by Marlene Berlin Bees, flies, and an occasional butterfly come to partake of my goldenrod in the backyard. I planted it at the suggestion of the late Marge Rachlin, my […]
In memory: Marjorie Rachlin, a lover of and force of nature
by Marlene Berlin Marjorie Rachlin died on Sunday, August 22nd. She was 99 years old. Forest Hills Connection readers may know her best from her “Backyard Nature” articles. To her […]
Backyard Nature: Insects produce the backyard symphony of August
by Marjorie Rachlin It’s 8 a.m., and I’m sitting on the back porch, looking out at the garden. No birds, no bees yet. It’s August and nature is slowing down. […]
Backyard Nature: Those microscopic oak mites are mighty annoying
by Marlene Berlin My husband thought he was being dive bombed by bugs that bit him at night. A friend feared they had bed bugs. My own mysterious bug bites […]
Backyard Nature: The creatures that put on a magical light show
by Marjorie Rachlin Your backyard or local park is the stage for a magical light show each summer night. It’s firefly time. And I’ve been sitting on my back porch […]
Backyard Nature: I went down the rabbit hole on the rabbit-fox connection
by Marlene Berlin This spring, I was getting numerous reports of rabbit sightings, with some neighbors complaining that the visitors were nibbling on stuff they shouldn’t. And I had my […]
Backyard Nature: Sure, they’re big. But these snakes aren’t so scary once you get to know them.
by Ken Sands Every spring in our region, snakes emerge from their hibernation dens looking for food and water and to mate. And while snakes are not abundant in Rock […]
Backyard Nature: Thirteen ways of looking at an eastern bluebird
by David Jonathan Cohen Text and photos © 2021 Ask me my favorite bird. The chances are good I’ll respond with a long pause. There are more than 10,000 species […]
Where are the multitudes of cicadas? They’re on the way.
by Marlene Berlin Depending on where you are in the neighborhood, you might have to take a long walk to see large numbers of Brood X cicadas. Or simply wait. […]
Backyard Nature: Our bullfrog neighbors are quiet now. But just wait.
by Marlene Berlin One day in late April I stopped by the lily pond at the Tregaron Conservancy to see how the bullfrogs are doing. I found the frogs – […]