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
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
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
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,
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
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.
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
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
Words and photos by Melissa McMasters On July 14, I was taking a masked-up walk through the Old Forest with one of our favorite Overton Park alumni, Brooks Lamb. (Here’s where I put in a plug for his book, Overton Park: A People’s History, which
words and photos by Melissa McMasters Happy National Moth Week, everyone! This week we celebrate the beauty and life cycle of an organism with more than 150,000 species worldwide. Because most moths are nocturnal, there are a vast number of species that we may encounter only
