WriterByNature.com

March 7, 2010 7:01 am

I’m completing our CSA farm application and finalizing the COMA walk schedule for this season.

While everyone else is focused on the Oscars, I’m watching a documentary that I doubt would be nominated, not because of the production values, but because of the content.

What’s wrong with GMO’s – genetically modified organisms? Decide for yourself. This film is free online: The World According to Monsanto. (more…)

February 28, 2010 7:15 am

The snow is waist deep. I’ve been snowed in since Thursday. It’s fun and at the same time, scary. What’s up with that? When did I become afraid of nature?

The dense heavy snow is good for making a quinzee. But considering I spent close to four hours moving enough snow away from my door to squeeze outside, I’m inclined to save my energy. My neighbors and I may be pecking at this with shovels until May.

My car is under this snow somewhere. The snow plow guy is not avoiding me. He needs to come back with a bucket loader. This rural driveway is too challenging for a suburban truck & plow. (more…)

February 24, 2010 4:43 am

How many Tom turkeys can you spot?

As icy pellets make winter hiking an ordeal, it’s soothing to recall the one day this week that promises Spring is on the way.

February 23, 2010 8:14 am

In my quest to improve my skills as a naturalist and a writer, I have been blessed to develop friendships with many respected nature writers, including Jim Capossela.

Writers like Jim often send written, rather than spoken messages. In our first email exchange, I learned that we have both adopted “Happy Trails” to sign off our correspondence.

Do brilliant minds think alike?  (more…)

February 16, 2010 8:37 am

I have been a Michael Pollan fan since I read The Omnivore’s Dilemma. In his current book, Food Rules, Rule Number 31 is: Eat Wild Foods When You Can. I want to hug him. He gets it.

This latest book follows In Defense of Food which suggests we: “Eat food. Not too much Mostly plants.” Ironically, Pollan’s complete book titles are longer than the core message. His skillful writing  keeps me reading.

I aspire to Pollan’s mastery of word conservation and his diplomacy. What he calls “edible foodlike substances,” I call “corporate chemical concoctions.” (more…)

February 9, 2010 7:29 am

So far this winter, abundant snow has fallen well south of me, but the inch or two that has fallen here is perfect for tracking animals that are not easy to see, like the bobcat.

My notebook is 5.5 inches long, so I have an idea of this feline’s stride.

In preparation for my workshop, I took the opportunity to hike the same trail three days in a row. The first day there were only two or three sets of tracks, including mine. By day three, more individuals traveled this particular trail.

The patina of snow does not always cover the ice, which has its own beauty

(more…)

February 1, 2010 7:15 am

I’ve just added Abundantly Wild: Collecting And Cooking Wild Edibles Of The Upper Midwest by Teresa Marrone to my booklist.

Don’t let the title fool you, much of the information and recipes in this book can be found in my local area, New York’s Hudson Valley. (more…)

January 29, 2010 12:56 pm

I collected a large amount of  tree ear (Auricularia auricula) and black jelly roll (Exidia glandulosa) mushrooms during this past week’s January thaw. Of course they may all be Exidia glandulosa.

As mycology evolves and knowledge is gained, much of what was once published is now being revisited. I’ve been enjoying my first fungi of 2010 in a rich mushroom soup perfect for a bitter cold winter days.

When everything else is dormant or frozen, it’s nice to find something new to go with my pine needle tea.

January 28, 2010 8:49 am

Heavy rain washed away the snow, exposing some interesting features of the rock surface of area mountains. This morning’s snow is laying down a fresh palette for wildlife tracks.

As for the rocks, when I saw this, I wondered if it had been split by temperature extremes:

But what really happened is that the tooth-like calcium deposit was not solid like this rock:

Moisture filled in between the gaps of the calicium “teeth” of the first rock.

I’ve spent a great deal of time hiking two mountains located less than 10 miles from each other which are composed of different geological materials. One is conglomerate rock with distinct vegetation and evidence of glacial movement.

The bedrock on the other mountain is precambrian gneiss outcroppings with mica and feldspar inclusions along with embedded microcrystalline quartz.

(more…)

January 15, 2010 9:30 am

I’m preparing tracking programs  – age of participants and size of group varies. Despite the bitter cold, the snow has not been deep, making it a spectacular winter for tracking. Now my photos look like what I study in Tracking and the Art of Seeing.

I understand my subject matter. Making it memorable, in the way that Gary Lincoff or Tom Volk does – that’s my present is to show, not tell while speaking.

Since tracking actually involves all the senses, what can I do that’s engaging and memorable before we hit the trail? One option is  coffee cup tracking, although I plan to use yogurt cups.

(more…)