Exploring Nature by Sheila Newenham
A single, high-pitched yelp pierced the silence. I spun around. A wild coyote stood next to my 80 pound Labrador, Tybee. They were inches apart. Both were frozen, each seemingly unsure of what the next move should be. The coyote’s posture was non-threatening; head down, … Continue readingPolite Suburban Coyote
There are just a handful of other cars here when we arrive in the early morning. It’s 45 degrees and spitting rain. A couple is gearing up for a bike ride on the Going to the Sun Road, which is still closed from here to … Continue readingAvalanche Creek Trail in the Rain
Glacier National Park has been wildly successful in creating a culture of fear to protect people and bears. Nowhere else, to my knowledge, are tourists so bear aware. Bear spray is prominently for sale at all the stores, provided at all the rental cabins and … Continue readingIs Fear the Best Way?
Living in the Midwest, I haven’t had much exposure to the Western Red Cedar. I have some favorite trees – oaks for their gnarly growth and the wildlife habitat they provide; aspens for their decorated white bark and fluttering, shimmering heart-shaped leaves; the ponderosa pine … Continue readingOne Western Red Cedar Tree
This is literally a hidden gem. Bluff Spring Fen in South Elgin, IL, is tucked between a cemetery, the Metra train tracks, a gravel pit/industrial park, and a well-traveled road. Even as I tell you about it, driving up, it seems unreal – dump trucks, … Continue readingConeflower Prairie
Today was the first chance I’ve had this season to sit on my front porch and quietly observe the yard. I can’t sit on the back deck like this because all I see are weeds that need pulling, plants that need watering, feeders that need … Continue readingThe View from my Porch
I turn off Hwy 31 in Dundee onto Country School Road, and immediately, all the stress and chaos of suburbia falls away. I am heading to the Springbird Oasis Cottage, a retreat on fourteen acres of oak, hickory and maple woodlands with a network of … Continue readingSpringbird: An Oasis of Nature
Spring woodland wildflowers are fleeting. They decorate the sunny forest floor before the trees leaf out and shade them for the summer. Two weeks ago the blood root bloomed, last week the trout lilies stole the show. This week, the ground here at Johnson’s Mound … Continue readingA Spring Woodland
I arrive before dawn on a cold, cloudless morning. As I gear up and start down the crushed limestone trail, the eastern horizon is beginning to lighten. At the footbridge near a beaver lodge, I slow down taking soft, deliberate steps. I think I might … Continue readingCounting Cranes
I have several bird feeders in my back yard. Over the years I’ve seen new bird species come every year. It’s a source of pleasure for me, environmental enrichment for my indoor cats and a source of supplemental food for my Labrador, Tybee, who never … Continue readingUnder the Feeder at Night