The Contented Naturalist

I was always a nature nerd. My favorite memories are of roaming the woods behind my house, planting things in the garden, or watching birds at the feeders. I am lucky to have a family who also all love nature. But I know not everybody has that advantage. So, consider me your nature guide-slash-mom! 🙂

• Birds vs bugs:
  • Bugs get up at a much more reasonable hour than the proverbial early bird. I’ll watch birds at the feeders while sipping my coffee, but getting dressed enough to leave the house, let alone safely drive a car? Doubtful.
  • However, since bugs and spiders generally are dormant during the winter, I do engage in birding from time to time– in warm months to keep in practice, and in colder months to wait until the bugs come back. Luckily our winter waterfowl don’t hide in the treetops after sunrise, so I can get away with birding later in the day.
• Garden for wildlife:
  • I used to have a medium-sized yard that I was converting from lawn to wildlife-friendlier gardens. I grew veggies and herbs to eat, plus native plants as well as some non-native flowers to help bridge gaps in the bloom calendar. Last year I moved to an apartment far above the ground, however, so I’m reduced to a few containers. I still focus on native plants because I like to support the vendors that sell them.
• My day job: I’m a park ranger, at a location in Northern Virginia which I’m not supposed to discuss so that I can say things that aren’t supported officially by the organization. 🙂
• I would love to hear your thoughts on my posts here, especially if I’ve affected how you think about or interact with nature in any way. As in my day job, encouraging you readers to form personal relationships with the natural world is my fondest desire. So yes, I’m totally fishing for affirmation here.

#nature #parks