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Ignore him and maybe he’ll go away? We hope not! When David Kirby wrote “Animal Factory: The Looming Threat of Industrial Pig, Dairy and Poultry Farms to Humans and the Environment,” we might have expected knee-jerk howls of protest from proponents of industrial agriculture. But supporters of the meat, milk, and egg factories he lambasted […]

Dog days? Not if you’re a 5-year-old! Like a welcome cold front clearing out the Iowa heat and humidity, a young person’s sense of wonder and amazement can bring a new perspective to what may have seemed like too much summer. A recent visit from my 5-year-old grandson Derek reminded me, literally, to stop and

After a couple of weeks of hot, muggy, wet weather that made a hike in the woods less than inviting, I finally overcame the summer doldrums and headed down the hill to the forest edge. What a treat! Poking up through the greenery, clusters of shiny, dark-purple raspberries told me that my timing was perfect.

Those of us with kids or grandkids know that whimper too well. Thunderstorms can be frightening to youngsters. At the first flash of lightning, followed by the crack of thunder, we may hear the patter of little feet as the kids come running to jump into their parents’ bed or climb onto a lap to

Few things say spring in northeast Iowa as vividly and vociferously as turkeys gobbling to greet the dawn. That’s even more true in our hills along the Turkey River, where we hear the big toms daily, and admire them as they strut their stuff for the hens. They huff, they puff, they fan their tail

Earth DAY? As we celebrate Earth Day on April 22, consider this sobering thought: We’re maybe one-three-hundred-and-sixty-fifth of the way to recognizing the significance of our home. Back in 1970, when I was a student at the University of Michigan and helped to organize the first Earth Day (and it really was the FIRST, since

The bluebirds alternately perch on the box, then poke inside and once again rearrange the nest they’re building. When a starling drops by for a visit, they aggressively defend their turf and chase the intruder away. But still no eggs. The phoebe keeps checking out and repairing its nest under the eave of our house,

Mere specks on the drab forest floor, the first spring flowers nevertheless bring a welcome bit of life and color to a grey-brown season. We found hepaticas, spring beauties and snow trilliums in bloom on March 28 – perhaps few days earlier than usual for Clayton County. The tiny Dutchman’s breeches buds will pop soon.

Spring brings out the fire bug in us! The warm temps, calm winds, and dry ground persuaded us that it was time to scorch the bromegrass and boxelder seedlings in our reconstructed prairie. Maybe it’s wishful thinking – but we want to suppress the brome and woody plants and give the natives an advantage, if

SPRING! It’s official! But how could we not notice all the recent signs of the changing seasons – from longer days to cheerful cardinals to muddy roads to ice jams to moths at the window to song sparrows and red-wings and flocks of robins. Even a wooly bear. The subtle signs set the mood –