Monthly Archives: November 2015

In my woods one of the first wildflowers is the violet, often blooming in late winter. They are gone from my forest for this year, but their distant cousins are thriving in my garden. They are one of the most popular plants for fall gardens, with their cheery flowers and […]

What seems many lifetimes ago I studied primates. I was fascinated by their societies, caring for each other in ways I saw reflected in my own family and friends. Since I started posting to Instagram this spring, suddenly I became part of an unimaginably large social group. I have been […]

Every season has a moment that defines its beginning. The change may not happen all at once, fall and winter colliding and wrestling back and forth. But if you look closely, there is an instant when the balance tips, and one turns to the other. The moment arrived this morning. […]

The iris is the national flower of France, with a history stretching back over a thousand years. In the Middle Ages it was tied to French kings, and stylized into the fleur-de-lis.The name comes from the many colors of the flowers, for the ancient Greek goddess Iris. Her flowing dress […]

I have always loved the insect chorus, a lullaby through an open window. Just as the sounds themselves fade as the year cools, each cricket voice slows. In 1897 the scientist Dolbear wrote an article called The Cricket As a Thermometer, setting out a complex formula where T is temperature, […]

My aunt was a nature photographer, and one of her cardinal rules was always shoot with the sun at your back. For photos she took of some of her wilder subjects- like me- this resulted in many squinting portraits as I struggled to smile with the sun burning its way […]

Nearly halfway through November, it is a strange time of year here. Most traces of autumn have faded, but winter has not yet arrived. Last night it dipped into the mid thirties, flirting with frost. So I spend spare time enjoying the final vestiges of the season, each day seeing […]

In much of the U.S., sunsets become more dramatic in autumn and winter. In the summer there is less air circulation so dust and pollution remain in the atmosphere. These large particles tend to reduce the amount of color getting through, so though there can be dramatic summer sunsets, they […]

Wood frogs provide one of the first sounds of the year, calling from vernal pools even in late winter with a chorus that sounds like tiny ducks. They move from ponds into the woods during summer and autumn, finally sheltering under fallen leaves for winter. When the temperature falls below […]