Curations from the Human Jungle
[A few times every growing season I have my "sunflower moment." Sometimes it's in the spring, when I look at a seed. At the moment it's when I see what the single seed can produce. I am humbled. SB SM] The Outside Story Native Sunflowers: Solar Avatars By Colby Galliher Among the most widely cultivated... Continue Reading →
RIP Wendell Berry. [You don't think you're interested in milkweed tussock moths, but you are. Read on. SB SM] The Outside Story By Ben Applegate The black and orange stripes catch my eye as I swing the scythe through dew-laden grass. My eyes typically follow the tip of the 28-inch blade as I mow, trying... Continue Reading →
[Play the video while you read this. In 2 minutes and 21 seconds, you'll know a lot more about ovenbirds than you know now. We see this little fella a lot on Merlin, but not-so-much in real life. SB SM] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHdaLaQ3NqA The Outside Story Laurie D. Morrissey “There is a singer everyone has heard, /... Continue Reading →
[The summer of 1967. I was, against every fiber of will in my19 year old body, enrolled in the Naval Reserve Officer Training Candidate program at Yale University. I was fulfilling my obligation for 6 weeks active duty, serving onboard a destroyer escort--can't remember the name of it, godammit-- in the Caribbean on an August... Continue Reading →
[Silverbacks ... Do you enjoy The Outside Story? I post them because I find them interesting, varied, well-written and completely consistent with the unwritten mission of this publication. But what about you? A little feedback goes a long way in determining what arrives in your Inbox. Speak, Silverbelles and 'Backs! SB SM] The Outside Story... Continue Reading →
The Outside Story By Colby Galliher While many of our region’s colorful birds fly south for the cold months, resident woodpeckers offer a reliable contrast to this season’s monochrome palette. A pileated woodpecker’s blazing crest and the miniature red cap of a hairy woodpecker brighten the gray-and-white doldrums. But few avian winter wardrobes match the... Continue Reading →
['Tis the season to put the bird feeders out. The problem is, that the black bears are waiting until later and later in the season to take to their dens, and they are desperate to gain every possible ounce of fat before calling it a night. Like many Vermonters, we learned our lesson the hard... Continue Reading →
[I know what makes a blueberry blue ... telling it a sad story about a sick puppy that got run over while chasing a bounding ball thrown by a little boy who just came back from the doctor and ... uh-oh, the sophomore is back. Blueberries are summertime, and the Great State of Maine once... Continue Reading →
The Outside Story By Susan Shea During winter, I often hear gnawing and the scurrying of little feet inside the walls of our house. Mice have taken shelter in our old farmhouse again. Although I hate killing the cute creatures, after we had to hire a carpenter twice to remove sections of our walls and... Continue Reading →
The Outside Story By Catherine Schmitt Ferns have grown on Earth for longer than trees and flowers, and existed well before Homo sapiens. In our region, the oldest lineage, emerging 200 million years ago, is the royal fern family (Osmundaceae), including royal, cinnamon, and interrupted ferns. Named for the fertile, spore-producing pinnae that “interrupt” the... Continue Reading →