For close to a decade I’ve been documenting the plants and the animals that can be found in our yard, a rectangular lot in the city of Northfield, Minnesota. This is not a grand project, but a small, cumulative task, providing a lot of enjoyment and many surprises. Dragonflies, butterflies, bumble bees, mining bees, orchard bees, leaf-cutter bees, great golden digger wasps, grass-carrying wasps, ichneumon wasps, braconid wasps, stoneflies, caddisflies, soldier flies, gall flies, hover flies, crane flies, tree crickets, tiger beetles, may beetles, fireflies, ground beetles, long-horned beetles, lady beetles, jumping spiders, crab spiders, orb-weaver spiders….the list goes on. Just the number and diversity of moths attracted to a light on our garage astonishes; over a single year, well over two hundred different species visited.
Last year a newly married couple moved in next door. One of the first things they did was cut down trees, tear up their yard, and put down sod. Suggesting to the young man of the house the option of perennial grasses, he quipped that he’d really prefer concrete across the entire lot. But they’d be good for insects, I added. To which he answered defiantly, meanly, I hate bugs. I stopped short of answering that I hated people who hated bugs. So the relationship with these neighbors began and withered in a single, short conversation.
This last week these same neighbors began a campaign to rid their yard of weeds and insects, hiring someone to spray herbicides. From the looks of the lawn it seems they were targeting the creeping charlie, applying something on the order of Dicamba (3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid) which goes by the name of Banvel, Diablo, or Vanquish. [Btw “Diablo” seems an honest name!] This was followed a few days later by a second crew, two men in gray shirts with red badges, resulting in a different bouquet of chemicals entering our house through open windows. The men sprayed along the foundation of the house and along a backyard fence, so I’m guessing round two was for insects, possibly spiders or ants. If it was for insects, the chemical would in all likelihood be one of the Pyrethroids. These insecticides kill most insects, which means they kill the beneficial insects along with the targeted pest. (Need I mention that beneficial insects far outnumber the pests probably a thousand to one?) Because insecticides are toxic at very low concentrations, runoff that reaches lake or river or wetland will take out aquatic insects as well…mayflies, caddisflies, dragonflies. Many insecticides are toxic to fish as well. Beyond the inconvenience of not being able to enjoy our screened porch while the chemical smell dissipates, I found these actions deeply unsettling. Reflecting upon this immediate, literally in-our-face, spraying, I realized that they were just acting normally, that most everyone else does this to their yards as well. In fact, there’s a thriving industry built around this very habit of destroying plants and animals. A certain local yard service provider even has the gall to use the image of a Monarch butterfly in its advertisements. Perhaps they’re innocent of the knowledge that Monarch butterflies don’t visit lawns. I guarantee they’re not innocent of using herbicides to rid lawns of weeds such as milkweed, the host plant of this butterflies caterpillar.
This destruction, to my mind, is the biological equivalent to burning books. Actually it’s worse. Life can’t be reprinted, rewritten, or given back.
So why, as a culture, do we do this? Where does this deep-seated need for a monotonous expanse of green lawn come from? One thinks of the greens surrounding castles in the old country. The bazillion manicured lawns that appear in movies and television shows…and advertisements for lawn care products. From sales statistics for lawn and garden products, urban residences in the United States apply approximately ten times more chemicals per acre than the Ag industry. Certainly there are phobias involved. Some people, it would seem, think any plant that is not grass is a weed and that weeds are bad, maybe even dangerous somehow. Many people, I know from experience, think all bugs are either woodticks, disease-carrying mosquitoes, or stinging bees and that they are all bent on inflicting pain and suffering the humans. Certainly there’s a lot of ignorance involved as well. At best, it’s a kind of automaton-like habit; our parents did it and now we do it.
Wouldn’t it make more sense, both fiscally and morally, to abandon this habit of yard work? To plant wildflowers and native grasses? To grow more of our own food? To spend our time and money elsewhere?
Everyone is worried about the next big catastrophe, a plague or a meteor from outer space. Unfortunately, the truth is far worse; we, ourselves, are the next big catastrophe. Habitat loss, climate change, poverty, starvation, extinction…all these big, global problems, start in our own backyards.
