“As time went by, I realized that the particular place I’d chosen was less important than the fact that I’d chosen a place and focused my life
around it. Although the island has taken on great significance for me, it’s no more inherently beautiful or meaningful than any other place on earth. What makes a place special is the way it
buries itself inside the heart, not whether it’s flat or rugged, rich or austere, wet or …

I pull into the parking area at Tulsa’s fabulous Oxley Nature Center and the muscles in my back instantly relax. It doesn’t matter what season of
the year it is, or what the weather might be doing. For me, in many ways, a visit to Oxley is like coming ‘home’ – to the place where I am my true self, and feel the happiest.

I come to the Center knowing that I will feel peace. It’s also likely that I …

This week’s connection focuses on three pairs of animals that often are mistaken for each other. With Spring on the wing, we’ll all be seeing them
soon, if we haven’t already. But the next time you see them, you’ll know for sure what they are, and why.

A Butterfly and a Moth?
The wings of both are covered with …

Great poets, philosphers and naturalists alike love to comment about spring. In today’s mediation, enjoy these words and reflect with me on the
change of seasons. Spring 2012.

“To those who observe nature from day to day, the coming of spring is announced first of …

She waits, drained of life, lying on her back in the rich earth, stretched out, head cradled in her arms. Above her, the sky is dark blue and
full of tiny white lights. Mesmerized by the living strobes in the sky, she watches.The way the world has been for the past six months is about to change. It is her redemption.

Almost imperceptably, the dark blue of the sky is not quite so dark. A few stars twinkle out. The horizon lightens. …

Oklahoma is a wonderful place to be to observe birds. So many species either live here, or migrate through here, that it is a birder’s paradise. I
take for granted that so many types of birds flit through my back yard, stay a few days and then fly on. But there is more to the story. Many of the beautiful back yard birds that we all enjoy
seeing actually migrate. And now is the time of year …

Started in 1938 — National Wildlife Week is one the longest-standing wildlife and conservation education
programs in the U.S.

Each day there is a different subject for educators, home school parents and kids to …

“If you want to see birds, you must have birds in your heart.” – John Burroughs, Outside Magazine

Back when I was a teenager, I used to think my mother was bonkers. Why else would a middle-aged woman sit by a window with a pair of binoculars and a book, “Guide to the Birds of
the Eastern United States”, resting on a nearby table. B-O-R-I-N-G. She would tell …

In Northwest Arkansas, about three hours from my home in Tulsa, is a little place deep in the Ozark Hills known as Eureka Springs. A quaint, old
village built into a narrow valley between rocky hillsides, the place has retained its eclectic, Victorian charm over many decades. Narrow streets wind through the town, with no rhyme or
reason to their path, or their width. Bed and breakfasts abound, and the town is a mecca for shoppers, antique hunters and …

Just like us, animals come to life again as the days lengthen and the weather warms. …