Nature Inspired provides encouraging stories of ecology, the outdoors, and nature as a whole. Ranging from your backyard to the whole planet, each post will delve into a different topic that will teach you something about this Earth we call home.
It’s happening! Right on cue, the autumn season has coaxed the Oak and Sycamore trees in my backyard into revealing brilliant shades of yellow and orange. This stunning show put on by nature every year is actually caused by a complex chemical process happening within…
Read MoreIf they haven’t left yet, monarch butterflies and migratory birds like hummingbirds, are making their way South to overwintering grounds. The decreasing daylight hours signals that it is time to go, and sets in motion many processes…
Read MoreAfter an incredibly dry summer, rainy weather has turned the ground wet and soggy, the perfect environment to discover the magical world of fungi! Late summer and early autumn provide optimal conditions for fungi…
Read MoreI am in disbelief that it is already September! How did that happen? No matter the joys or tragedies that occur in our human existence, nature keeps moving and changing around us. You may have noticed the sun setting a bit earlier, the evenings and mornings are now chilly, your garden is ever so slightly…
Read MoreThere’s nothing like sleeping in the woods, feeling the breeze come through your tent, and hearing the birds chirp you awake in the morning. This past weekend I was finally able to go camping in the Delaware Water Gap area of New Jersey. Serendipitously, the Lakota Wolf Preserve…
Read MoreI don’t know about you, but I’ve been getting A LOT of mosquito bites lately! Although being itchy is part of the summer experience, I find myself wondering about the purpose of these little pests. With this blog I hope to remind you that…
Read MoreCoral Reef Awareness Week started July 25 and runs through tomorrow August 1, 2020. A whole week is devoted to coral reefs because they are one of the most diverse and important elements of Earth’s ecosystem. With an infinite variety…
Read MoreIf towns are shutting down entire roads for you, you must be important right? Every Spring in Central New Jersey, temporary road closures are created to protect amphibians who migrate across roads in search of perfect mating grounds. In March and April as the temperatures warm to 40-45 degrees, amphibians…
Read MoreI am excited to highlight moths in the blog because they get far less attention then their butterfly relatives. What better time to shine a light on moths, then during Moth Week? National Moth Week runs this year from July 18-26 and was created by…
Read MoreI finally made it to the beach for the first time this summer! It is probably the farthest I’ve been from home since March, when the world screeched to a halt. I didn’t realize how much I needed to be in a different place and how much I needed to be in an open…
Read MoreIt wouldn’t be National Pollinator Week, without a celebration of the magnificent bee! Lately, the Lamb’s Ear in my garden is visited all day long by bees. Every time I look, bumble bees are gently landing on the tiny purple flowers for a…
Read MoreFor those of us here in the New Jersey, the summer solstice is tomorrow, June 20. As the first official day of summer, it is also the longest day of the year, and when the sun is at its highest point in the sky. On this day, the Earth’s axis in the Northern Hemisphere will be tilted as close to the sun as…
Read MoreI saw a hummingbird in my garden the other day! I feel so lucky whenever this happens, like I am graced with their presence. Maybe that’s why a group of hummingbirds is called a “charm”. To be charming is to be delightful, even magical. From gem colored plumage to acrobatic flying skills hummingbirds…
Read MoreAren’t these flowers beautiful? They’re called Dame’s Rocket and you’ve probably seen them along the side of the road, during a hike in the woods, or like me, in your own backyard. The blooms come in purple, pink, and white and are…
Read MoreAround here the weather seems to transition into summer by the end of May, perfect for a camp fire and for spotting the first lightning bugs of the season! Those blinking lights in the dark night define summer for me. Observing the light show in my own back yard is magical…
Read MoreThe bugs are back! Insects that have been dormant or away for the winter are reappearing in my yard lately. While many are undesirable, the butterfly is always a welcome visitor. I’ve spotted one or two fluttering by this Spring, early…
Read MoreFerns are an ancient lineage of plants, and one of the oldest groups of plants on Earth. Fossils of ferns have been found all over the world, dating back to the middle Devonian period--383-393 million years ago. Ferns were even…
Read MoreI have been taking advantage of being stuck at home by spending as much time as possible outside in my yard. You don’t have to go far to experience something magical in nature. In fact, you don’t need a particularly big yard, and…
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