Outdoors
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The buzz about pollinators
By Pamela A. Keene If not for bees and other pollinators, the world would starve. Those buzzing honeybees and bumblebees, colorful butterflies and quick-darting hummingbirds have a huge job to perform: pollinating plants that grow into the fruits and vegetables we eat and the blossoms we enjoy. But to get a bountiful crop to harvest,… Continue reading.
Reintroduction of falcons a success
By Jack Spaulding The reintroduction of the peregrine falcon is a real success story in Indiana and the nation. Biologists have brought the birds back from the brink of extinction with nesting pairs across the Midwest. Peregrines are now commonly seen in special places in Indiana, but it wasn’t always so. Consider: • Prior to 1940,… Continue reading.
Mild winter brings up bulbs
By Rosie Lerner It’s not unusual for Indiana weather to have trouble deciding what season it is. Recent warm spells have had many gardeners wondering what to do about bulbs, and perhaps a few plants that are poking their foliage through the soil. Just what should gardeners do about daffodils, dianthus and daylilies poking out… Continue reading.
Air-squirrel at the birdfeeder
By Jack Spaulding When I first installed my sunflower seed birdfeeder, I hung it from a single cable attached to a high limb and positioned the wire basket 42 inches above the ground. At that height, I knew it was safe from all ground attacks by chipmunks and squirrels. They simply could not reach the… Continue reading.
‘Don’t shoot your iMac out’
By Jack Spaulding I remember years ago getting my first BB gun at Christmas. It was a Daisy downgrade of Ralphie’s famous “Official Red Ryder, carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle with a compass and a clock in the stock.” Like Ralphie in the movie “A Christmas Story,” I was warned not to shoot… Continue reading.
A ‘right’ to hunt and fish
By Jack Spaulding On Election Day, Indiana voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the state’s Constitution. According to Ballotpedia with 99.9 percent of precincts reported, the constitutional amendment snared 2,390,883 votes. That was 82 percent of Indiana voters in favor. The amendment ensures the rights of the citizens of Indiana to hunt and fish. Section… Continue reading.
Eating like the ‘ancient ones’
By Jack Spaulding Several years ago while on vacation in New Mexico, we discovered a new legume and a new taste treat. Spaulding custom generally includes a fall “bean fest” where we put a pot of beans on the fire, cook up a raft of cornbread and finish by foundering ourselves on sugar cream and… Continue reading.
Bovine TB testing for wild deer
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish & Wildlife has announced plans to establish management and surveillance zones in three east central Indiana counties in response to the recent finding of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in a wild white-tailed deer at a Franklin County cattle farm. The plan designates a Bovine Tuberculosis Management Zone… Continue reading.
Casting online
By Jack Spaulding For years, I would wait for the convenience of the Boat, Sport & Travel Show in Indianapolis in February to buy my hunting and fishing licenses for the coming year. Once in a while, I would slip up and forget to buy a needed stamp or permit and have to make a… Continue reading.
Danger downstream
By Jack Spaulding Everyone enjoys a peaceful canoe or kayak trip in the summertime. Floating and gently paddling downstream is relaxing, and the scenery is always interesting when running a river during the hazy, lazy days of summer. But travelers need to be aware: Often, unseen danger exists on many Indiana rivers. One situation to… Continue reading.
Reviving ‘Elm Street’
By Janna Beckerman Why the emerald ash borer is such a problem today is because the Dutch elm disease forever changed the landscapes of the Midwest and Northeast United States. Dying elm trees were often replaced by green ash, setting the stage for the current epidemic of emerald ash borer. So, if you’re looking at… Continue reading.
Lofty eavesdropping
By Jack Spaulding A show of companionship and survival is available to view live from an Indiana Department of Natural Resources webcam. The camera offers a glimpse into the lives of a barn owl pair raising chicks. Barn owls are a rarity and a state-endangered species. The pair on the webcam has been living in a… Continue reading.