All the hullabaloo about monarch butterflies and their potential endangerment has led me to wonder, What’s up with black swallowtails? I started looking for them a couple weeks ago when I realized I hadn’t seen any yet this year. Then, as if by magic, an adult female appeared, fluttering her way toward the swath of Queen Anne’s lace I’d been inspecting. […]
Read More
I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not very good at texting. Half the time I don’t realize I’ve even gotten a text. And when I do, my fat fingers mis-hit the ridiculously tiny keys. (Apologies to my friend Jennifer, who received an emoji of a camel instead of a hug.) […]
Read More
Did you hear what I heard? Every morning for the past week or so, as I’ve crawled out of bed to greet the day, a certain presence has met my ears. Unobtrusive yet persistent, it was hard to ignore. It was the sound … of silence. Oh sure, here in suburbia, things are never completely quiet. […]
Read More
Well, it’s that time of year again, the Season of Shed Skins. If you don’t believe me, just go outside and take a look around. We’ve got shed cicada shells on tree trunks, shed spider molts in webs by porch lights, and shed dragonfly skins on cattails. […]
Read More
Recently my nature coworkers and I got the chance to spend some time at Primrose Farm, another fine outdoor education facility operated by the St. Charles Park District. We were just doing our jobs, which that day included unloading five wagons full of hay and stacking them in the barn. […]
Read More
Recently I came across a treasure trove of memories from my childhood, in the form of several boxes of Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries. (The actual tally was Hardy Boys 52, Nancy Drew 1. Ol’ Nancy, bless her heart, was just a little too privileged for my taste. […]
Read More
When was the last time you had a really good buzz? I’ll tell you one thing-it’s probably more recent than you think. In fact, if you’re a gardener, you’re probably getting buzzed right now. Many species of native bees offer a special service-free of charge!-called buzz pollination. […]
Read More
Native pollinators have been in the news a lot lately and, for the most part, the reports have not been good. Powerful pesticides combined with a lack of suitable habitat and consecutive years of severe weather have taken their toll on these vital organisms. […]
Read More
Native pollinators have been in the news a lot lately and, for the most part, the reports have not been good. Powerful pesticides combined with a lack of suitable habitat and consecutive years of severe weather have taken their toll on these vital organisms. […]
Read More
