On Abundant Acorns and Bumps in the Night
I jumped as something crashed in the shadowy woods nearby. Bear? Nope, just acorns. So, so many acorns this year! But why?
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This Place is Going to the Weeds – and Making Pollinators Happy
“Oh, you have touch-me-nots in your garden!” said a recent visitor to our house. “I should say so!” I answered, hearing only the “touch-me-not”. Okay, maybe I only thought that. Turns out she was talking about the jewelweed by our door, a ‘weed’ that has a number of names but even more benefits, especially for our pollinators.
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Praying Mantises – Friend or Foe?
I’ve been thinking a lot about praying mantises. Yes, it’s true! Somewhat odd, I guess, rather unexpected, but true. I’m decidedly in awe of their hunting abilities and strangely adorable faces. But that’s not why I’ve been thinking about them lately. It’s all my son’s fault.
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Aurora Awe – or How I Overcame Inertia to Go Look at the Night Sky
I stood spellbound, watching the images pop up on the back of my camera. A tweak of the settings here, a shift of the tripod there, another *click* — and up popped another wondrous image of this magical, miraculous moment. I stood outside under a dark, slightly cloudy sky, craning my head back and back,
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Turkey Vultures: Not-So-Cheery (but still amazing!) Harbingers of Spring
As the snow melts and the days get longer, there’s another sign of spring that might not be as cheery as blossoming flowers or chirping birds: the return of Turkey Vultures. Often overlooked and sometimes even shunned for their scavenging habits, Turkey Vultures play a vital role in our ecosystems and have some fascinating traits
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Letting Go of Goals
Valuing the Journey, Not Just the Destination I stood on the trail alone, holding my camera and scanning the trees, listening carefully. I could hear birds in the distance, a crow calling sharply, a titmouse’s high-pitched peeps. But I heard nothing closer; saw no birds in the branches and bushes around me. I savored the
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Dark-Eyed Juncos: Cheery Harbingers of Winter
Getting to know these common winter visitors One of the surest signs of winter to me is the arrival of Dark-Eyed Juncos, those small, dusky grey and white birds who forage on the ground around feeders and then flit busily through the snow-covered bushes and pine boughs, calling cheerfully with their quick, high-pitched peeps or
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A Hole in the Head
Do I really need another thing to do? Introduction to the Flora and Fauna Blog The idea of a blog grew slowly on me. I mean, I need another thing to do like a hole in the head. At first, I thought I would use a blog to market my print-on-demand businesses, one of which
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