Category Archives: Environment

Insectageddon means we are buggered

Posted on July 14, 2018 by Roger Gosden

It was one of those throw-away remarks that stick in the mind. I was at Middlebury College in June when somebody at dinner said, “Funny, I saw more deer on the journey here than insects splattered on my windshield.” He … Continue reading →

Posted in Animalia, Bee-line, Environment, Nature | Tagged Allegheny Mountains, E.O. Wilson, George Monbiot, honey bee, insects, mountain mint, nature reserve, pollinators | Comments Off

Shelterbelt Trees in Snow and Fog

Posted on February 28, 2018 by Roger Gosden

Have you noticed how trees hollow out melted sleeves from snow around their boles as our arms would if we could hold them long enough in a snow blanket? And have you wondered why winter fog sinking over open fields … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Nature, Seasons in Virginia | Tagged Occam's razor, shelterbelt, Tidewater | 1 Comment

Fall Colors in Appalachia

Posted on November 2, 2017 by Roger Gosden

Most people in this region look forward to the fall more than any other season, despite this being the prologue to winter. Starting in September at the atlas or far end of Appalachia, color changes ripple down the spine to … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Nature, Seasons in Virginia | Tagged anthocyanin, Appalachia, fall leaves, sugar maple | 5 Comments

Celebrating the Dirt Road

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Roger Gosden

Dirt roads are the borderland between flourishing nature and the black sterility of asphalt roads. Gravel roads are dirt roads after they have been improved with crushed stone to make them more resilient to wear and weather. Dirt roads of … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, garden, Nature | Tagged crushed stone, dirt roads, gravel roads, Lani tribe, Mohican hair-cut, West Papua | Comments Off

Drain the Swamp

Posted on April 23, 2017 by Roger Gosden

Drain the Swamp! It’s the refrain of a U.S. President who prefers time on the barren grass of golf courses to life’s abundance in natural wetland. Calling somewhere a swamp is never a compliment, and it’s not a pretty phrase … Continue reading →