Wildlife

Pikas, those tiny creatures that announce the intrusion of strangers to their territory with a squeaky bleat that sounds somewhat like "eeek," are known to suffer from warm temperatures. Now scientists studying these cousins to rabbits in the North Cascades National Park Complex say drier air conditions can be harmful, too, by stunting the growth of plants they rely upon.

Gettysburg National Military Park rightfully protects hallowed ground. But it also serves as a nature preserve of sorts, as evidenced by the increasing number of birders who visit the park to spot and photograph, among other species, short-eared owls.

Mention wolves and national parks, and most probably think of Yellowstone National Park, or Isle Royale National Park. But as this photo clearly shows, Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota has some of the predators, too.

I don’t know about you, but I’m so disgusted by the slimy sleazy sludge oozing out of Washington and the White House these days that I hardly bother to read accounts of it even in Traveler because there’s no way to escape the latest political twists, turns and tweets trying to distract us all from what’s really happening behind the curtain. I’m feeling a lot like one of my daughters probably felt a long time ago when, after a day that didn’t go well, she climbed onto my lap, snuggled in and asked, “Will you tell me a happy story?”