Found on the Trail

The Osage Orange takes its name from the people of the Osage Nation.  The trees grew primarily in a swath of land running from southern Okla...

Hyperion and I went out to Lost Grove Lake and had a good long walk around the lake, and the creek feeding into it.  It was my first time th...

Soaking up the beginnings of autumn on a walk recently, I could not help but think of Galadriel's song in Tolkien's bittersweet chap...

I was tempted not to go out yesterday, but I knew Osage oranges were ripening on the trees, so out I went.  I'm so glad I did! Walking...

This friendly little fellow is a house sparrow, from the species Passer domesticus, denoting a bird of speed "belonging to the house...

Watership Down  is a book written by Richard Adams.  In that book, a group of rabbits leave their home warren and make their way in the worl...

I found this beautiful fellow while on a walk recently.  I thought it was a Monarch, but had to look him up to be sure.  He was indeed a Mon...

Pea partridge is one of my favorite native plants of all time.  I was first introduced to it at Nahant Marsh three years ago, and we have be...

Today's picture is of butterfly milkweed.  This is a native plant with an appealing bright orange color. Butterfly milkweed attract...

Another Greek god?  Absolutely! Swamp milkweed is designated as Asclepias incarnata.  Asclepias comes from Asclepius, the god of heali...

When I was walking on the bike trail the other day, I noticed a lone goose ahead of me.  He was walking in the same direction that I was.  H...

The great blue heron stands about four feet tall, give or take a little.  This one, at the local marina, appears to be not yet fully mature,...

Dear Readers, Thank you for all of your enthusiasm and participation as you helped me celebrate the achievement of my 100th blog post mile...

Xstream Cleanup is a local project here in the Quad Cities where volunteers clean up garbage in and along the local streams and rivers.  Thi...