Birds Experiences in the Past My relationship with birds is not based on a great personal history. Growing up, I was afraid of the winged, flying creatures. I saw a red headed school girl about my age in the aviary at the Seneca Park Zoo in the late sixties be dive-bombed for strands of her…
Sunday morning I missed a golden opportunity to take some really awesome photos of winter in the Coulee Region – where I live in Wisconsin. The conditions, over night – from Saturday into Sunday – were ripe for the development of both hoarfrost and rime ice. What? You say? What are those?! Even as an…
Who did I work with when I managed school gardens and taught after school garden clubs consisting of second through fifth grade students? Did I work alone? No, absolutely not! There was a team of people essential to making the garden clubs work. My post today was inspired by this photo (see below) from 2014…
Hidden There it was in a tree; As we passed by, we could see! A shape, not natural like bark or leaf or beak. Still, it chose us for whom to speak. What treasure will be found inside? Maybe none, but instead, garbage stuck in a place to hide. There it was in a tree!…
Lately, my posts have been pretty light. I’ve been thinking about why that is. Most likely it’s because I need to organize these posts before I write them. I need to find the facts to support my case. I need to be firm in my opinions and back them up. And, I just have not…
Last Friday, I did something today I hadn’t planned to do. After receiving an email, I ordered instructional materials for lessons on some conservation topics! Why I did this, I have no idea! I do not have anything planned in the near, or even far, future. Regardless, I felt compelled to order the materials! After…
When I started Evergreen Garden Club in the fall of 2004, its main purpose was to provide student enrichment through hands-on activities using an outdoor environment such as the school grounds. The first group, now adults in their mid-twenties, researched local butterfly species and host plants to enable a well thought out conversion of an…
This summer was like any other summer with respect to my plans to raise more monarch butterflies. It’s a hobby that has kept me occupied for the last seventeen summers. Starting in 2002, raising monarchs has been part of each breeding season. In addition to creating habitat in our yards (2) and school yards (numerous),…
It’s mid-August! This means that it is time to start tagging monarch butterflies! The monarch’s life cycle is amazing! Monarchs undergo what is referred to as a complete metamorphosis, or change in form. This is accomplished through four stages. Stage 1 Stage 1 is an egg. It is a tiny, pale yellow oval, usually found…