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Pick Up Artist

I spent the last couple of weeks house- and pet-sitting in a city environment. My morning walks reminded me of living on campus with lots of buildings and people around instead of the open fields and deer of my natural ex-urban habitat. This beautiful old neighborhood included giant old oaks arching over the street, a

Milkweeds: The Fab Five

Asclepias tuberosa – Orange Butterflyweed (photo: Donna Black) Some creatures are blessed with charisma. They are readily recognizable, and seeing even a picture of one elicits an “Awww” from the viewer. Pandas, whales, polar bears, and baby seals come to mind. Few insects have this widespread appeal, but monarch butterflies are a notable exception. By

Freezer Burn

Now that the Christmas freeze is long gone here in Georgia, you may have noticed some damage to your landscape. White, tan, or even black leaves dangling from their stems or piling up around the base of plants are sure signs of freeze damage. The mechanism for tissue injury in plants is quite simple. Ice

Return Of The Eagles

In earlier columns, I’ve written about flocks of coots (Fulica americana) and migratory ducks visiting Lake Horton in Fayette County, GA. When I mention seeing eagles hunting them, people are surprised and even skeptical. But it’s true. We routinely see eagles, usually a pair of adults or an adult and a juvenile, hunting together over

…because you asked

Never let it be said I don’t respond to questions and comments from readers. After the “Cup of Yo” post, a reader asked to see my lifelong sketch of holly. It has graced packages, cards, and tags over many Christmases. So here it is, as I said, looking much like it did when I first

Have A Cup Of Yo

As we’re decking our halls with boughs of holly, we have several choices of native hollies here in Georgia. American holly (Ilex opaca) is the one that is readily identifiable as “holly-like” with its spine-rimmed, hard, evergreen leaves (on the right of the photo.) It’s the shape I’ve drawn on Christmas packages and cards since

What Season Is It, Anyway?

When I pulled on a pair of shorts for a walk yesterday afternoon, I had a moment of befuddlement. “Wait. It is November, right?” I’ll admit, as a writer of fiction, I am sometimes so immersed in a story set in another season, time of day, or even another year that I’m disoriented for a

A Question In The Night

Thank you to Clay Neely for this lovely photo of a barred owl You’re out enjoying the evening or taking a walk in the early morning and someone unseen asks, “Who cooks for you?” Pardon me? What kind of question is that? It’s the question of a Barred Owl (Strix varia). Of course, the bird

Take It Easy

As I drive around the community, I see so many neighbors and cities putting a lot of time and effort into beautifying their properties. We’re fortunate to live in an area with a lot of green space – even within the city limits. There’s no denying we live in a beautiful part of the world.