Curations from the Human Jungle
[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 →