Curations from the Human Jungle
[Believe it or not, I actually do all this stuff. If it's good enough for Martha Stewart, it's good enough for this Silverback! Thanks to Silverbelle Sandy for suggesting this. SB SM] How to Use Cardboard in the Garden to Prevent Weeds and Enrich Soil Repurpose your cardboard instead of throwing it away. By Samantha... Continue Reading →
[How many times have I been stopped by people saying "What you should do in Silverback Digest is to publish more pictures of giraffes!" OK ... so, I am lying. The only giraffes I've ever seen is in zoos, or on television, or in magazines. To me, they are the most magnificent animals on earth,... Continue Reading →
[In April, 1968 golfer Roberto De Vincenzo, lost The Master's golf tournament when he signed an incorrect scorecard. When informed of his mistake, De Vincenzo coined the classic phrase that I have invoked many times in my life. SB SM] Today's encore selection -- from Brilliant Blunders by Mario Livio. A blunder by the world’s greatest chemist,... Continue Reading →
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOlO_kN0KiA The Outside Story Loren Merrill If you live near a large meadow, hayfield, or grassland, you may have recently noticed some bubbly robotic noises emanating from those areas. It might sound like an overexcited android, but the real source is a medium-sized songbird, the bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus). One of the few avian grassland specialists... Continue Reading →
[This would be a good one to take to the predictions market. "Changing the flow of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans ... what's the over/under on mankind screwing it up?" I'd be more confident if beavers were in charge. SB SM] https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/could-building-a-dam-across-the-bering-straight-save-the-planet-from-some-effects-of-climate-change-180988725/?utm_source=smithsoniandaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial&lctg=93171674 May 14, 2026 The Bering Strait is a narrow waterway between Russia and... Continue Reading →
[This is The Pass. We bought it ... er, Sandy bought it back in 2008 for $10. Mind you, this is for a Lifetime Pass to all the National Parks. "It's a rip-off" I warned her, but she just plunged ahead. he never listens to me, especially in financial matters. Since then we've been to... Continue Reading →
[Another Substack discovery made possible by The Browser. These days I'll read anything with the title of "The Last Incorruptible Thing," because every morning we're hearing about "the most ..." SB SM] https://sarahkendzior.substack.com/p/the-last-incorruptible-thing The Last Incorruptible Thing Life lessons from the morel majority. Sarah Kendzior May 04, 2026 I was five miles in the woods,... Continue Reading →
[These are the precious mornings when it's fun to sit outside, open up the Merlin app on your smartphone, and see how many species can be identified during the span of one cup of coffee. My record is 23. SB SM] Play this while you read. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wqp3AlFPc58 The Outside Story By Jack Beaudoin One of... Continue Reading →
[As much as we love Mud Season, all good things must come to an end. SB SM] The Outside Story Paddling Floodplain Forests By Catherine Wessel By early April I start to get impatient for full-blown spring. I’m ready for the treetops to be full of warblers and the understory to be crowded with blooming... Continue Reading →
The Outside Story By Maggie Weng Light in the evening brings the first sign of spring’s arrival. Before the snow has fully melted or any scraps of green start to appear, those lengthening days are a promise. Just when I’ve forgotten the world was ever anything except cold and gray, I’ll step outside into a... Continue Reading →