Don Scallen

Inspiring tales from those who broke free from the rule of lawn.

The house finch, perhaps more than any other bird species, is a confirmed urbanite, eating the bird seed we provide and cozying up to us at nesting time – hanging flower baskets are favourite nest sites.

Luther Marsh is likely the best prospective nesting real estate for bald eagles in the Headwaters region.

Starlings were introduced to New York City from Europe in the 1890s, there are now more than over 200 million of them in North America.

Mastodons fed largely on the twigs and branches of trees but undoubtedly enjoyed fruit as well.

It’s not just the tracks, but the story they tell.

Blue jays are villains – winged brigands with a penchant for raiding the nests of other birds to devour eggs and nestlings.

Herons, egrets and bitterns are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae.

Too often belittled as “idle” land awaiting development – or “rescued” by reforestation – meadows deserve the same protection and respect as our woodlands and wetlands.

To an entomologist, “true bugs” are insects that suck. No insult intended – they really do suck.

Next time you stumble across a spider try not to scream or reach for a shoe.

On a Bruce Trail hike I came across a small mound of freshly deposited fox scat.

French artist Hubert Duprat capitalized on this in the 1980s by supplying caddisflies with flecks of gold and tiny precious stones.

Five ways butterflies survive the winter.

Muskrats are largely herbivorous – chomping cattail roots and shoots is a favourite pastime.

Skip the supermarket, find the ingredients for gourmet dining in forest, field and stream.

Please harvest wild leeks sustainably, taking only 5 to 15 per cent of a given population a year.

Pineapple Weed is a member of the aster family, it is easily overlooked because it lacks petals.