It’s #BookQW and now is ‘better’ to plant flowers! More from Chapter 11: Lady Pina began asking wildflower questions. That cut off Fern’s scrolling thoughts of her own shortcomings. She thought she’d identified every species when Lady Pina put up a finger. “This is a fine collection, but where is your ratna?” The one question […]
Spring is bursting its buds!
From Bogotá (read Part 1), we flew into Pereira and drove country roads through La Suiza village to Otún Quimbaya Flora and Fauna Sanctuary, arriving after dark. Our bird watching days began at 5 am with views of fern trees. Coffee service was left on the veranda, followed by a few hours of craning our […]
Two overseas trips this year—yes, in 2020—have distracted me from writing. So please don’t expect a new novel from me this summer! In January, my husband and I went on our first-ever Audubon Society birding trip to Colombia. The trip was arranged by Audubon Society Northern Virginia. A local birding expert—Alejandro Nagy with Holbrook Travel—guided […]
![Compost: Saving your [small] world!](https://i2.wp.com/laurelwanrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMG_2238-600x450.jpg?resize=200%2C200)
At some point when the climate crisis became more known in social media, I ran across a twitter post claiming–I’m paraphrasing–that by composting you become the king of a kingdom. Honestly, I can’t describe it any better than that. I own/control the land, but have given it over to my subjects. I feed them and, […]
I’m on a trip out west and am so caught up in different activities and what is happening with the climate summit that I actually forgot yesterday was the Autumnal Equinox! I may have missed the date–as one does when away from home–but thankfully, I have been outside! Here in Wyoming, the aspen are starting […]
I would miss seeing this in my neighborhood. And this. Or any of the cool interactions I’ve had with our natural world. I followed the sailing trip a girl took a few weeks ago–and not the one in my novel. With that trip aboard the Malizia II, teen climate activist Greta Thunberg has inspired me […]
I’ve had my head down on my upcoming book release, but not so much that I missed this: The first swallowtail I’ve seen in our townhouse yard–or habitat as I like to refer to it. I’m dismayed by how few butterflies there are this season, but then the Joe Pye Weed has just begun to […]
Yes, pollinator week is a thing, and more popular than ever! Pollinator Partnership has more on activities and the critical need to promote the health of our pollinators. I’m in Colorado and have been seeing these really cool bumblebees with orange bands on our flowers. I finally got photos! I searched online and discovered the […]
We took a family trip south through the rural Virginia countryside last weekend and passed yard after yard with Southern Magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora, trees towering over the ranch houses. This is not a tree for the faint-of-heart. But it is one for bees and other pollinators. Southern Magnolia blossoms have the largest nectaries–pools of nectar–and […]