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#NatureZen and Photography

#NatureZen: Crisis at the Feeders (Part 1)

#NatureZen: Crisis at the Feeders (Part 1)

In a special two-part NatureZen, our Programs Manager Fields Falcone sends a dispatch from last week’s extraordinary weather event, which she spent watching over a flock of desperate birds that on some days reached into the hundreds or thousands. In today’s post, she tackles some

#NatureZen: Winter Hunters

#NatureZen: Winter Hunters

words and photos by Melissa McMasters For our inaugural 2021 #NatureZen, we’re looking at some birds that are more noticeable in the winter than they are during the rest of the year: the birds of prey. (I suppose this will probably stretch the definition of

#NatureZen: Happiness is a Wealth of Birds

#NatureZen: Happiness is a Wealth of Birds

words and photos by Melissa McMasters A recent study in Ecological Economics found that living in an area with a high diversity of birds is just as important to a person’s happiness as their income. “The happiest Europeans are those who can experience numerous different bird species

#NatureTerror: What Are You Afraid Of?

#NatureTerror: What Are You Afraid Of?

photos by Melissa McMasters; words by you! Happy Halloween week, friends! Today’s edition of #NatureZen is decidedly un-Zen, as we asked you to share your deepest nature-related fears with us. We hope that it’s a light-hearted look at some creatures who are perhaps less conventionally

#NatureZen: Backyard Chickens

#NatureZen: Backyard Chickens

Guest post: words and photos by Malle Carrasco-Harris, PhD This summer, I finally jumped into a backyard project I had been thinking about for nearly four years: chickens! What a perfect adventure for the “safer at home” summer. When people find out I have chickens,

#NatureZen: Calligrapher Flies

#NatureZen: Calligrapher Flies

words and photos by Melissa McMasters Today we’re shining a spotlight on tiny creatures that are abundant in the Old Forest: beautiful pollinators called calligrapher flies. Named for the fine black etchings on their abdomens, these flies are mimics of stinging insects like bees and

#NatureZen: Thistle Defense

#NatureZen: Thistle Defense

words and photos by Melissa McMasters Today, we’re focusing on a plant that gets a bad rap. Thistles are a plant in the sunflower family with feathery, puffball-shaped flowers in varying shades of magenta. They set a deep taproot and have hairy, sometimes prickly stems.

#NatureZen: Let’s Talk About Sphex

#NatureZen: Let’s Talk About Sphex

Words and photos by Melissa McMasters I’ll admit it: today’s look at the creatures of the Old Forest is a bit of an image rehab project. When most of us think about wasps, we think about the paper wasps that build their nests on our

#NatureZen: Peopling the Park

#NatureZen: Peopling the Park

Today we welcome a special guest author to #NatureZen. Dr. Ronné Adkins is the Memphis Field Office Regional Director of External Affairs for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. He has over fifteen years of experience in public service and the environmental field. Dr. Adkins earned