Nadia’s Backyard- Two-Marked Treehoppers: It’s Complex December 21, 2023
- Birds of a Feather? October 3, 2023
- The Promise of Disorder in a Winter Yard February 11, 2022
- Rerun: Men of Rice December 7, 2016
- Where the Words Live November 30, 2016
- Going Native October 16, 2016
- Backyard Gooseberries are Saucy Little Things June 17, 2015
- Spring Rerun: Kimchi from your backyard to you April 27, 2015
- A Seagull Named Emma January 27, 2015
- The Long Travelers: Leaf-cutter Bees, Part II September 29, 2014
Category Archives: Uncategorized
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
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 Birds, Gardening, Insects, Landscapes, Missouri, Musings, Native Plants, nature, Plants, Pollinators, Wildflowers, Wildlife, Yard work
10 Comments
The Ballad of Quercus flatus: A Tale of Spring
The sap is rising in our backyard. Spring has finally sprung (we think), after a couple of false alarms, and signs of life abound. Our redbud is budding red, our wahoo is leafing out and preparing to flower (Wahooooooo!!), our … Continue reading
Posted in Insects, Musings, Natural Areas, Photography, Seasons, Uncategorized
Tagged Insects, Landscapes, Natural areas, nature, Photography, Spring, Trees
2 Comments
A Miracle of Monarchs
We have seen very few Monarch butterflies in our backyard for the last two years, but that doesn’t mean they are not there. Caterpillars are showing up on our milkweeds, so it seems that they must be making whoopee somewhere, … Continue reading
Posted in Insects, Native Plants, Photography, Seasons, Uncategorized, Wildlife
Tagged Butterflies, Insects, Milkweeds, Monarch Butterflles, Native Plants, Photography, Plants, Reproduction
2 Comments
Unnatural Selection: Cardinals, Cowbirds and the Mob
There seems to be something attractive about plant stands near our front and back doors. So far, we have tried to assist in three attempts by Carolina Wrens to use them as nesting sites, which makes getting in and out … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized, Wildlife
Tagged Birds, Cardinals, Cowbirds, Missouri, Natural selection, Nests, Parasitism, Pest control, Pests, Photography, Reproduction, Songbirds, Wildlife
30 Comments