Early Fall Skips

On mornings in the late summer and early fall, I wait for the sun to rise high enough for the asters and other flowers to open. That magic moment should be heralded by trumpets, but since I live in the suburbs, that will never happen. Even without trumpets, though, the daily grand opening of the … Read more

Of Monarchs and Milkweed

  Monarch butterflies, known to their scientific friends as Danaus plexippus, abound this year—at least in the areas I frequent.  Even though they are considered relatively common, I see them as miraculous.  Backlit by bright midsummer sun, monarchs’ orange, black and white wings glow as they float from flower to flower.  Unlike many other butterfly … Read more

Almost a Hummingbird

My daughter, Kate, and I were cruising the aisles of a large, well-stocked garden center last week when we noticed rapid movement in a display of bee balm or monarda.  The garden center was full of butterflies and small birds swooped in and out of the covered plant areas, but it was clear the movement … Read more

Book Review: The Butterflies of North America by Titian Peale

Some things in this life never change. Take writing and book publishing for example. Author and artist Titian Peale—1799-1885—worked on his book, The Butterflies of North America, beginning with a prospectus in 1833. When he died, fifty two years later, the book was still unfinished and Peale had no commitment from a publisher. In 1916, … Read more

Night Flyers

NIGHT FLYERS             You may have been too distracted by heat waves, summer chores or garden watering to notice, but National Moth Week is upon us.  The celebration, a New Jersey-based initiative, takes place this year from July twentieth through twenty-eighth and aims to raise awareness of moths and the role they play in biodiversity. … Read more