Interstate America – who says driving isn’t fun?
My recent cross-country journey in late June took me through parts of nine states – and today’s post celebrates nature – including humans – in middle America.
Driving between Tulsa and Chautauqua, NY was a trip – literally. Over 1200 miles one way in two long driving days. No mishaps, no major weather. Some would say we were lucky. Gas prices ranged from
2.94 (in Tulsa) to 3.54 per gallon (in Ohio), and the …
The heat here in Oklahoma has the bees stirred up!
I recently came home from travelling to news of a bee colony that had relocated to my back yard! This is exciting news, because we’ve all been reading about disappearing bees. The reason for
the plunging populations of bees ranges from a bee fungus to pesticide use. Not good news for anyone who likes to eat fruits, vegetables, nuts or anything that develops from a flowering
plant which requires pollination.
My husband noticed that …
These creatures add grace to our hot summer days as they flit here and there, lifting on a breeze, then resting, wings open and flat, as they sip
nectar from a blooming flower.
Here’s some great information about one particular summer butterfly, the Regal Fritillary, taken from “Floating in the Summer Haze”, A Journey for All Seasons, The Nature Conservancy,
2000.
“Every year, as the regal fritillaries (Speyeria idalia) slowly emerge from their …
Happy 4th of July!!!
Check this out! http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/03jul_wakeupatdawn/
The Farmers’ Almanac – sounds old-fashioned, but truthfully, it is full of amazing information.There are a
wealth of tips to be found about all sorts of things from gardening to first aid to cooking to animal and insect behavior! Check out these tidbits found in the June and July pages of the Old
Farmer’s Almanac Engagement Calendar, 2011 and 2012.
When a worker bee finds a good source of pollen, she …
Okay. We’ve been feeling like it was here for weeks, but the truth is, it only officially became summer on June 20 with the summer solstice. The ‘longest’ day of the year, with the sun at the most northerly latitude (The Tropic of Cancer) marks a change of season, although weather-wise, summer seemed to come much earlier this year.
I’d never seen anything like it. Fields of flowers surrounded by green grass. Native bison (commonly called buffalo) grazing nearby – not eating the
flowers!
It seemed odd. Coming as I did from western Oklahoma, I was used to the way that cattle ate everything in sight, munching grass and flowers alike down to the very
roots unless the animals weren’t moved on to another pasture.
But bison don’t eat wildflowers. And so, a sure sign of a …
Whoa – trees don’t have knees! Do they?!
Yes, and these trees with knees are known as baldcypress. Their knees are limbs that protrude from the ground, not roots. The baldcypress is actually in the same tree family as the giant redwoods!
Leaf cards are an easy way to begin to learn how to identify the different species of trees in your yard or around your neighborhood. This is part 2 of our first summer Arts and Crafts project, Leaf Cards. (See the blog post on June 11 for Part 1, if you missed it.)
A seer? What exactly does that mean? Here is a passage from Thoreau’s Walden that gives me a hint.
Mary Coley Writes 