Photo © Dreamstime.com. One of the best ways to reduce tillage and increase our enjoyment of gardening is to construct permanent beds. When we stop tilling, it is important to avoid compaction as...
Articles & Stories
Ursa Major
Ursa Major, the Great Bear, is a large constellation in the northern circumpolar region of the sky. Ursa Major is known best for the Big Dipper, which makes up the northeastern part of the...
Raising Mealworms
Eastern Bluebird eating mealworm. Photo © Dreamstime.com. Thank you to the Amstutz family who asked about raising mealworms for bluebirds (February issue). I can hear and see your bluebirds’ happy...
Books, Brothers, and Birds
Yellow Warbler. Photo © Darren Shank. It was not a good day for birds, I decided. The trees swayed in a brisk spring breeze, and gray clouds scurried overhead. The birds were probably hunkered down....
Once Upon a Wildflower Walk
Photo © Dreamstime.com. “Look, Mary Ella, another contest!” my brother announced. I hurried over to the sofa where he was poring over the pages of the latest Nature Friend.“Wildflower ‘Learning by...
Wondernose: What has three tails, looks like a fish, and lives in the kitchen?
This is a real puzzler, Wondernose. To make our riddle even more puzzling, here are a few additional facts. Above all, our mystery animal likes to eat starchy things, such as flour or bread...
Dandiest Lion of Spring
Photo © Dreamstime.com. Another school day was over. Eager students burst from the schoolhouse doors and headed for the road toward home.Danny waved and watched them leave for a minute before...
Harns Marsh Morning
Gardening without Tillage—Why?
Photo © Dreamstime.com. I realize that having a garden without tilling might sound strange. My earliest memories of gardening include plowing, disking, and tilling. For many years I never knew there...
Monoceros
Monoceros the Unicorn is one of the most overlooked winter constellations. This is probably because the constellation is sprawling and faint, without an eye-catching shape. Fortunately, Monoceros is...
Our Birding Day
Sunday dawned a beautiful morning. The first birds I saw were cardinals—male and female. There were Chipping, English, and House Sparrows at the feeder. Out the kitchen window I saw a Junco and a...
How to Build a Rustic Cottage Flower Planter
STEP 1:Build a simple 24” x 36” x 8” box with a bottom, using sturdy old fence boards. STEP 2:Now you are ready to construct the cottage front. Cut five weathered barn boards to make a cottage...
In Our Skies, March 2022: Planetary Conjunctions
Where I live in Virginia, March brings the signs of a new season. The days are slowly warming, and the evenings, which were quiet all winter, are now enlivened by the calls of spring peepers and...
The Big Dipper
Most people who can pick out at least two constellations in the night sky can point out the Big Dipper. As it turns out, the Big Dipper is not a constellation. It’s an asterism within the...
Exploring Nature, March 2022
Snow trillium. Photo © Kevin Shank. Snow trilliums bloom mid-March to early April. This trillium was photographed near Franklin, West Virginia, March 21.Sharp-tailed Grouse are displaying on...
