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
Tag Archives: Wildlife
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 Behavior, Birds, Missouri, nature, Photography, Wildlife
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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
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
Hitting the Trifecta
It’s not often—or ever before, to be honest—that I’ve had the chance to photograph several stages in an insect’s life journey in just a week or so, but I think I nailed it recently. We’ve got some wild senna growing … Continue reading
Posted in Gardening, Insects, Native Plants, Photography
Tagged Butterflies, Insects, Native Plants, nature, Photography, Reproduction, Wildflowers, Wildlife
4 Comments
Specially and diversely unique. Or something…
It was waaay past time to turn the compost in our backyard. One of those jobs that seem much worse in anticipation than they actually are, turning compost is something I can put off for a very long time. Now, … Continue reading
Posted in Gardening, Musings, Natural Areas, Prairies
Tagged Agriculture, bootheel, conservation areas, deserts, Gardening, Insects, Missouri, Musings, Natural areas, nature, Plants, sand prairies, Wildlife
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Halloween Party!
We’ve had a couple light freezes already, but that didn’t stop the Halloween festivities in our yard, as some sturdy late bloomers attracted a few trick-or-treaters. This is just a sample of what we saw. Soon to come is a … Continue reading
Posted in Insects, Native Plants, Seasons
Tagged Autumn, Butterflies, Insects, Native Plants, nature, Photography, Pollinators, Wildlife
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The Hoarder on the Deck: Our Trashline Orb-weaver
I don’t think we’ve reached the point where intervention is called for, but we have a hoarder in our backyard. Not the kind that buys twenty tubes of toothpaste when it goes on sale, but more like the type that … Continue reading
Posted in Spiders, Wildlife
Tagged Backyard, Cyclosa, Missouri, nature, Orb Weaver, Spiders, Trashline Spider, Wildlife
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