The Nature of Things

Each day when I arrive at Irvine, birds busily flit between the many nest boxes that line the long driveway. These small wooden boxes provide essential…

With the exception of my kids after those messy, artificially flavored orange popsicles, there’s only one animal I can think of that has orange teeth.…

Last month, a friend of mine posted a photo of a local bird's nest onto Facebook. The caption read, "one of these things is not like the other," and the…

As a child, the first time I saw a firefly was magical. I distinctly remember the way its seemingly weightless body felt after I captured it in my hands.…

Butterflies of all kinds can be found flitting across our listening area’s woods, fields, yards and gardens. In fact, Maryland has more than 150 species…

Driving on a quiet back road this Sunday, I rounded a slight curve and hit the brakes. In the middle of the road was a ball-cap-sized animal stranded near…

One of the most popular questions I overhear at Irvine’s comes from every age group. Our Nature Preschoolers ask it. High school-aged visitors on field…

Last June, my son Jack and I were wandering through the fields behind our home, when Jack came bolting toward me with his latest nature find.Atop his…

This time of year, I love kayaking through the calm waters of Maryland’s tidal rivers and wetlands. There’s something special about our Chesapeake Bay’s…

Over the weekend, I was in my garden and saw one of nature’s own pest controllers. It was my first ladybug of the season and I was really lucky, as it was…