In my darker moods, as currently brought on by this reflection of nearby chemical application, it seems my labor to learn the names of the plants and animals is no more than a preparation for a kind of memorial. Let’s see how it looks. These are the names of animals observed in our yard. Imagine polished, black granite with these names chiselled in Roman caps:
ACANALONIA CONICA, ACANTHOCINUS OBSOLETUS, ACLERIS ALBICOMANA, ACLERIS NIVISELLANA, ACROLOPHUS ARCANELLA, ACRONICTA AMERICANA, ACRONICTA RETARDATA, AESHNA CANADENSIS, AESHNA INTERRUPTA, AGNORISMA BADINODIS, AGRIPHILA VULGIVAGELLUS, AGROTIS IPSILON, AGROTIS VENERABILIS, ALLAGRAPHA AEREA, ALSOPHILA POMETARIA, AMPHASIA INTERSTITIALIS, AMPHION FLORIDENSIS, AMPHIPYRA PYRAMIDOIDES, ANAGRAPHA FALCIFERA, ANATIS MALI, ANAVITRINELLA PAMPINARIA, ANTERASTRIA TERATOPHORA, ANTICLEA MULTIFERATA, APAMEA HELVA, APHOMIA TERRENELLA, APODA Y-INVERSUM, ARANEIDAE, ARCHIPS ARGYROSPILA, ARCHIPS GRISEA, ARCHIPS SEMIFERANA, ARGYROTAENIA VELUTINANA, ARRHENODES MINUTUS, ATTEVA AUREA, AUTOGRAPHA PRECATIONIS, BAILEYA DORMITANS, BALSA TRISTRIGELLA, BELLURA OBLIQUA, BIBIO FEMORATUS, BISTON BETULARIA, BOMBYCILLA CEDRORUM, BRACONIDAE, CAENURGINA ERECHTEA, CALLOPISTRIA MOLLISSIMA, CAMPAEA PERLATA, CAPSULA OBLONGA, CATHARUS GUTTATUS, CATOCALA BLANDULA, CATOCALA GRYNEA, CECIDOMYIINAE, CELIPTERA FRUSTULUM, CEPAEA NEMORALIS, CERASTIS TENEBRIFERA, CERATOMIA UNDULOSA, CERMA CERINTHA, CHAULIODES RASTRICORNIS, CHLOROCHLAMYS CHLOROLEUCARIA, CHORISTONEURA ROSACEANA, CHRYSOTEUCHIA TOPIARIUS, CICINDELA SEXGUTTATA, COPIVALERIA GROTEI, CORVUS BRACHYRHYNCHOS, CORYLUS AMERICANA, CORYPHISTA MEADII, COSMOPTERIX PULCHRIMELLA, COSTACONVEXA CENTROSTRIGARIA, CRAMBUS AGITATELLUS, CUCULLIA ASTEROIDES, CURCULIONIDAE, CYCLOPHORA PACKARDI, CYDIA LATIFERREANA, DANAUS PLEXIPPUS, DARAPSA MYRON, DEIDAMIA INSCRIPTUM, DESMIA, DOLICHOVESPULA MACULATA, EBURIA QUADRIGEMINATA, ECTROPIS CREPUSCULARIA, ELAPHRIA VERSICOLOR, ELLIDA CANIPLAGA, ELOPHILA OBLITERALIS, EMMELINA MONODACTYLA, ENNOMOS MAGNARIA, EPIBLEMA OTIOSANA, EPINOTIA VERTUMNANA, ERANNIS TILIARIA, ERISTALINAE, ETHMIA ZELLERIELLA, EUCOSMA DORSISIGNATANA, EUCOSMA TOCULLIONANA, EUDRYAS GRATA, EULITHIS GRACILINEATA, EUPHYIA INTERMEDIATA, EUPITHECIA MISERULATA, EUPLEXIA BENESIMILIS, EUPOGONIUS TOMENTOSUS, EUPSILIA MORRISONI, EUPSILIA VINULENTA, EUSARCA CONFUSARIA, EUTRAPELA CLEMATARIA, EUXOA VELLERIPENNIS, FELTIA HERILIS, FELTIA JACULIFERA, FORFICULA AURICULARIA, GALGULA PARTITA, GASTERUPTION, GEINA