The Science Behind Nature - in Layperson Speak
It's rattlesnake time! Recently Cowboy Jack, a dog of my petsitter, Kristy Bagwell, ended up in a serious tussle with a Southern Pacific rattlesnake. The snake got bit too and died, while poor Jake, a Jack Russel/beagle mix, was rushed to an animal hospital to receive two vials of antivenom (along …
Continue Reading about Protecting my Dog against Rattlesnake Bites
We continue to love our property and our trips for the natural world lessons they bring us. Here are 2018 highlights! Curious Bighorn Sheep. On a visit to Joshua Tree National Park, my friend Nancy and I observed these bighorn sheep observing us so curiously. It started with one and then …
Continue Reading about Highlights from our Natural World – 2018
It’s finally cooled down here in California and fall is a great time to reflect on what’s done well and what hasn’t in our yards. And also ponder what we might do differently. In Southern California - unlike in the Midwest where I grew up - there’s no rest for the weary since fall through winter are …
It seemed a no-brainer to grab an opportunity to explore two of the Channel Islands with ecologist-extraordinare Kurt Leuschner, a professor at College of the Desert in Palm Desert. Anacapa Island, the barren rookery for hundreds of Western Gulls, and Santa Cruz, the lushest and largest, offered two …
It’s Springtime – not only for our plants and trees, but for the animal lives around us. And that means more animal sightings, injured animals and even snake encounters. In addition to the information below, please see my article on the most commonly asked questions on wildlife rescues plus rescue …
Continue Reading about Springtime – critters, injured birds and even snakes
My last article on habitat gardening introduced some basics and exciting things I learned about beneficial insects in gardens. This was after attending an all-day Habitat Gardening workshop given by Frederique Lavoipierre, Director of Education at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. This column …
Continue Reading about Habitat Gardening (Part 2): Butterflies, Moths, Flies and Favorite Plants
