tales from the wild metropolis
Last autumn, I walked along a popular path that circles a nearby neighborhood pond, taking note of the other humans who had ventured outdoors on this lovely fall afternoon to stretch their legs or do a little fishing after work. I always notice the waterfowl who gather here as well... mallards, Canada geese, and a... Continue Reading →
Mother Nature (aka evolution) has come up with some very clever ways for fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals to defend themselves against unwanted attention. These strategies include safety in numbers, speed, camouflage, mimicry, spines and other physical armor, sacrificial limbs... even electricity. And let's not forget chemical deterrents such as poison and venom (they... Continue Reading →
Wedding celebrations are June's claim to fame, so this month seems like the perfect time to talk about garters and ribbons, don't you agree? Garter snakes and Ribbon snakes, of course — this is Next-Door Nature, after all. But serpentine romance is not a meet-cute boy-meets-girl fairy tale.
Chromatically muted though they may be, Gadwalls aren't as conventional as they may first appear. For one thing, they've got a pirate streak that's fitting for a bird who lives the life aquatic, but surprisingly uncommon among their waterfowl kin.
I'll bet you'd recognize this fella even if you've never met face-to-face. He's a night owl, a lounge lizard straight out of Central Casting, complete with rakish Salvador Dali mustache and goatee. He's been hanging around the dimly lit watering holes of cities, suburbs, and sylvan landscapes all across North America for as long as... Continue Reading →
"I don't want to get up! It's too early! It's too bright! It's too cold! Let me go back to sleep!!" That's what I imagine Punxsutawney Phil grumbling when an official pair of gloved hands reaches into the rodent's enclosure on February 2nd— the groundhog equivalent of about 4 am— to drag him out of... Continue Reading →
It's not the size of the dog in the fight that counts, but the size of the fight in the dog. So we've been told, although there's an ongoing quarrel over exactly who did the original telling.* Whatever. I'm here to tell you, right here and now, that the same sentiment applies in spades to... Continue Reading →
The Brothers Grimm (Jacob and Wilhelm, btw) are generally given credit for publishing the first collection of fairy tales. I hate to quibble, but Mother Nature is the OG spinner of stories full of abandonment, alchemy, metamorphosis, maturity quests, enchanted slumbers, and awakenings. Read closely, and you'll discover that folksy sagas don't use forests, meadows,... Continue Reading →
Next-Door Nature 