Backyard naturalist
  • Published
    January 29, 2020

    Dana Wilde: Trees in winter sleep deeply, but life is stirring

    Trees seem to have a disposition in their bones, as it were, to cooperate with winter, writes Dana Wilde.

  • Published
    January 22, 2020
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    Dana Wilde: The Australian wake-up call

    Rising temperatures and resulting changes are happening faster and sooner than most scientists were predicting 30, 20, 10 or even five years ago, writes Dana Wilde.

  • Published
    January 8, 2020

    Dana Wilde: The dark side of winter

    I remember reading long ago of 18th century settlers fleeing Maine-ward to escape oppressions in Massachusetts and many of them bouncing back because of “extremely harsh winters," writes Dana Wilde.

  • Published
    December 25, 2019

    Dana Wilde: Backyard Christmas trees

    The magic of finding a symbol in the Christmas woods provides a lasting memory more powerful than any scientifically nurtured tree.

  • Published
    December 11, 2019

    Dana Wilde: A wolf in the wild

    Of Farmington resident Phil Poirier's thoughtful camping stories, the story about a Canadian expedition was one to share with readers, writes Dana Wilde.

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  • Published
    November 27, 2019

    Dana Wilde: A memory of Thanksgiving in Hong Kong

    This being Thanksgiving time, I’ve been thinking about my family, writes Dana Wilde.

  • Published
    November 14, 2019
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    Dana Wilde: Reality sets in

    While the U.S. slashes its protection policies, our environment burns, writes Dana Wilde.

  • Published
    October 30, 2019

    Dana Wilde: The ghosts of October

    Right at the end of October, when the woods and fields look this bare and lifeless, the ancient Celts saw the end of the year, writes Dana Wilde.

  • Published
    October 23, 2019

    Dana Wilde: Backyard bug report

    Scientists are confident that something on the order of disastrous is going on with life on Earth, the full extent and implications not yet clear, writes Dana Wilde.

  • Published
    October 9, 2019

    Dana Wilde: The tough little hummingbirds

    Although nearly 10% of other hummingbird species worldwide are threatened with extinction, ruby-throats are not, writes Dana Wilde.