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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How Does a Broody Hen Teach Her Babies?
We were delighted when our Lavender Orpington hen started acting strangely. She fluffed up her feathers, spent most of her time in a nest box, and gave us a stern warning call if we came too close. She was broody. A broody hen simply wants to be a mother. Her ambition...
How to Encourage a Broody Hen
We enlist the help of a broody hen when we need to replace older hens.
Walking Labyrinths
Spring and summer have been great for walking labyrinths. Catch up with what has happened at the Phoenix Harmony Labyrinth since snowmelt. On your travels check out The Labyrinth Locator to find labyrinths along your path. Read more on the wonderment tab of Winding...
How Do You Care for Your Septic Tank System?
Have a septic tank system? Take good care of it!
Driftless Area
Come along with us as we explore the Driftless Area of the Upper Midwest.
Fireflies and Milkweed Walk
Lights twinkled in the yard and labyrinth. The faint perfume of milkweed wafted up in the still, hot, early summer air. Calling. Calling. We had arrived home at dusk after a long journey home from the East. Still in “travel mode” we unpacked the car and put away most...
Why Do Trees Fall on Calm Days?
Early one May afternoon we arrived home, glanced into the woods past our property, and were astonished to see an enormous red oak on the ground. The tree looked healthy, solid, and unlikely to topple, but it fell on a clear calm day. On its way down the old veteran...
What Synanthropes Live Near You?
What is a Synanthrope? People are surrounded by synanthropes. It’s a long and obscure word that is descriptive of hundreds of wild plants and animals. A synanthropic species is one that benefits from and lives close to people. Essentially, if people disappeared these...
Enjoying Lamb’s Quarters
Try eating Lamb’s quarters instead of weeding and tossing them out.
What is a Weed?
Weeds Brighten Our Lawn Too many people worry about lawn weeds and spend money to buy and spray toxic chemicals. We take a different view. What many call weeds are actually beneficial and we find fascinating. The often-uninvited plants that diversify our lawn connect...
How Can You Attract Birds?
Find ways you can create a yard or deck that welcomes birds year round.
What Do Baby Owls Look Like?
A Tale of Baby Owls Guest Blogger, R'becca Groff The first sign of an owl living back on our acreage happened late last summer when I heard a rabbit being taken late one night. A rabbit sounds like a human baby when it’s in trouble, and it is the painful reality of...
How Does a Controlled Burn Help Forests and Prairies?
We see wonderful results from prescribed burns on our property.
Why Do Stinging Nettle Sting?
A delightful swatch of color flitted by as we sat on our back deck on one of spring’s first warm sunny days. It was a red admiral butterfly that landed on a post just a few feet from us. It appeared to be enjoying the weather as much as we were. We’ve since...
Are You a Weather Spotter?
Guest Blog by Jacki Hull of Bedford, Virginia Written about April 19 and 20 storms "Well, two ugly storms in one week is enough for us for a while. Today has been full of dark clouds, winds, rain. Then as we were sitting on the porch for a quiet read of the daily...
How Do You Relieve Stress?
Kid Adventure Nature reduces stress. We saw it in action at Winding Pathways on an early April Sunday morning. About 15 kids from the Faith Formation Group of Peoples Church Unitarian Universalist visited. Most were five to ten years...