Lifestyle

The Beauty in Nature: Wintering Harriers and Short-Ears

Details: Written by Clyde McMillan-Gamber Clyde McMillan-Gamber

In winter, over several years, I’ve seen wintering northern harriers, which are a kind of hawk, and short-eared owls hunting mice and small birds in marshes and tall-grass fields in southeastern Pennsylvania, including at Middle Creek Wildlife Area and Gettysburg National Park.

The Beauty in Nature: Winter Colors

Details: Written by Clyde McMillan-Gamber Clyde McMillan-Gamber

Winter seems drab to many people in southeastern Pennsylvania. Gray skies and deciduous trees, brown fields, and cold, ice, and snow dampen human spirits. But bright colors in nature beautify winter landscapes and lift people’s emotions.

The Beauty in Nature: Native American Farming

Details: Written by Clyde McMillan-Gamber Clyde McMillan-Gamber

Beside hunting, fishing, and gathering, Native Americans living in eastern forests had a unique, interesting, and ingenious way of growing crops in small fields in those shaded woods. Their only tools, before the coming of European settlers, were stone axes and sharp-pointed sticks.

Melinda’s Garden: Keep Gardening after the First Fall Frost

Details: Written by Melinda Myers Melinda Myers

There is nothing worse than frost in the forecast and a garden full of vegetables not quite ready for picking. Use some simple strategies to extend the growing season and keep enjoying garden-fresh vegetables.

The Beauty in Nature: Eggs on Their Feet

Details: Written by Clyde McMillan-Gamber Clyde McMillan-Gamber

The 4-foot-tall, 88-pound emperor penguins are the only birds on Earth that raise young on sea ice around the Antarctic Continent during the southern hemisphere’s winter, which is our summer.

The Beauty in Nature: Interesting Local Insects

Details: Written by Clyde McMillan-Gamber Clyde McMillan-Gamber

July to the end of October is the time of insects in southeastern Pennsylvania because those invertebrates are cold-blooded and active only during warmer weather.

Melinda’s Garden: Manage Mosquitoes to Better Enjoy Your Outdoor Space

Details: Written by Melinda Myers Melinda Myers

Dine, play, and enjoy your outdoor spaces more than ever this year by managing annoying and disease-spreading mosquitoes. Use a multifaceted approach to boost your enjoyment and help keep mosquitoes away.