Welcome to Winding Pathways
Winding Pathways encourages you to create a wonderous yard, whether that yard is an expansive acreage, a suburban lot or a condominium balcony. Go outside and play!
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Bobcat Family In Neighborhood
Bobcats are amazing and intriguing mammals. They adapt well to suburbia eating pesky squirrels, rabbits and mice. They are NO threat to people.
Maximillian Sunflowers – Summer’s Goodbye
An autumn pleasure is sitting on our front porch watching Maxmillian Sunflowers - Summer's Goodbye wave as they dance in September’s breeze. Our yard is a seasonal progression of color from spring’s delightful dandelions that grace our mowed yards to Maxmillion’s...
Chicken Companions
Do chickens like each other? Is there such a thing as chicken companions? We have found this so.
Bear Commotion
Blog by guest authors, Peg and Angus! Our dog, Angus, and I were sitting on the deck one summer afternoon. I was reading and Angus just looking around. Suddenly, I heard a commotion. Angus got all excited and started barking. It turns out, a bear commotion! I looked...
Shelf Spider Lawn Lace
Early one humid summer morning we discovered lawn lace in the yard. Dozens of laces were scattered on the grass and mulch we’d put around trees. Dew drops on their tiny filaments sparkled in the early morning sunshine. What had we found? Who made them? As kids we...
The Joy of A Quiet Yard
Quiet yards reduce stress and enhance the quality of life all around.
What is Chicken of the Woods?
We were astonished to discover a chicken of the woods close to our home at Winding Pathways. We have about a dozen laying hens in our backyard coop, but what we found wasn’t an escaped chicken. Fungus It was an amazing fungus. We’d not seen one before and think our...
The Year of Crabgrass
What is crabgrass and how did it get to the North American continent? What use is it?
Surrounded By Wrens
Every summer, we are surrounded by wrens. When we sit on our back deck, the loud call of the Carolina Wren serenades us. It’s a tiny bird that stays back in the woods and vines. It’s hard to spot. It’s surprising how such a smidgen of a bird can sing at high volume....
White Mulberry – Trickster Tree
The white mulberry is a trickster tree. We match wits with it often at Winding Pathways. “All Around the Mulberry Bush” may be a kid’s jingle but the tree is an ecological pest with some positive traits. Our front hedge is an example. It’s a dense growth of privet....
Oriental Bittersweet – Plant Anaconda Snake
An Invasive Species Oriental Bittersweet is the Anaconda snake of the plant world. Few plants are as destructive of native vegetation. It is awful. Like many invasive species, Oriental Bittersweet was deliberately introduced to the United States in 1879 as an...
Gazette Features Updated
What fun we have had over years writing for various publications. Perhaps the most rewarding has been teaming with the Cedar Rapids Gazette writing features on different topics. These have been mostly travel. We've worked with excellent editors, had readers reach out...
Four Abundant and (some) Deadly Poisonous Plants
Four plants lurk along trails, in campgrounds and appear in yards. Beware of these problematic plants.
Woodchuck or Groundhog?
What's In A Name? A big furry animal has made a tunnel under the deck and clear cut down the garden. Is the culprit a woodchuck or groundhog? The answer is simple. They’re two names for the same animal. The window by Marion’s computer desk overlooks our...
Naturalized Yards and Weed Ordinances
some tips on transforming a yard into a beautiful, vibrant, species diverse habitat.
Trackchair® Brings Folks with Mobility Issues into Nature
Want to get outside but have limited mobility? Check out a Trackchair(R)! Some non-profits, like Indian Creek Nature Center, provide quiet electric vehicles so people can venture into nature.