Category: Blog

What Do You Like a Lot?

A tall juniper tree in my front yard lends its shade to the hollyhock plant that grows near it. The shade keeps the hollyhock from getting too much sun. Plants, like people, enjoy the sun. But many plants also sometimes need shade so they don’t get too hot. We’re that way too. It’s fun to

The Toad and My Dog

This week, my dog, Peanut, found great pleasure in chasing a toad. The traumatized toad tried to hide in a large mum beside the house. Peanut circled the mum, making sounds between a bark and an excited whimper. Unfortunately, the mum took a beating. The toad found other shelter in a coiled up hose. Peanut

So Many Colors in Nature

Have you ever noticed how many different colors there are in your own front and back yards? There are lots of them! Sometimes the colors are different shades of pink or blue or purple. We don’t have names for all the different shades of yellow, red, or green. If somebody tried to make up names

Lost Words of Nature

When author Brooke Smith discovered several years ago that the Oxford Junior Dictionary was planning to remove over 100 words related to nature from its pages, she became angry, disillusioned and sad. The dictionary editors didn’t think the words had relevance for children of today. They were words like apricot, lavender and porcupine. I can

Planting a Garden Can Be Healing

Do you have a tree in your yard that you really like? If you do, it might be fun to plant a few flowers near it to make your own little garden. Gardens, even small ones with just a few flowers near a tree, can help people feel calmer and more relaxed. Notice how you

Man Studies Ancient Oak for Two Years

Have you ever enjoyed being around a tree so much that you spent a lot of time visiting it? If you have, you’re not alone. A professor in England wanted so much to learn more about an 800-year-old Honywood Oak that he spent two years visiting it. He went at many different times of the

A Simple Way to Feel Happier

Have you ever had one of those days when nothing went right? Your sister, brother or friend acted upset or even a little mean. Your mom or dad didn’t have time to listen to you tell them something important. For a reason you couldn’t grasp, you felt sad or out of sorts. We’ve all had

Tree Branches Hold Snow Well

Recent snowy weather has blanketed trees with snow. I used to worry that snow was too heavy for branches to handle. Though every once in a long while very heavy snow has made it challenging for tree branches to hold up the snow without cracking or breaking, that doesn’t happen very often. Normally, trees can

Youth Inspires Us during the Inauguration

On this day, January 20, 2021, we witnessed the inauguration of Joseph R. Biden, Jr. as the 46th president of the United States of America. We also witnessed the youngest inaugural poet read her poem commemorating the day and its place in history. Her name is Amanda Gorman. She is 22 years old and a

Feeling ill at ease? Reach out to trees

Have you ever felt like you couldn’t sleep? Have images come into your mind that made you feel afraid, threatened or ill at ease for a reason you couldn’t grasp? When things like that happen, even though you might not know why you are ill at ease, that is a time to reach out to