An estimated $150 billion a year changes hands in the complex, global forest products industry that logs 32 million acres of forest every year, often illegally, leaving a trail of devastation to ecosystems and local economies around the world. Much of that timber makes its way to the United States, currently the largest wood products market in the world.
Doug and I are so glad to be members of the Blue Mounds Area Project (BMAP). Fueled by the efforts of a part-time professional ecologist and a lot of […]
Last Friday Doug and I got a ton of technical advice and hands-on experience about FARMING WITH BENEFICIAL INSECTS; CONSERVATION BIOLOGICAL CONTROL when we participated in the inaugural Xerces Society […]
The Passenger Pigeon – who in their billions used to blacken the skies but were driven to extinction in 40 years — is a sobering parable. Last week I learned much more […]
Saturday we joined a group of about 20 people to help our friends, Jim and Marci Hess, who live near Blanchardville, WI, seed 12 acres of brand new prairie. […]
We feel blessed by the bats in our barn, but with White Nose Syndrome now present in Southwest Wisconsin – how much longer will they survive?
Deer are the largest and most dramatic wildlife most of us see on a regular basis. This summer we enjoyed watching a mother and her two fawns regularly explore their botanical buffet within feet of our bedroom window. They were incredibly endearing at such close range, but a cloud hung […]
Want to make a significant difference in the world in a beautiful way? Plant native flowers! According to the Xercise Society, fruits and seeds derived from insect pollination are a major part of the diet of approximately 25 percent of all birds, and of mammals ranging from red-backed voles to […]
Getting all the bare ground covered with growing things around Underhill House is a bit daunting. I’ve been spending my evenings with an ice pack against my back and Ibuprofen is my new best friend, but we are making progress. Our first step was to try transplanting a hedge of […]
This is a follow-up for a post I wrote in mid-April when we tried 3 different methods for planting Redosier Dogwood. The yard area carved out around Underhill House was a vast wasteland at that time. New construction, even when you are trying to be as green as possible seems […]
Digging in the Driftless 