(reprinted from the 2013 Farmer Almanac)

Imagine coming home with bags of salad greens and mushrooms, sacks of delicious nuts and baskets of berries and not having to pay a cent for them. Many people do just that by foraging, gathering
wild edibles in fields, forests, and lawns.

If you’d like to try this, be certain that you identify each plant before eating it: Many have look-alikes that could prove deadly. Be especially careful with mushrooms and berries. Studying
illustrated field …

I am struck by the truth and wisdom of today’s quotes from Aldo Leopold, who is one of the fathers of Conservation. I hope you will read them closely, and
think about them not just today, but all week.

“We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” — Aldo Leopold, A Sand
County Almanac

…

From bats to damselfly’s, today’s post offers a variety of information about all things nature. These are more amazing facts from Chris Hardman’s Ecological Calendar
2013.

BatBridge  In Houston, Texas, a colony of Mexican free-tailed bats finds shelter under the Waugh Bridge. During the summer, the colony reaches its peak size of about
300,000.

MaizeSilk  The strands of silk that protrude out of a head of corn are the elongated stigmas of the …

I’ve been watching the skies – have you?

Once again, we’ve been exposed to treats in the summer skies. Just over a week ago, it was the annual display we call the Perseids. This meteor shower peaked around August 12 – but put on a show for
several nights prior to and after that date. Hopefully, you were in an area unaffected by cloud cover or light pollution, and were able to see the phenomena.

It so happens that I was having …