You may not give it much thought, but there is so much involved in getting those perfectly-shaped, blemish-free, robust-looking veggies to the store. I know because they rarely emerge from the garden. As…

How cool is this? A neighbor edged their grass near where a municipal tree had been removed the year prior. And then this happened!

JOMO. Apparently, it's a term, a word, an acronym that has been around for awhile, though it's one I only heard for the first time last night at a party of mostly Burners-not-at-Burning-Man who…

I was weeding, "edging" by hand the encroaching grass around the fig tree at my mom's place, when a toad hopped out from where I was working. I paused. It paused. Toads have…

I love ants! I don't necessarily want them in my home, 'course, but they are quite the creatures, are they not? I was in Costa Rica recently and found myself mesmerized with these leaf-cutter ants.…

Bolting endive. Yes, it's hot outside. The cool-weather greens stand not a chance. Their season has ended; time for the summer fruits and vegetables to begin to mature and ripen. How I love the…

What an odd site to come upon: a recently dead bluejay on the side of the road. I'm guessing it was hit by a car or truck and killed, but, then again, I'm…

I've seen a lot of dandelions in my life. Countless! I know a "normal" dandelion when I see one. I was weeding in a patch of tall lilies when I saw this monstrosity. This…

I grew up--while not in open fields, farmland nor forests--in a fairly nature-based childhood nestled within the relatively safe confines of the suburbs. My childhood was predominantly in Columbia, Maryland, in the '70s,…

I, unexpectedly, spent an unexpected amount of time watching--and listening to--this unexpectedly fascinating series of videos of a rescued-at-10-days-old starling bird (now eight years old, I believe) and his vocalizations. Fascinating. Starlings have mimicking…

For as much as I rant annually about the regional, arboreal horror known as The Ever-so-Invasive (and not particularly attractive) Bradford Pear Trees, I would like to thank, deeply, every single home owner,…

Well, that's rather interesting. Folks be eatin' this, calling it a delicacy. I posted this photo on Facebook and was shocked by how many of my friends had tried it, and in many a…