Blog
Imaginature: Children's Book Art
As a child, I spent a lot of time curled up with a book, typically one with captivating illustrations that would pull me into the fictional or symbolic world of the story. I preferred books in which the main characters were plants and animals, and I took that new information and inspiration outside to experience and observe nature firsthand. This exploration of nature through literature has stayed with me throughout my life. What started with Eric Carle’s picture books “The Very Hungry Ca...
Creating Community Partnership with GRACE
It is said that gardening creates community. And this pleasant saying rings true each time that I tend and nurture a growing garden.
Oftentimes, as I’m tending the Children’s Square Foot Garden in front of the Mary Reinhart Stackhouse Education Center, I get many curious onlookers who are interested in what’s growing. Ultimately, they ask what’s my role at the Arboretum – they wonder whether I’m on staff or am I a volunteer? My answer is always the same - I tell t...
Monarchs in Trouble
It is not really news that Monarch butterflies are in trouble. Their numbers have been dropping steadily for the last twenty or more years. Last week, (August 2022) the International Union for the Conservation of Nature put the Monarch on their red list of species that are endangered. This holds no legal protections or incentives to help the Monarch, but it shows that scientists are justifiably worried.
