Home & Garden
The Beauty in Nature: Tulip Trees and Sweet Gums
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- Written by Clyde McMillan-Gamber Clyde McMillan-Gamber
Tulip trees and sweet gum trees are attractive, native species that dominate much of the Southern Coastal Plain of extreme southeastern Pennsylvania to Georgia.
The Beauty in Nature: Eastern Coyotes
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- Written by Clyde McMillan-Gamber Clyde McMillan-Gamber
I have enjoyed seeing several eastern coyotes at Lake Onalaska off the Mississippi River in Wisconsin, at Rowe Sanctuary along the Platte River in Nebraska, at deer feeders in Maine and Iowa, and at other places through live cameras and our home computer screens.
Melinda’s Garden: Plant and Protect Trees to Honor Arbor Day
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- Written by Melinda Myers Melinda Myers
Celebrate National Arbor Day, the last Friday in April, by planting new trees and caring for established ones in your landscape and community.
The Beauty in Nature: Maple Sugaring
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- Written by Clyde McMillan-Gamber Clyde McMillan-Gamber
John Burroughs, farmer and famous naturalist in the 19th century, wrote, “Next week, or the week after, it may be time to begin plowing, and other sober work about the farm, but this week we will picnic among the maples, and our campfire shall be an incense to spring.”
Melinda’s Garden: Grow a Beautiful Indoor Succulent Garden
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- Written by Melinda Myers Melinda Myers
It’s no surprise that succulents, including cacti, are popular. These easy-care houseplants come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes, making them perfect for any home.
The Beauty in Nature: Wintering Shorebirds
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- Written by Clyde McMillan-Gamber Clyde McMillan-Gamber
Dunlin, sanderlings, ruddy turnstones, and purple sandpipers are small shorebirds that nest on the Arctic tundra. However, many individuals of each kind winter along the Atlantic Ocean coasts of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and farther south.
The Beauty in Nature: Wildlife Succession in Cornfields
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- Written by Clyde McMillan-Gamber Clyde McMillan-Gamber
Much farmland in southeastern Pennsylvania is devoted to raising field corn. Cornfields are human-made habitats that have stages of succession, from bare ground to rows of tall corn plants, to short stubble after being harvested. And each stage is inhabited by certain adaptable kinds of wildlife.
The Beauty in Nature: Observing Bald Eagles
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- Written by Clyde McMillan-Gamber Clyde McMillan-Gamber
Happily, bald eagle populations have increased greatly throughout North America, including in southeastern Pennsylvania, because of the ban on the use of DDT since 1972.
Melinda’s Garden: Brighten the Holidays with Colorful Plants
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- Written by Melinda Myers Melinda Myers
Garden centers, florists, and grocery stores are filling their shelves with a variety of holiday plants, a sure sign the holidays are approaching.