words and photos by Melissa McMasters It’s the holiday season, and we’ve got snacks on the brain. Holiday parties, big family meals, stockings stuffed with candy in sparkly wrappers…we’re being bombarded with seasonal treats right now. But for birds in our area, winter is hardly
We know it intuitively: when we step into the Old Forest at Overton Park, we just feel different. Even though we’re still surrounded by busy streets on all sides, we’ve walked into a place of calm, where we can take a deep breath. That feeling
by Kaci Murley, Deputy Executive Director As Brandi Carlile asks us, “Have you ever wandered lonely through the woods?” Chances are, if you subscribe to Overton Park Conservancy emails, the answer is yes. Chances are if you live in Memphis, it’s been a while. Like most of
Overton Park Conservancy is thrilled to welcome journalist and author Florence Williams to town for a special evening at the Brooks Museum on Wednesday, October 19. Ms. Williams’ influential 2017 book The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative explores research
words and photos by Melissa McMasters It was a running joke in our house growing up that my mom couldn’t recognize actors from one movie to the next. When we’d marvel that she didn’t remember, say, Uma Thurman, her excuse every time was, “Well, she
Over the last few years, as the Conservancy has been developing a plan for Overton Park’s future, we’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the park’s potential to heal. Evidence has been building for the concept that time spent in nature reduces stress, lowers
NatureZen: Saving the Monarchs words and photos by Melissa McMasters The news this week from the International Union for Conservation of Nature has given North America’s most recognizable butterfly a bleak distinction: the migratory subspecies of the monarch is now listed as Endangered on IUCN’s
words and photos by Melissa McMasters Pollen: it makes us sneeze, it makes our eyes water, it coats our clothes and hair and cars. We’ve probably all cursed this dusty substance at some point or another, particularly in the springtime. But pollen is also a
words and photos by Melissa McMasters Within the next week or two, those of you who are on our snail-mail list will receive our summer 2022 newsletter. (You’ll find a PDF here.) Our lead story is a deep dive into every layer of the Old
Words and photos by Melissa McMasters One of the great joys of spending years getting to know the same patch of land is developing a familiarity with the way it changes with the seasons. I know that I’ll usually hear the first “fizz” calls in
