If mosquitoes, gnats, black flies and no-see-ums are driving you buggy, then consider cozying up to some lavender, marigolds or basil. Scientists question their overall effectiveness, but many fragrant ornamental flowers and herbs grown around the home have properties that can repel ...

I have always been fascinated by the topic of wild edible and medicinal plants. There is something truly freeing about the ability to collect food and medicine from the wild, without money and without a prescription. Not to in any way impinge on the many benefits of modern medicine, but ...

When I found out I was instructing Survival Camp 2019, I didn’t realize how much we’d be trying to “survive.” I imagined it being like any other day camp. Now, imagine heat waves beyond measure during the hottest part of the day. The heat melted the sunscreen and bug spray off ...

Snakes love warm summer days. As reptiles, their body temperature mirrors air temperature. That’s why snakes are most active this time of year. It’s also why snake complaints peak in July and August. When people ask how to deal with unwanted snakes in the backyard, I offer my standard ...

Summer is in full swing and our local meadows, woodlands and wetlands are alive with the lush growth and green goodness of solar-powered warmth, light and renewed life. Songbirds fill the air with calls and melodies signaling territoriality, courtship and connection with mates and ...

As a kid, there was nothing more exhilarating than walking down the dirt road adjacent to my aunt and uncle’s house, hunting for monarch caterpillars under the warm August sun. I would walk hand in hand with my mother as she pulled my brother along behind in a red wagon, my cousins would ...