There's lots of folklore out there around how to use natural phenomena to predict the severity of the upcoming winter. For example, mast seasons for oak and other nut-bearing trees are often described as indicators of harsh winters to come - this is good news for squirrels who have a bumper crop of acorns to…Read more Weather Prediction via Persimmon Trees (?)
News
Eastern Box Turtles and the Wildlife Trade You Never Knew Existed
I was listening to a Smithsonian podcast this week (shout out to Side Door, great program!), and the episode started with the host joining a pair of wildlife ecologists in an "undisclosed location" in Virginia, looking for what I thought was the most common of common backyard critters, the eastern box turtle. My first reaction…Read more Eastern Box Turtles and the Wildlife Trade You Never Knew Existed
Black Bears Are Back: Southern Maryland Sightings Signal Expanding Territory
When Leon Smith stepped outside his St. Mary's County home in mid-July and found his bird feeder knocked over, he probably wasn't expecting to come face-to-face with a black bear. The rural Maryland county along the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay is not an established part of the black bear's range, and the animals…Read more Black Bears Are Back: Southern Maryland Sightings Signal Expanding Territory
Chattanooga, TN: A New National Park City
On April 3, 2025, Chattanooga, Tennessee was recognized by the National Park City Foundation as the first National Park City in the United States. But if you're like me, you probably didn't hear about this, and probably don't know what it means - so let's dive in. What is a National Park City? The National…Read more Chattanooga, TN: A New National Park City
Public Lands Are A Public Good
Mountains aren't less steep if you have a higher income. Rain doesn't preferentially fall on those with certain ethnic backgrounds. A higher level of education does not correlate to ability to hike more miles in a day. Time spent in the outdoors is time spent exploring the core of what it means to be a…Read more Public Lands Are A Public Good
Carnivorous Caterpillars, Living Lightning Rods, and Bluebirds
Some recent natural science stories that I find interesting: Caterpillars Scientists in Hawaii have discovered a very unique caterpillar with a very dangerous lifestyle. First of all, it's carnivorous - a trait that only 0.13% of all known butterfly/moth species share. Second, it gets its meals by living in spider webs, and scavenging the bits…Read more Carnivorous Caterpillars, Living Lightning Rods, and Bluebirds
Way To Go, Maryland!
I missed posting on Earth Day - but in looking at that theme I did notice an article from the New York Times this week pointing out the recent conservation success of Maryland, my home state. The "Maryland The Beautiful" Act was one of several initiatives being pursued by nine states, with the objective of…Read more Way To Go, Maryland!
BepiColombo: Why Is It So Hard To Get To Mercury?
Back in October, 2018, the BepiColombo mission launched. It intrigued me then, and I made a note to learn more and write about it at the time. What piqued my interest most was the journey BepiColombo would have to take, a journey of over seven years to reach a planet that's only an average 48…Read more BepiColombo: Why Is It So Hard To Get To Mercury?
Disappearing Islands In The Chesapeake Bay
I remember James Island. At least, I remember a version of it. When I first moved into the Chesapeake Bay area in the mid-90s, there was an island nearby - actually two, at the time - in the mouth of the Little Choptank River on the eastern side of the Bay. I used to fly…Read more Disappearing Islands In The Chesapeake Bay
There’s Something Wrong With Us
(Warning: This is NOT a post about COVID-19, not really. It's more about an observation on what COVID reveals. I know we're tired of talking about the pandemic, and I apologize for contributing to it!) It's spring, the weather is suddenly warm, and because the country is deep in "social isolation" as a result of…Read more There’s Something Wrong With Us
Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse, Betel….
There's something amiss in the night sky these days. The evening is going well - I'm sitting by a crackling fire that I just used to clean a Dutch oven from our last trip out. (Something I actually neglected for about a week, just because I kept forgetting about it. I've learned that burnt molasses…Read more Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse, Betel….
Not the Bananas!
If you're under 60 and living outside the tropics, chances are you've only ever seen one kind of banana - the Cavendish. It is the primary banana with mass commercial distribution, and unless something dramatic happens in the next few years, the days of the Cavendish banana may be coming to an end. And, there's no…Read more Not the Bananas!
Cryptochromes and Bird Migration
Spring is here! Around here, the trees are budding, the weather is alternately windy, stormy, and cold - and the birds are returning. Flocks of robins cover the neighbors' lawns, and the ospreys have returned to claim and improve last year's nesting sites. Bird migrations have long been a mystery to us simple humans. We've…Read more Cryptochromes and Bird Migration
Why Can’t We Have Nice Things?
By now, I'm sure most people are aware of the effects the ongoing partial US Govt Shutdown is having on National Park services - the new cycles have been filled with reports of vandalism, illegal camping, destruction of property, overflowing trashcans, filled pit toilets, etc. I'm struggling to understand why, in a way that gives…Read more Why Can’t We Have Nice Things?
Monuments and Minutia
Humans love superlatives. The biggest, the oldest, the best, or in some cases, the only. It's not hard to understand why we flock to places that hold superlative treasures, why we protect unique examples of nature's beauty - deepest canyons, tallest trees, best views, most endangered animals. But is that enough? I recently came across…Read more Monuments and Minutia
Flying Squirrel Outdoors 