creation • recreation • reflection

Here in central Florida, it is relatively easy to attract butterflies to your yard. Our backyard butterfly garden includes Jatropha, Hamelia patens (firebush), and three colors of the popular Lantana camara. Once established, Lantanas are quite hardy perennials that...

Lake Dora is a large and beautiful lake located in central Florida, about 35 miles northwest of Orlando in Lake County. The small towns of Mount Dora and Tavares border the lakefront of this 4,400 acre lake that is teeming with fish, waterfowl and reptiles (including...

It was the second week of November 2006... and the snow began to fall in Colorado. I was in Broomfield for a week of training and class finished on Friday morning, giving me plenty of daylight to drive up to Estes Park and into Rocky Mountain National Park. I parked...

Dragonflies have fascinated me since I first noticed them hovering over the warm summer waters of Eagle Lake when I was a child. Their double set of nearly transparent wings apparently allows them to fly very quickly in any direction - making them a unique flying...

In August we visited the Biltmore House and Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. The mansion is an amazing example of 1890's architecture and the gardens are equally spectacular. There is a winding walking path behind the gardens leading down to this wooden bridge...

When we moved from Michigan to Florida, we learned that the fine blade fescues do not thrive in the intense sun and heat of the Sunshine State. Instead, a thick blade fescue like St. Augustine grass is common for Florida lawns. Recommended mowing height is four...