Category Archives: wildlife

Bee Balm: A Good Bet

Posted on May 11, 2013 by

I admit it. It’s an addiction. The first step is admitting it, right? Much as I love nature and wild things, I just can’t pass up a greenhouse. There’s something about all those plants, spread out in a wild crazy … Continue reading →

Posted in flowers, plant parts, seeds, Uncategorized, wildlife | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Red Osier Dogwood: Winter Fire

Posted on April 6, 2013 by

This time of year, all the color seems to have drained from the world. No flowers yet, no  butterflies. Even the birds are hiding till the warm weather comes. In the early spring drabness, this shrub stands out like flame … Continue reading →

Posted in edible, native American, plant parts, spring, Uncategorized, wildlife, winter | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Crocus or Croak

Posted on April 3, 2013 by

An early April snowstorm, to make fools of us all. But see that little yellow dot in the snowbank? That’s a crocus. Last spring, I had one lonely crocus in my long-neglected garden. Just one. And on the first warm … Continue reading →

Posted in flowers, insects, spring, Uncategorized, wildlife | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Flocks: Guest Photographer Diane Hale Smith

Posted on April 1, 2013 by

Thanks to Diane Hale Smith for these beautiful photographs! It’s spring. Really it is, in spite of the weather. The birds know. They can tell because there’s more light in the world. The days are longer, the nights are shrinking, … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptations, birds, photos, spring, wildlife | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Crows: Science and Fiction

Posted on March 25, 2013 by

More and more, cities across the US are being discovered by crows as the perfect place for a slumber party. Crows love to roost in cities on winter nights. And the crows congregate in vast numbers–some roosts are made up of hundreds … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, wildlife | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Burdock: Hooked Like Velcro

Posted on March 23, 2013 by

One day in 1941, a Swiss scientist was walking his dog, and noticed with annoyance, like so many other dog-walkers before and since, that his pet had blundered into the tall prickly plant called burdock. And as he was picking the … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptations, birds, edible, great ideas, plant parts, seeds, Uncategorized, wildlife | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

The Crow Show

Posted on March 20, 2013 by

They start moving as the sun begins to go down. The first birds are so far away they look like grains of pepper against the gray sky. The crows are heading into Amsterdam for their nightly jamboree. Amsterdam, NY, like … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, environment, Uncategorized, wildlife | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments