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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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HUGE BUCKS IN CITY
Sometimes an area’s largest bucks reside in towns for a number of reasons. Often cities have nutritious food interspersed with woods and ravines that provide secluded hiding places.
CHRISTMAS TREES IN A NUT SHELL
As the Christmas Tree fashions wax and wane, we see an upsurge in families eagerly venturing out to tree farms to select and cut a real tree and participate in “value added” activities at tree farms. Many species of evergreens are used for Christmas trees. Learn where the trees originate.
Binoculars Handy Around the House and are Great Gifts
Few household items are as handy as a pair of binoculars. Sure, they are great for getting a close look at birds visiting the feeder, but they are also helpful to:
view the roof for loose shingles.
observe from a distance butterflies, bees and other insects.
bring distant worlds into view from the backyard.
make viewing ball games, concerts and large stage shows more intimate.
Magical First Snow Adventures*
An extraordinary “musher”, a hardy couple, and a sweet “babo” all take in the first snow of the season.
The Gift of Winter Reading
New Bo Books is a local Cedar Rapids, IA, bookstore affiliated with Prairie Lights Books in Iowa City, Iowa. Check out their wide array of current adult topics and children’s classics for this Holiday Season.
Indian Creek Nature Center in SE Cedar Rapids, IA, features a variety of books for children and adults. Certain general adult topic books are on sale for 20% off until gone. They also carry great nature/science kits for kids (Animal Tracks, Science on a Nature Walk, Going Green). New this year are all natural with bark still on building block sets and origami projects and books.
JUNCOS
Juncos are snow birds who overwinter in “balmy” Iowa.
Obsidian or Slag – What Does It Matter?
Obsidian and glass slag are so similar that it’s often difficult the tell the difference. Unscrupulous ebay sellers have taken advantage of this and have sold the artificial form as the real thing.
POOP POSTS HELP SOLVE BIRD FEEDING PROBLEM
A simple solution to bird droppings on your deck furniture is to install a “Poop Post.”
Got Cash? Money Talks In A Power Outage
Zombies and Ebola are all the rage and have people worried, but they are a less likely threat than power outages. Be prepared for more than a day or two without power. Remember the one important item most often overlooked.
Connect With Your Local Nature Center
Every day we see something that piques our curiosity about nature. While we can “Google it”, an even better way is to connect with your local nature center. The Association of Nature Center Administrators lists member organizations. Wikipedia also lists Centers by state.
NOVEMBER IS THE BEST TIME TO SEE DEER, BUT BE CAREFUL WHEN DRIVING
Early November is an exception for seeing bucks. Across most of the United States deer are in the mating season, or rut, between late October and the first half of November. Bucks abandon their usual caution and focus on mating with as many does as possible.
Spiders Outdoors and In The Basement
Few indoor sightings are as startling as spotting a spider……sometimes a large one…..on the basement floor, wall, or even ceiling. Too many people misunderstand and fear these eight legged animals.
A CASCADE OF WONDROUS LEAVES
October is a wondrous month of great change in the backyard. Thousands of leaves that devoted warm months harvesting solar energy now become free and fun soil builders.
Fall’s shortened days cause backyard elm, maple, oak and other trees to hang it up for the season. Green chlorophyll disappears revealing reds, yellows and browns that were there all summer but were masked by verdant green. Soon puffs of breeze bring dry leaves swirling to the ground.
MICE LOVE COZY HOMES – AND MOVE IN UNINVITED
Hardly anyone wants to share their home with mice of any species. Read the blog for tips to keep mice outdoors where they belong. Despite the best efforts to discourage mice, some are bound to get into the house. Winding Pathways blog gives tips for getting rid of them.
Clearing the Path While Creating a New Habit(at)
Clambering over the fallen branches of the cleared understory saplings, I realized I was pushing my way through a metaphor. Soon after the 1998 dedication, the forest began to show degradation from previous years of little maintenance. Garlic mustard took over the ground cover. Barberry seeds, spread by birds, quickly colonized in huge inaccessible patches, crowding out all other vegetation. Shade loving maples – some native, some European – prevented sun loving oak and hickory nuts from rooting. Food for wildlife became scarcer as quality habitat declined. In short, a steady, decades-long and then rapid decline in quality with a huge mess to clean up.
So, the metaphor that popped into my mind as my way opened and the house loomed high on the ridge before me – still uphill – was, “This is a lot like church.”
Corn an “A-maizing” Crop
Get ready to feed back yard birds and attract those you want to encourage.