PERISCELIDACTYLUS, GLUPHISIA SEPTENTRIONIS, GLYPHONYX, GRAPHOCEPHALA COCCINEA, HABROSYNE SCRIPTA, HAEMATOPIS GRATARIA, HELICOVERPA ZEA, HELLINSIA KELLICOTTII, HERPETOGRAMMA ABDOMINALIS, HERPETOGRAMMA PERTEXTALIS, HESPERUS APICIALIS, HETEROCAMPA BIUNDATA, HETEROPHLEPS TRIGUTTARIA, HOMOPHOBERIA APICOSA, HORISME INTESTINATA, HOSHIHANANOMIA OCTOPUNCTATA, HYLES LINEATA, HYPAGYRTIS UNIPUNCTATA, HYPENA DECEPTALIS, HYPENA MADEFACTALIS, HYPENA SCABRA, HYPOPREPIA FUCOSA, HYPSOPYGIA OLINALIS, ICHNEUMONIDAE, IDIA AEMULA, IDIA AMERICALIS, IDIA LUBRICALIS, ISOPERLA BILINEATA, ISTURGIA DISLOCARIA, LACINIPOLIA RENIGERA, LASCORIA AMBIGUALIS, LEBIA FUSCATA, LEONURUS CARDIACA, LETHOCERUS AMERICANUS, LEUCONYCTA DIPHTEROIDES, LEUCOSPIS AFFINIS, LIBELLULA QUADRIMACULATA, LIRIS, LITHOPHANE ANTENNATA, LYGROPIA RIVULALIS, LYTTA AENEA, MACARIA AEMULATARIA, MACARIA TRANSITARIA, MACHIMIA TENTORIFERELLA, MACRONOCTUA ONUSTA, MALACOSOMA AMERICANUM, MALIATTHA SYNOCHITIS, MEGACHILE, MEGANOLA MINUSCULA, METANEMA INATOMARIA, MICROCRAMBUS ELEGANS, MICROMUS POSTICUS, MICROPEZIDAE, MORRISONIA CONFUSA, MORRISONIA EVICTA, MYCETOPHILA, MYTHIMNA UNIPUNCTA, NABIS, NADATA GIBBOSA, NEMATOCAMPA RESISTARIA, NEOPYROCHROA FEMORALIS, NEOXABEA BIPUNCTATA, NEPHELODES MINIANS, NICROPHORUS ORBICOLLIS, NOCTUA PRONUBA, NOMOPHILA NEARCTICA, OCHROPLEURA IMPLECTA, ODONTOMYIA, OECANTHUS FULTONI, OLETHREUTES FASCIATANA, OLETHREUTINAE, OPEROPHTERA BRUCEATA, OPHIONINAE, OREOTHLYPIS PEREGRINA, ORGYIA LEUCOSTIGMA, ORTHONAMA OBSTIPATA, ORTHOSIA HIBISCI, OSMIA LIGNARIA, OSTRINIA NUBILALIS, OTHOCALLIS SIBERICA, PALEACRITA VERNATA, PALPITA MAGNIFERALIS, PALTHIS ANGULALIS, PAPAIPEMA FURCATA, PAPILIO GLAUCUS, PARALLELIA BISTRIARIS, PARAPOYNX BADIUSALIS, PASIPHILA RECTANGULATA, PASSERINA CYANEA, PEDIASIA TRISECTA, PERIDROMA SAUCIA, PERO HONESTARIA, PHALAENOPHANA PYRAMUSALIS, PHALAENOSTOLA METONALIS, PHEOSIA RIMOSA, PHIGALIA STRIGATARIA, PHIGALIA TITEA, PHILODROMIDAE, PHOBERIA ATOMARIS, PHRYGANEIDAE, PHYLLODESMA AMERICANA, PHYLLOPHAGA, PHYMATODES AEREUS, PIMPLINAE, PLAGIOMIMICUS PITYOCHROMUS, PLAGODIS PHLOGOSARIA, PLATYPOLIA MACTATA, PLATYPTILIA CARDUIDACTYLUS, PLEUROPRUCHA INSULSARIA, PLUTELLA XYLOSTELLA, POECILE ATRICAPILLUS, PONOMETIA ERASTRIOIDES, PRENOLEPIS IMPARIS, PROCHOERODES LINEOLA, PROTEOTERAS AESCULANA, PROTODELTOTE MUSCOSULA, PSAPHIDA ELECTILIS, PSEUDEUSTROTIA CARNEOLA, PSEUDEXENTERA MALI, PSEUDOHERMONASSA BICARNEA, PYRAUSTA BICOLORALIS, PYRRHARCTIA ISABELLA, REDUVIUS PERSONATUS, REGULUS SATRAPA, RHAGOLETIS