Underneath Cottonwood trees right now, you might find leftover leaves. They tell a story. A strange story.
It’s the story of a particularly interesting aphid. Virgin birth! Live birth! Eggs! Wings! No wings! Sexual! Asexual! Above ground! Below ground! Sucking mouthparts! No mouth at all!
These aphids do it all.
Oaks are hard. Hard wood, yes, but also hard to identify. This morning, I’m trying to key out a mystery oak on our dog walk, so I came home with a twig, buds, acorns and leaves. A few leaves are still green, and the undersides (the abaxial surface, thank you) gave me pause. Continue reading “Leaf armpits”
I’m a messy person. Always have been, always will be. I admire folks who keep a tidy house. But I take issue with tidy yards, because tidiness reduces habitat for countless creatures. Continue reading “In Praise of the Messy Fall Yard”
November 4th.
Fall is falling fast and I need to grab on to it——to find an edge, a finger-hold——before it’s gone. Sometimes, grabbing just means paying attention.
Example? Random leaf prints on concrete. Nature’s monoprints are right there under my feet on the way to the car, to school, to nearly everywhere. Continue reading “Sidewalk Nature: Leaf Prints”
SIDEWALK NATURE 