue Gamble

Q. Hi, Chip: I Just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your article “Spring on the wing” in the March 2024 issue of Ohio Cooperative Living print magazine. It was well-written and informative. I had always wondered why some of the red-winged blackbird’s wings were red and some were yellow. Now I know! 

Poison ivy plant

In the June 2024 issue of Ohio Cooperative Living print magazine, I wrote my monthly Woods, Waters, & Wildlife outdoors column about pesky poison ivy in a story titled “Leaves of three, let it be!” In the July 2024 issue, I described my custom-made hiking staff in a column called “Walking-stick work of art.” It wasn’t long before I heard from Bertille Mayberry, commenting on both stories. 

rounded rock

Vickie Adkins

Q. I have a possible Indian artifact that was given to my husband by our next-door neighbor 40 years ago. If it is an artifact, I was wondering what it is and whether or not it’s worth anything. Can you help?

Black Snake (photo by Pete Zoretic)

After he read my May 2020 “Woods, Waters & Wildlife” monthly column about state-endangered timber rattlesnakes in the print version of Ohio Cooperative Living magazine, Pete Zoretic, a member of South Central Power Company cooperative, sent me several photos of a snake he discovered on his property in Highland County. He believed it just might be a timber rattlesnake because of its behavior: “… the snake was coiling and shaking its tail,” said Zoretic.