SUAVIS, SAPERDA VESTITA, SCARITES, SCIOTA VETUSTELLA, SCOPARIA BIPLAGIALIS, SCOPULA LIMBOUNDATA, SETOPHAGA CORONATA, SETOPHAGA PALMARUM, SETOPHAGA PENSYLVANICA, SETOPHAGA STRIATA, SITTA CAROLINENSIS, SPARGALOMA SEXPUNCTATA, SPARGANOTHIS PULCHERRIMANA, SPERANZA PUSTULARIA, SPERANZA SUBCESSARIA, SPHECOMYIELLA VALIDA, SPILOSOMA VIRGINICA, SPIZELLA PASSERINA, SPODOPTERA ORNITHOGALLI, STEATODA BOREALIS, SUNIRA BICOLORAGO, SYMPETRUM OBTRUSUM, SYMPETRUM VICINUM, SYNCHLORA AERATA, SYNDEMIS AFFLICTANA, SYRPHIDAE, TEGENARIA DOMESTICA, TETRACIS CACHEXIATA, TIBICEN CANICULARIS, TORTRICIDAE, TOSALE OVIPLAGALIS, TRICHOPLUSIA NI, UDEA RUBIGALIS, ULMUS AMERICANA, UROLA NIVALIS, VANESSA ATALANTA, VESPULA MACULIFRONS, VITULA EDMANDSII, XANTHORHOE FERRUGATA, XANTHORHOE LACUSTRATA, XESTIA DOLOSA, XESTIA SMITHII, XYLESTHIA PRUNIRAMIELLA, YPONOMEUTA, YPSOLOPHA DENTELLA, ZALE GALBANATA, ZANCLOGNATHA JACCHUSALIS, ZELUS LURIDUS, ZONOTRICHIA ALBICOLLIS
While by and large the chemical approach to lawn work continues unabated, there does seem to be an increase in more natural, insect friendly approaches. All I have to do is look to the other side of our property. These neighbors have no lawn whatsoever, just flower beds and rock gardens and unmown ground cover. It’s beautiful. More and more homes around town have mini prairie patches in their front yards. And there are increasing numbers of vegetable gardens and chicken coops. Our yard falls somewhere in between, with about a third of the area in grass that is mowed with a hand mower. There’s room for improvement. I can see now that it needs to be even more insect friendly, provide even more of a refuge. Maybe a rain garden. A border of thistle. Something that aids the natural world, rather than subtracts from it.
Of Books and Bugs 
You only have a few choices. One is to wait it out until the neighbors die from odd and inexplicable cancers. Or you could build a tall fence.
What a feckin’ nitwit. I feel so sorry for you, having to live next to such an ignoramus
I just can’t tell you how terribly and powerfully sad this essay is.
Very well said! I hope the neighbors can be inspired by your example to change their ways!
We’re on the same page,sir! Some of my neighbours regularly have the Pest Man in to spray the house and yard.Some never clear plant trash, allowing drains to overflow and all (except us) are lawn -obsessed. Me? At daylight, I go out to see if “my” spiders have survived the night.
Good luck with the bad neighbour.
