Nature

  • Nature

    It’s a Solidago party

    5 September 2023

    Canada goldenrod, also known as Solidago canadensis, turns many a meadow a brilliant yellow in the month of September -- and for millions of beneficial insects, it's the biggest party of the year.

  • Nature

    Memoirs of a black raspberry

    5 July 2023

    Available for only two weeks of the year, the wild black raspberry remains true to its natural form, closely identified with the locale and seasonality of its natural range -- as a brief but faithful fixture of a forager's Midwest summer.

  • Nature

    The sound of a single tree

    8 May 2023

    A solitary field tree is one of those rare pleasures that cannot adequately be experienced in the proper way -- thoughtfully, and alone -- without trespassing. But to do so where they are still accessible is to encounter a vibrant and sociable spirit, ready with countless prods to the imagination.

  • Nature

    Dryad’s saddle

    25 June 2022

    Dryad's Saddle is a marginally edible wood mushroom with a remarkable affinity for enchanted places.

  • Environment,  Nature

    Most people don’t know about cottonwood bark

    18 October 2021

    Eastern cottonwood, Populus deltoides, is one of the most common trees in the central United States, particularly in moister parts of the Midwest. Today, most who live in its midst are at best ignorant and at worst dismissive of its qualities.

  • Nature

    Bright orange flower: Butterfly Weed

    4 July 2021

    Around the end of June, this orange flower begins to appear in better fields and pastures throughout the US midwest. Its striking vibrance often causes people to stop in their tracks and wonder, aloud, about exactly what it is. ...

  • Nature

    Dead man’s fingers

    2 July 2021

    On a stately winter day, a newly punctured path in the feral woods presents a curious sight: is that a glove, discarded, poking from the leaves? ...