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The Prickly Pears that were Left Behind
When we moved into our house in the summer of 2024, the previous owner left behind a number of things. It was a husband whose wife had already left the world before him, and he was living alone when he began suffering from dementia very suddenly. So, the children had to quickly move him out… Continue reading
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Fleeting Resident House Finches
Shortly before May 1st, I started hearing some especially loud and persistent cheeping coming from our front door. At first, I thought nothing of it because birds liked to come by our wreath to grab twigs and whatnot for their nests. But the cheeping continued, and so I looked through the glass window on the… Continue reading
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I forgot about the flower, White Campion, from my childhood
White campion (Silene latifolia) is native to most of Europe, Western Asia, and northern Africa, but has naturalized throughout most of the U.S. I remember now that it was all over where I grew up in Iowa, but I had completely forgotten about its existence until about a year ago. I still have an old… Continue reading
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Nurse logs in Washington’s Hoh Rainforest, Olympic Peninsula
In Washington’s mighty Hoh Rainforest, there is a phenomenon called “nurse logs”. These are fallen trees that function like a nursery for saplings on their decaying trunks. The small, young trees take advantage of this higher ground and rich organic material to reach the sun and get ahead of the other saplings. Eventually, only the… Continue reading
Pretty Sky Things 