Three Ways To Connect With The Natural World

There is something healing about being outside.  I am not a scientist or a psychologist, but a short walk in the great outdoors does wonders for my physical and mental well-being.  The problem is that I don’t get outside enough to encounter those helpful connections.  It happens too infrequently.  I sit in my office staring […]

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Loss of Honey Bees

We are hearing a lot in the news about the loss of honey bees, which we know is a potential threat to our food systems. But before I address this topic further, allow me to say a bit about insect diversity. The world of flowering plants is diverse with an estimated 352,000 species worldwide, but […]

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How to Plan for Pollinators

It is hard to believe, but it is mid-January already.  Spring is right around the corner.  Yes, it will be here before I am fully prepared.  Are you ready for spring?  Do you know what your garden needs?  Do you know what pollinators need?  How can we sync our gardens better with nature?  These questions […]

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Three Benefits of Native Plant Roots

The other day I was watching a show on television that was trumpeting the benefits of organic matter.  It really made me think.  I know organic matter doesn’t exactly get everyone fired up, but one comparison that was presented in this program really opened my eyes to the benefits of prairie plants to the soil. They […]

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Winter Solstice: Enjoying the Dark

Today is the Winter Solstice. I enjoy this time of dark mornings and evenings, appreciate seeing sunsets through my office window, and savor the slower pace that seems to be more prevalent this time of the year. I used to endure this time of year. December 21 marked a dark-to-light turning point that was celebrated, […]

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Pine Cone Botany For Beginners

The start of December means the start of “pre-Christmas”: the time of year when gifting stress sets in and your friends keep posting pinterest-worthy photos of their DIY holiday decorations. Who has time to hot-glue homemade ornaments and make garlands out of twine? It can induce a crippling case of craft-envy for people who have […]

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Art in the Garden

“Great art picks up where nature ends.” ~Marc Chagall As inhabitants of the Great Plains prairie, we are motivated to landscape with native plants for a variety of reasons. We are especially inspired by what pleases us visually. The Dyck Arboretum of the Plains has been developing a strong connection with the public through the […]

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