Cranberries, crawling with farmer ants
Mouth puckering cranberries take me back to my youth with my grandma Nordvick.
Mystery beetle challenges identification
Some say spotted-belly buprestid and others say ventrally-spotted buprestid. Either way it’s a jewel beetle or a metallic wood boring beetle.
Photo by Holly Jessen
Little virgin tiger moth: Multiple protection modes
Flashy looking moth warns predators to back off.
I never thought I’d be fascinated by a leech
Learning about leeches transforms a leech hater to a leech lover.
Bug love on a petal soft hammock
A trip outside yields multiple new species for a newbie bug identifier.
Tortoise beetles: Pretty with a poopy past
How does a larva that builds itself a poop shield end up as such a pretty glittery adult insect?
Embracing my love of insects and spiders
A lifelong interest in creepy crawlies is finally fully embraced in adulthood.
Digging into what brings my child joy
After I wrote my list of things that brings me joy it occurred to me to ask my 6 year old the same question. It took her a little bit…
What brings me joy?
I was talking to my friend Robin and she said something that really inspired me. She was working through what brings her joy and, among other things, can she leverage…
Spending time in the woods, looking for jobs
I’m writing this on the couch at a beautiful country home, a remodeled old farmhouse with original restored wood flooring and new woodwork all throughout. None of the downstairs windows…
Covid-19 related trauma
Three and a half years ago, my husband, daughter and I embarked on a new lifestyle. My husband accepted a travel nurse job in Dillingham, Alaska, and the three of…