Nature’s Crayons
There’s a chemical which is found in every green plant–every tree, grass blade, bush, cactus, moss, rosebush, lettuce, whatever. It’s called chlorophyll, and it’s a pigment, actually, a green pigment which absorbs just the right wavelength of sunlight to jumpstart the complex chemical process whereby plants make food. Chlorophyll is the key to photosynthesis, enabling plants to magically transform air, sunlight, and water into sugars that nourish the plant and anything that eats it. Chlorophyll is, really, the basis of life on this planet. Chlorophyll is also the stuff that puts grass...
Read MoreRainbow of Flowers: Same-Sex Marriage
It’s a great day for human rights. Same-sex marriage legal in the USA.
Read MoreHappy National Pollinator Week!
Seriously. It’s National Pollinator Week, June 16 – 22, 2014. It’s a national…well, not exactly a holiday–a national time to stop and think about it. Of course they have National Everything Week–not a day goes by but it’s National Something Day or Week or Month. National Women’s History Month (we only have enough history to fill up one month). National Jazz Appreciation Month. There’s National Pig Day (March 1, put it on your calendar for next year). National Ice Cream Month, a worthy cause indeed, officially designated in 1984 by Ronald...
Read MoreGreat Idea: Law on Horseback
Every now and then, I see something that strikes me as a great idea. A Great Idea. Something that works. Something well designed, well-planned, creative, original. Something that has a positive impact on the environment, or wildlife, or people. (See my post on the High Line in New York City.) Here’s an urban Great Idea. Police on horseback. I know it’s not exactly new and original. Law enforcement on horseback dates back to the Lone Ranger, or possibly the Mongols, or Roman centurions, but it just seems like such a positive and effective idea. Police metamorphose from something scary and...
Read MoreGood Mowing, Part 2
Last November I wrote a blog post about a meadow at the George Landis Arboretum in Esperance, NY. The meadow had just been mowed, and while you might assume from the title of my blog that I would be violently opposed to all mowing, that’s actually not the case. I can be a good sport about mowing. In fact, mowing in the right places, at the right time of year, can be an enormous help for wildlife, and for wildflowers. A mowed meadow looks sad and stubbly, but as with all good things, patience is required. Here’s what the meadow looks like today. A kaleidoscope of purple, gold and white:...
Read MoreBucket List
I think it’s a great idea to have a bucket list. You know, a list of things to do before you, well, you know…kick the bucket. It’s kind of a trendy idea these days, but the concept is not a new one for me, I’ve had one since I was twelve years old. I’ve succeeded in doing a few things on the list, but I have plenty more to go. One of my long-held goals was to hike the Appalachian Trail. And I’ve done it! Cross off another item off the list. Yes, indeed. Now I didn’t say I hiked all of the Appalachian Trail, mind you—I just hiked on it. An entire mile or more. It’s a lovely trail, the...
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