Category Archives: Environment

Death of a Lawn Mower

Posted on June 2, 2020 by Roger Gosden

The novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald knew that Americans find public expression of their successful lives in a neatly groomed lawn. Jay Gatsby was so horrified at Nick Carroway’s ragged lawn next door that he sent his gardeners over to mow … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, garden, Nature, Other | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Pepysing back at the 1665-66 plague of London

Posted on April 24, 2020 by Roger Gosden

I aimed for a weekly post about the health of the natural world, but here I am dwelling on coronavirus again. Is anyone undistracted by this pandemic? This time I dusted off my copies of Samuel Pepys diaries in which … Continue reading →

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Why So Many Hollow Trees?

Posted on April 3, 2020 by Roger Gosden

According to legend, Robin Hood and his Merry Men hid from their pursuers in a hollow tree in Sherwood Forest during the harsh reign of King John (1199-1219). The tree still stands, albeit courtesy of props and wires, and called … Continue reading →

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Should They Who Pay the Pipeline Call the Tune?

Posted on March 27, 2020 by Roger Gosden

We gathered along an empty country road to gaze at the wounded hillside. It now has an orange stripe of bare earth instead of a green canopy. The sight reminded me of how skin contracts from the path of a … Continue reading →

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Waxworms make Holey Shopping Bags

Posted on March 20, 2020 by Roger Gosden

A shameless boast, I take fewer than a dozen plastic shopping bags home from the grocery store each year (a trillion are manufactured). Discarded in garbage for burial in landfill, this non-compostable stuff awaits a post-Homo sapiens archeologist who learns … Continue reading →

Posted in beekeeping, biodegrading plastic, Environment, Wax moths | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment