The reddish-brown pods of the Kentucky coffeetree contain seeds that were once used as a coffee substitute and, even further back, as food for Ice…
Kentucky Coffeetrees
Shagbark Hickory
Curly and colorful, the opening leaf buds of the shagbark hickory sometimes are mistaken for exotic flowers in bloom.
The Ohio Buckeye Mystery – Part 2
Last week’s Good Natured column ended with a cliffhanger… Who, or what, was destroying the Ohio buckeye tree at the Wildflower Sanctuary in Batavia? In…
The Ohio Buckeye Mystery – Part 1
The Wildflower Sanctuary in Batavia is just that-a peaceful place to commune with nature and bask in the tranquility of plants and animals living in…
Squirrel Dreys
There’s no place like home. Dorothy Gale said it as she clacked her ruby slippers together, and Perry Como and the Carpenters sang about it,…
Squirrels & Walnuts
We’ve all been there… That awkward moment when you realize there’s a poppy seed from your morning muffin wedged between your two front teeth. Or…
Honey Locusts
Last week as I strolled with my dogs Joey and Kit around our neighborhood in St. Charles, we came upon a honey locust tree and…
Walnut Groves
Chances are, if you’re a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan, and/or if you watched the television show Little House on the Prairie, the name Walnut Grove…
American Plum
I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve had quite the plum job these past couple of weeks. Since early September we’ve been conducting Wetland Ecology…
Elderberries
Given what I’ve been up to lately, I’d get it if you thought I was a Brewster. Old movie buffs and high school theater veterans…