I hope you keep a record of the last time you saw each of these species, and mark them on the tombstone. 😦
It can get even worse. Some of my neighbors are so obsessed with “weeds” they occasionally come into my yard when I’m not around and chop, pull and spray herbicide on my “weeds”. (morning glories, most recently)
People who are working for green lawns like that, it’s actually a status thing. Believe me, they sit in their house and talk about the neighbors. “Look at those lazy people who don’t even keep the weeds out of their yard, or who don’t even spray for insects, or who don’t even fertilize! Look at those yellow spots on their grass, or look at at their Ferry Ring in the grass! They don’t water often enough! They don’t mow their lawn often enough, or properly! Look at us, and our yard! We are pulling up all the property values in the neighborhood! Look at them! They are dragging DOWN all of OUR property values! They should be ASHAMED, and do like US!” Believe me, my ex was like that about the lawn and used to speak DAILY about all the neighbors to me in this judgmental way. It’s probably the case with your neighbors, too. Don’t waste your effort on them. They don’t understand where you are coming from.
http://www.beesafeboulder.com/
Philipp, thanks for letting me know about this good project. Best of luck.
I’m so sorry to hear about your neighbor. I had a similar event recently over a cat hunting birds in my jungle/yard.
Thanks for the supportive comments. We’ve decided to be, literally, more up-front with our lawn practices, breaking ground yesterday in the front yard to add another pollinator garden alongside the city sidewalk. Our plan is to add a ‘Pollinator Habitat’ sign from the Xerces Society (http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/habsign.jpg), a few bee-nesting houses, and a deep fill of fine sand for the ground-nesting bees. And when finished, we’ll register it with the newly launched Million Pollinator Garden Challenge (http://millionpollinatorgardens.org/).
A man after my own 72-year-old heart! I am replacing lawn with natives and I too am marveling at what I see, although not at the level you are, obviously… are you an entomologist? It hurts on a very deep level what people do to their yards… although as you suggested I also see some people realizing what is going on and joining in on the push for natives. Please keep up the great work.
Reblogged this on enemymindcontrol.
I hope no one who lives around you is severely allergic to bees.
Severe allergies to bee and wasp stings are serious conditions and I know several people who suffer from them. HOWEVER, the culprits in nearly all instances of bee stings are the social wasps of the subfamily Vespinae, the yellowjackets and hornets, occasionally honey bees or bumblebees sting but mostly those are accidental. The vast majority of the bees and wasps (there are something like 18,000 North American species!) go unnoticed by most people. They are solitary and nonaggressive, the silent majority among the pollinators. These are the species that will take up residence in the bee houses put up in our front garden (We’ve had bees and wasps in our bee houses in the back yard for a number of years already). If you need more information, check out the Xerces Society (http://www.xerces.org/bees/).
Control, control everything!
My dream home is a country cottage where I can have a garden and grow my own food. I want to breathe natural unpolluted air. I’m sorry your neighbor isn’t more conscious about his environment. Maybe, they’ll get bored and sell their home.
you are the superman
thank you
Very well said! You want a perfect lawn that is good, but why destroy the plants and insects? Make good of what you have
Great post
I wanted to speak from your neighbors position. None of this occurred to me! I have a friend across the street that will pull ‘weeds’ by hand and curse all herbicides as she does. (We live in an HOA community) I do understand the stance on chemical-free interventions, but even further, this post was very informative, eye opening and really kind of a “shame on me” moment. Thank you.
Love it
Reblogged this on Meet jc abdulakeem and commented:
Before getting worried about the destruction from aliens and rain clouds, worry about the destruction yu make everyday
Reblogged on themumplus.wordpress.com with the comment: We don’t have a garden, but I would love to. Our garden are the different trees of all our downstairs neighbours, full of birds, and they keep cutting them down. I cried when the last two idiots downstairs cut everything in their garden (including a 50 years-old tree higher than our four-floors building) to put tiles…
Great
Reblogged this on A Mum + and commented:
We don’t have a garden, but I would love to. Our garden are the different trees of all our downstairs neighbours, full of birds, and they keep cutting them down. I cried when the last two idiots downstairs cut everything in their garden (including a 50 years-old tree higher than our four-floors building) to put tiles…
Love it 🙂
It must be so frustrating to live next to such nitwits! I hope some of the chemicals they used (somehow attract) even bigger bugs. (That they don’t kill obviously… Maybe the bugs will get them first…)
I am sure that while you have one neighbour doing all the wrong things, you are inspiring many others to do the right thing. Who knows, in time they may learn too.
