Emily Stone

Natural Connections - birds, animals, habitats

Content By This Contributor:

Cicadas

Emily Stone

Oh Honey

Emily Stone

Traffic

Emily Stone

Mullein

Emily Stone

Scatology

Emily Stone

The Elegance of Moss

Emily Stone

In just 20 minutes, bone-dry moss can return to full vigor. This resilience of mosses is mostly due to their amazing ability to live thriftily and within their means.

Balsam fir

Emily Stone

A slight breeze through the treetops initiated a cascade of snow plops onto the trail—and down my neck. That got me hiking again. As I pushed aside a drooping branch, the movement released some of the fir’s wonderful perfume

Snowbirds

Emily Stone

The Beaver’s Sparkle

Emily Stone

Beavers are not my favorite animal. Their drab, oily fur, plodding manner, and lumpy design don’t inspire the same feelings of wonder in my heart as a cheery little chickadee

Thistles and those who love them.

Emily Stone

As seed-eating specialists, finches are among the most strictly vegetarian birds of the world. While many small birds eat seeds, most of them also feed insects to their young.

Borealis

Emily Stone

Isle Royale: How did you get here?

Emily Stone

We heaved our backpacks, loaded with high-energy foods, waterproof tents and warm clothing, onto the ferry dock just as the gray dawn was beginning to break.

The Corn Belt Tightens the Belt on Monarchs

Emily Stone

One of my most vivid childhood memories from Iowa’s corn country is watching clouds of monarch butterflies dance around the milkweed patch by our back steps and finding caterpillars on the leaves. My brother and I raised them, as many kids do.

Monarch Migration Begins

Emily Stone

I see them everywhere now. Deep orange with black trim, monarch butterflies dance among the wildflowers we planted for them.

Northwoods Lobsters

Emily Stone

Lobster mushrooms are a delight for beginning mycophiles, since they and their hosts are easy to identify. They are on the short list of mushrooms that I’ll eat without expert help