Tag Archives: nature

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 →

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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

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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The Forest Unseen: A Book Review

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Randy Tindall

  Where backyards are concerned, size really doesn’t matter.  Even a square meter can yield a world of insight. David Haskell’s wonderful award-winning book, The Forest Unseen: A Year’s Watch in Nature (Penguin Books, 2012), begins its preface with a … Continue reading →

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Butterflies and Beer: Get Ready for Spicebush Season

Posted on April 30, 2014 by Randy Tindall

Spicebush is leafing out!  Normally it would be blooming by now, like this: But it seems that the hard winter and long spring have slowed it down like everything else, since ours aren’t blooming just yet. At any rate, you … Continue reading →

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The Ballad of Quercus flatus: A Tale of Spring

Posted on April 21, 2014 by Randy Tindall

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 , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Beyond the Fence

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Randy Tindall

Our backyard is inexhaustible. No, I don’t mean that it never gets tired, although that may be true, but that it is so much more than a plot of land enclosed by a battered fence out behind our house, as … Continue reading →

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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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Pests and Parasites

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Randy Tindall

A very effective agent of biological pest control, this tiny wasp in our backyard is preparing to lay an egg on (or in) the little green aphid.. When the egg hatches, it will live inside the aphid, munching happily away, … Continue reading →

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The Return of the Stinker

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Randy Tindall

Hard to believe but stuff’s coming up!  Not just the ubiquitous daffodils that pop up just in time to tease us about a yet-distant spring, but other stuff.  Like Wild Leeks.  Yeah, smelly old Allium tricoccum. What is this plant … Continue reading →

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