Fall Seed Dispersal in the Missouri Ozarks
Fall seed dispersal keeps the Ozarks moving—waxwings strip the dogwoods, squirrels forget their acorns, and that’s how forests plant themselves.
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Franz Sigel Rolla and the Day the War Came by Train
Franz Sigel Rolla history changed everything when 600 Union soldiers stepped off the train into a town of 1,500 — and I walk that same ground today.
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The Little Bird With the Hidden Ruby Crown Is Passing Through Missouri Right Now
Ruby-crowned Kinglets are passing through the Ozarks right now, and I want to tell you about the hidden red crown I’ve only seen three times.
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How to Raise Chickens for Eggs or Meat
How to Raise Chickens for Eggs or Meat is not as different as you might think. When folks think of homesteading, meat chickens and egg laying chickens are where a lot of people start, and for good reason. They earn their keep quickly, they don’t need much room, and they teach you the daily rhythm…
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What the Scarlet Tanager Knows About Showing Up on Time
When a scarlet tanager arrives in Missouri’s oak-hickory forests the second week of May, it’s following the same schedule the land has kept for longer than we’ve been watching.
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How to Make an Old Fashioned Pie Crust: Grandma Style
How to make an old fashioned pie crust scares more people – but not my Mom! The butter has to stay cold, the dough doesn’t want to be fussed with, and the whole thing can feel like it’s working against you. Once you understand the most important moment in the whole pie crust recipe, it…
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The Wood Thrush Came Back This Morning, and It Brought Two Hundred Years of Ozark Memory With It
The wood thrush came back to our Ozark hollow this morning, and I want to tell you what its two-voiced song connects us to.
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The Grosbeak Returns: What a Red-Chested Bird Can Teach Us About Timing
The rose-breasted grosbeak showed up right on time this week, and his arrival reminded me why phenology — the old practice of watching when things happen — still matters.
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Early May in the Ozarks: When the Land Asks You to Pay Attention
Early May in the Ozarks is when neotropical warblers pour through on their way north—here’s how to learn their voices before you know their names.
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June 14, 1861: The Day a Train Changed Everything in Rolla
On June 14, 1861, a German general’s train reached Rolla — and I walk land where his soldiers slept while the nation tore itself apart.
