Author Archives: Randy Tindall

Two-Marked Treehoppers: It’s Complex

There is a curious thing going on in our backyard. Well, okay, there are many curious things in that yard, truth be told, but this one came to my attention relatively recently. It didn’t jump out and grab hold of … Continue reading

Posted in Insects, Native Plants, Photography, Wildlife | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Birds of a Feather?

“Birdes of a feather will flocke togither.”The Dictionarie in Spanish and English, compiled by English lexicographer John Minsheu, 1599 Sometimes, when I head into the backyard in seach of peace and quiet, I get more that I bargained for. Way … Continue reading

Posted in Birds, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Promise of Disorder in a Winter Yard

Here at the front end of February, our yards, back and front, are looking a mite shopworn and forlorn, dressed in sodden grays and browns, rather than the riot of colors they show in spring, summer, and into even late … Continue reading

Posted in Insects, Landscaping, Native Plants, Seasons, Wildlife | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Rerun: Men of Rice

Feeling nostalgic tonight, looking over our almost frozen backyard, so I decided to rerun this old post from 2012.  That trip was one of the formative experiences of my life. Men of Rice

Posted in Hiking, Musings, Photography | 1 Comment

Where the Words Live

  Writing about our backyard requires words.  Lots of them, of high quality.  So I keep a supply of all the best words handy, and, in this house, they mostly live in the book up above, which, as you may … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Musings, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Going Native

Our yard—front and back—is a curious place, located at a cultural and environmental crossroads.  Depending on one’s point of view, our yard is a treasure, an eyesore, an oasis of biological diversity, a blight on the neighborhood, something to be … Continue reading

Posted in Gardening, Landscaping, Musings, Native Plants, Society, Uncategorized, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Backyard Gooseberries are Saucy Little Things

The gooseberries in our backyard try to get our attention with their tart little green offerings every year in the mid- to waning days of spring, but mostly they end up being overlooked as contributors to our partly wild larder.  … Continue reading

Posted in Cooking, Edible Native Plants, Foraging, Native Plants, Photography, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Spring Rerun: Kimchi from your backyard to you

Spring is sprung and we have cup plant and lamb’s quarters in our backyard, with goldenglow within an easy hike (soon to join our other natives around the house).  In honor of this wealth of native edible greens, we are … Continue reading

Posted in Cooking, Edible Native Plants, Foraging, Gardening, Native Plants, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Seagull Named Emma

We have never had a seagull in our backyard, at least to my knowledge. So let me be clear up front that if you are expecting a heartwarming tale of an errant seabird squawking its way into Nadia’s heart or … Continue reading

Posted in Insects, Musings, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Long Travelers: Leaf-cutter Bees, Part II

Life travels, and a lot of it has made the journey to our backyard.  That includes Nadia and me–a few hundred miles from my point of origin for me and considerably more for Nadia.  Some of this life travels north … Continue reading

Posted in Insects, Musings, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments