I’ve been spending the week tuned into a discussion of ways ordinary people can make a difference to preserve our birds, pollinators and important native plants. Sponsored by the Xerxes Society and thePollinator Friendly Alliance, farmers, suburban park workers, and...
A few days ago I discovered that many soap manufacturers remove glycerin from their products and sell it for manufacturers to use in other products. Why would they do this? What is it used for? And why is it a bad ideato have soap with no glycerin? Glycerin is usually...
What is a bird looking for when it sees a flower? Birds don’t eat pollen. So, not pollen. What then? A bird is looking for a wriggly caterpillar. Caterpillars eat plants and are full of protein. Great food to feed itself or its new babies. Imagine needing to feed 5...
Meadow fritillary (Melitaea parthenoides) butterfly resting on flower with bright green background While we are sequestered with winter weather, I thought it a good time to suggest one of my new favorite books, “Nature’s Best Hope,” by Douglas Tallamy.This book first...
Here in the north, autumn is way too short. But Beautiful! Our colors have turned from green to orange and bright yellow. All the aspen trees are twinkling their yellow leaves along the roads and forests. Pumpkins and squash are piled up for fall purchases, and the...