A Book About Poison Ivy
Yes. Really. I’m not kidding. An entire book about poison ivy. Leaflets Three, Let It Be!: The Story of Poison Ivy, with gorgeous illustrations by Robin Brickman, published in April 2015 by Boyds Mills Press. And whenever I tell people that I’ve written a book about poison ivy, they stare amazed, then suspicious. Why a book about poison ivy? This is why: Usually a class of fifth-graders bounce and chatter like a flock of starlings on a spring day. But this group shuffled behind me, talking among themselves in low murmurs. The closer we got to the head of the trail, the quieter they...
Read MoreGoldenrod: Bird Seed
It’s been a long tough winter. And even though it feels a bit like spring–Daylight Savings, birds cautiously chirping–this is the worst part of all. The last gasp of winter is a tough time for wildlife. The sun is making efforts to warm us up at noon, but it’s still frigid at night. And there’s practically nothing left in terms of food for hungry birds. Good thing there’s still a bit of goldenrod in the back yard. Goldenrod, a native plant, still has a few seeds left on the winter stalks.
Read MoreSumac: Rabbit Food
It’s an old saying: it’s an ill wind that blows no one any good. The wind and ice and snow that blew so outrageously this winter were definitely bad for this young sumac tree. The fragile wood bent and cracked under the weight of wet snow. But this turned out to be extremely good news for the rabbits. The rabbits hang out in the shrubbery and tumbledown sheds at the edge of the yard. Things have been pretty tough for them this epic winter. Not being talented at climbing trees or flying south, they’re stuck down here, like the rest of us, knee-deep in snow. Food sources,...
Read MoreLiving Snowfence
The wind is howling. The temperature is frigid. And snow is covering the road, filling the air—total white-out. I can hardly see a foot in front of me. And yet, when the swirling snow clears for a second, I glimpse clear blue sky overhead. It’s a beautiful day. Clear, sunny. It’s actually, for a change, not snowing. Then why is there so much snow in the air, drifting dangerously across the road? And as I drive along, I realize that some stretches of road are fine. It’s only some spots—the same spots, it seems, every year—that get drifted over. The poor overworked snowplow guys have to...
Read MoreWinter Gold: Witch Hazel
My hands have never been so cold. I’m wearing gloves but they’re too thin, and the wind is howling. It’s what they used to call a lazy wind–it goes right through you instead of taking the trouble to go around. The skyscrapers of New York City make canyons for the wind to flow through like a bitter river. Cold gusts are slipping icy fingers down the back of my neck. Central Park is full of trees, but there’s nary a leaf anywhere to be seen (not counting pine needles). You wouldn’t think anything would be flowering now, in the darkest days of December. And...
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