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Water Runs Down Hill

I live on top of a hill, and the other night I went out for a run just down around the block and back. When I made the turn to head home, I found myself thinking about all the different ways I could get back and how all of them ended with a slog uphill. This is because I live near the ...

Blind Spot In The Ash

Editor’s Note: This column originally ran in 2019. Where are your blind spots? In a car, these are the spots that you cannot see when turning or backing up. Fancy cameras and screens are being used to help drivers see their blind spots. But no camera can cure a mental blind spot, and the ...

Harvestmen Or Daddy Longlegs? Truth Or Myth?

They have eight long, skinny legs and rounded bodies. They crawl all over trees and logs, finding small insects, plants, and fungi to eat. They go by different names, but the most common one I hear is Daddy-longlegs. They are misunderstood creatures, surrounded by myths and often looked ...

Message Of The Monarchs

Nature and her creatures are suffering, and they’re calling for our help. The message of the monarchs (Danaus plexippus), a once widespread and iconic organism now threatened with extinction, is but one of many species in unprecedented decline, pleading for our attention and action. Monarchs ...

Monarchs In Trouble

It is not really news that Monarch butterflies are in trouble. Their numbers have been dropping steadily for the last twenty or more years. Last week, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature put the Monarch on their red list of species that are endangered. This holds no legal ...

Are You Greening The Lake?

Green lawns are popular. Green lakes are not! Our county’s inland lakes are all lakes challenged by turning green – from the symptoms of excess nutrients. Plants and algae need nutrients, especially phosphorus and nitrogen compounds, in order to grow. Too many nutrients, however, give us ...