Accent on Natural Landscaping

Donna VanBuecken

But There’s Not a Lot of Nature Any More

Doug Tallamy says a Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) pair brings 390-570 caterpillars to their young per day for 16 days. Photo by Doug Tallamy.

Dr Doug Tallamy, Wild Ones Honorary Director and Entomologist with the University of Delaware,  appeared before the State of Pennsylvania Senate Committee on Agriculture and Rural Affairs on Tuesday, October 2, 2018. He had a lot to say about the major role homeowners and landowners need to play if we are to continue to persist on this Earth. Doug told the committee: [Read more…]

Dancing Feet

I grew up in a household filled with dance music. My parents loved to dance and if they couldn’t find a dance to go to somewhere on the weekend, they’d “cut the rug” right there in the kitchen. So you can imagine my delight when Teresa Hanfin brought this awesome video to my attention through her Fast Forward newsletter. To the song by Bruno Mars, “Old Movie Stars Dance to Uptown Funk.” Enjoy!

Thanks, Teresa, for helping me relive some really old, but really good memories!

P.S. It may be difficult to believe, but I believe I have seen almost all of the movies used in this mash-up.

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Lorrie Otto 99 Years

Lorrie Otto in the sand prairie she created in her yard using the sand sandwich method described on page 117 of Ney Tait Fraser’s book Mending the Earth in Milwaukee. Photo used with permission from Ney Tate Frasier.

I noted on my calendar Lorrie Otto would have been 99 years old on Sunday, September 9, 2018. Although she is gone, I think of her almost daily as I wonder through or look over my yard. If she hadn’t been so feisty, I would never have had the opportunity to enjoy the environment we do. [Read more…]

Women’s Equality Day is Sunday August 26th

Graphic courtesy of the National Women’s History Project.

Introduced by Rep Bella Abzug (D-NY) in 1971, Congress designated August 26th Women’s Equality Day in 1973 in commemoration of the 1920 certification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. The 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote. It was the token achieved by the massive, mostly peaceful state and national civil rights movement which began in the 1840s to give women equal rights to those of men. And after all this time we still don’t have equal rights….

But, the annual proclamation of Women’s Equality Day calls attention to our continued efforts to achieve equality. We only need one more state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) before we can again bring the ERA amendments before Congress for a vote.

So, however you can, plan to participate in Women’s Equality Day activities and keep the momentum going.

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