I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve had quite the plum job these past couple of weeks. Since early September we’ve been conducting Wetland Ecology field trips at Otter Creek Bend Wetland Park in St. Charles. Besides the obvious perks of being able to muck around in a marsh for hours at a time […]
Good Natured
Long ago, the story goes, a newlywed couple was found murdered in their beds. Although the crime was never solved, the primary suspect was the bride’s jealous and jilted sister Katy. To this day, they say, Kate’s guilt is debated by one of summer’s most famous singing insects […]
Good Natured
There’s no mistaking the distinctive call of the blue jay. Or is there? Most folks can easily associate this common bird with its characteristic “Jeer!” It’s a sound blue jays uses early and often to stay in touch with one another. The call helps mates keep track of each other, and also serves to assemble the troops, so to speak, in response to a threat. […]
Good Natured
Given what I’ve been up to lately, I’d get it if you thought I was a Brewster. Old movie buffs and high school theater veterans might recognize the name as that of the family in Arsenic and Old Lace, a classic dark comedy that features Abby and Martha Brewster […]
Good Natured
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.) […]
Good Natured
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. […]
Good Natured
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.) […]
Good Natured
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. […]
Good Natured
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. […]
Good Natured
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. […]
Good Natured