You can see common winterberry along the Giant’s Stairs Trail (Priscilla Seimer photo) Autumn will soon leave our forests bare. With winter on the way, we need some color to brighten our days. Fortunately we can enjoy a lovely native plant, the common winterberry. Even better, the bright red or orange berries will be on… Read more
Otter Brook in autumn (Reed Coles photo) I just can’t help it, I’m not a hot weather kind of guy. Oh, I know, this year’s summer weather has been nothing short of amazing, unless you happen to be a farmer. Weeks on end of sunshine, few of those steamy days that remind you of Florida,… Read more
John Berry photo I have often wondered what it’s like to be the second most beautiful creature at a party (admittedly, I am well down the list looking up!). So imagine what a tree swallow feels like with all the fuss about Eastern bluebirds. Yes, bluebirds are just wonderful to look at, with a sunny… Read more
We all love to see colorful flowers and shrubs in our gardens at this time of year. Mary and I always look forward to our crab apple tree blossoming bright pink, followed by the lilacs with their heavenly scent and tiny drops of sweet nectar. The planting of such species, and many other flowering plants… Read more
Early in the lobster season last year, my wife joined me in checking my pots. As we pulled up to the first buoy, Mary looked overboard and was surprised by a mass of jellyfish in the water. There were great numbers of them all around us. We observed them for a minute, then Mary said… Read more
Craig Snapp photo I decided to write this article when super photographer Craig Snapp shared this beautiful photo. As is my practice, I went to my computer and began searching for information to expand upon my own knowledge of toads. The first thing that popped up on Google was a great computer software product called… Read more
Ed Robinson photo April is a wonderful time of year (other than mud season), and the birds of spring offer us some of nature’s most endearing scenes: Canada geese on a pond looking for a nest site, bluebirds stuffing grass in their new home, ospreys gathering sticks to expand a nest on a dead spruce,… Read more
I love apple trees. It’s not like I am posting their photos on social media, but I’m tempted. Apple trees are beautiful in bloom, and their fruits are scrumptious. These trees are amazingly resilient, withstanding an array of pests, diseases and natural calamities. And it would be hard to find a tree of more value… Read more
Most young Millennial women of today would not be caught dead wearing mink, or any other fur, but it wasn’t that long ago that a mink coat or stole was considered the height of fashion. That’s easy to understand since prime mink fur is some of the most beautiful around, and thanks to selective breeding by… Read more
As a young man just out of college, I was thrilled by my maiden visit to the Rockies for a backpacking trip in Montana’s stunning Glacier National Park. On our third day in remote country, we hiked to a large lake and rested along the shore. Suddenly overhead we spotted a huge, dark bird with… Read more