It’s been said that the only difference between a weed and a flower is the value we place upon it. I’ll be the first to admit that my own evolution of thought regarding certain plants has shifted over the years as I’ve learned more about the natural world around me. There is one plant, however […]

By John Hankins, August 2023 When I was eight-years old I somehow got in my head that the government had a program that would reimburse land-owners $100 per acre for thinning their forest stands.  I don’t know where this idea came from, but my parents didn’t discourage me from believing this odd theory and from […]

I just wanted to see more of the brook. Down my back hill to the west runs one of the numerous Connecticut waterways named Cider Mill Brook (doesn’t every town have one?). To be honest, the valley view is half the reason I bought the property. You’ve been treated to some of my animal neighbors […]