Tag Archives: Missouri

Birds of a Feather?

Posted on October 3, 2023 by Randy Tindall

“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

Going Native

Posted on October 15, 2016 by Randy Tindall

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

The Long Travelers: Leaf-cutter Bees, Part II

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Randy Tindall

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

Cutting-up in Columbia: Leaf-cutter Bees in the Yard

Posted on September 23, 2014 by Randy Tindall

One of the joys of yard-watching in our urban wilderness is that you never know what you might find and where curiosity might take you.  One fine summer day as I patrolled our domain, camera in hand, I came across … Continue reading →

Posted in Insects, Musings, Photography, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

More Caterpillar Creepies

Posted on June 7, 2014 by Randy Tindall

Our backyard has many amazing things, but this one had me puzzled for quite awhile.  However, I think I may have found the answer to what exactly this is: Until I sat down and really looked at this carefully, I … Continue reading →

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Backyard Food of the Gods

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Randy Tindall

Still catching up on backyard native plants articles, and the latest is this unseasonal look at the American Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana), whose Latin name is often said to mean “Food of the Gods”. Some disagree: “…Linnaeus called the persimmon tree … Continue reading →

Posted in Cookies, Cooking, Edible Native Plants, Foraging, Fruit, Gardening, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pawpaws, Mastodons and Zebras

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Randy Tindall

Snowed in today and dreaming of warmer times.  A good time, it seems to me, to play more catch-up on the backlog of articles on the native plants we have in our yard.  This time it’s  Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)!  What … Continue reading →

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

Looking Ahead: Plant Your Peas

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Randy Tindall

I know it’s unseasonal, but it’s way past time to start catching up on our Native Plants pages.  The latest entry is here.  It’s in our yard.  It should be in yours!

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A Swallowtail Odyssey: Life among the Spicebushes

Posted on June 23, 2013 by Randy Tindall

It’s Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) time in our backyard, which is good for us curious yard-watchers, but a bit hard on our spicebushes (Lindera benzoin).  We’re watching the little ones grow up and they do it fast!  Now, I am … Continue reading →

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Unnatural Selection: Cardinals, Cowbirds and the Mob

Posted on June 9, 2013 by Randy Tindall

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , | 30 Comments