Well, it happened again the other day, just as it does every year about this time: The realization that Christmas is less than a month away. A few short weeks to accomplish all the tasks I’d vowed, last year at this time, to have finished by Thanksgiving “at the latest.” And yes, I really did say that. […]
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If you’ve been a Good Natured reader for any length of time, you’ve likely noticed that wildlife columns outnumber plant columns by at least two to one. With good reason! I’m just not very good with plants. Sure, I can point out our more notable natives, and I can lament non-native buckthorn, honeysuckle and garlic mustard til the cows come home. […]
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Photo Caption: Puffy, blobby and white, the mushroom known as shrimp of the woods is valued by some foragers of wild edibles for its texture and flavor. But the fungus has another name, the aborted Entoloma, and another side to its fascinating story. Good Natured: Shrimp of the Woods November 19, 2021 In the […]
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On a walk a few short weeks ago, in the Hickory Knolls Natural Area, something big happened: I struck oil. Really. Well, to be more specific, the “strike” was actually more of a “stroke.” And even though the experience was tremendously rewarding, I’m not making any plans to retire and live off my riches. […]
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When was the last time you looked – I mean realllllly looked – at the shape and size of a tree bud? Or paused to observe whether the tree’s branches were alternate or opposite? When you look at a prairie, do you wonder what’s going on in the soil below? Are you curious how the plants survive-thrive, even-following a prescribed burn? […]
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The other day I went to write a check was confronted by a skill I’ll probably never master: how to remember what day it is. There’s something about that first line on the check, the one that says Date, that causes my mind to go completely blank. […]
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Back in the 1960s, marketers of a certain brand of tuna came up with a catchy jingle: “Ask any mermaid you happen to see, What’s the best tuna? Chicken of the Sea.” The white albacore tuna inside those little 5-oz. cans was so delicately flavored that it was deemed to “taste like chicken.” […]
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When you think of nuts – the kind that grow on trees – it’s hard not to think of squirrels. They are, after all, the most highly touted nut-gatherers in these parts, collecting the trees’ bounty almost as quickly as it falls. In fact, squirrels will even chew off acorn-laden branches to make the harvest easier. […]
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As the temperatures start to cool, don’t be surprised if a parson comes to your door. Actually, he, or she, might instead come to your window. Or the gap in your weatherstripping, or the crack in your foundation. […]
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Oh, bees. We think we know them, but do we really? A couple of recent incidents reminded me that bees-that familiar group of herbivorous and mostly peaceable pollinators-often get blamed for things they had nothing to do with. […]
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