A brilliant metaphor for taking away something precious. I saw a little spider today, crawling happily in the grass. I have never been able to kill insects, and I am glad. have you seen the movie “spring, summer, autumn, winter.. and spring?”. It`s a buddhist movie from Asia, a contemplative piece about taking care of nature and your own ethics. We should think more about what we do when we kill animals just because they are a nuisance to us.
This type of writing usually has little to no impact on me because they all say the same things repetitively, but this was different. Amazing.
Sad and crazy when people see the natural world as something to be destroyed, even on a smaller scale like this.
This was a great read. And very educational.
Thank you for your blog. Perhaps the drought is a bit of a blessing. People who like sterile yards are taking out lawns and putting in rocks.
Reblogged this on Elizabeth Felix and commented:
It sounds like your garden is lovely and you’ve found your way to do something for nature – keep it up! https://elizabethbfelix.wordpress.com/2015/06/05/the-global-challenge-of-course-you-care-here-is-what-you-can-do-in-no-time-at-all/
If you’ve been writing down the species for a number of years and you’re confident in your species identification I would get in contact with your Natural History museum/ university/ biodiversity records centre. Long term data is rare. Your information could add a small but significant data point to the understanding of some of these species. I’ve previously worked on butterflies using observations from the 60’s onwards, all across Canada, from all sorts of sources – in isolation the observations don’t tell you much but put together with others we can really investigate conservation threats.
I m really touched with it and was not aware that we r enriched with so many flora and fauna..and with little ignorance we harm our nature and its ecological balance..thanks for making us aware about it.. Really loves the post ..!
Hello! I am new to blogging world. When I look at your blog I find it interesting. I also have interest in planting and inspired by your work.You wrote that this is small project but your doing this since long time.That is how you made this grand one.Must say your topic is unique.
When I was 13, the father of one of my closest friends sprayed the foundation of his house for “sand fleas.” Six weeks later, the wife and mother of the family died from a leukemia-like disease probably caused by the insect spray. So said the family doctor. The disastrous emotional effects on the children, especially my friend, have caused me to avoid all bug sprays. I would rather have spiders and ants in my house.
I have just written a post about the apparent increase in insects since neonicotinoids have been banned in the UK. Perhaps you could send your neighbours some of the beautiful pictures of insects or of the other animals that depend upon them in the food web.
Love your ideas — I especially like the thistle border, and perhaps you could include some other seed-happy “weeds” in your border? I had not heard of the Xerces Society. I’ll check it out. Congrats on your Freshly Pressed. Well deserved, and I like to see environmental posts being highlighted.
What a sad tale. In the UK we’d call them neighbours from hell! I hope you keep going. S x
You are a person after my own heart. There is no defense against stupidity. You can only treat ignorance.
I once knew a young lady, a student at Oregon State University, who participated in a class of identifying plants. She was required to go into a field of wild grass and plants and place a ring one meter in diameter. Then she cataloged and identified each and every plant in that circle. I was astonished with her results.
Thanks for sharing this.
A-freakin-men from a girl who keeps dandelions in a Mason jar on the windowsill.
In the Australian National botanical Gardens there is a piece of art work which reminds me of your list. They are bollards engraved with the names of the species that colonisation has made extinct.
And this, a Fresh Pressed piece no less. It gives me hope and puts a smile on my face this morning! As a fellow insect-lover, however, I feel your frustration for your new neighbor. I wish there was a cure for such ignorance. Cheers, congrats, and thanks.
Powerful writing; well said! I may just leave the dandelions be and learn to let the grass grow under my feet.
I have just started the transition to a pollinator garden in our backyard. It is a thing of beauty and we welcome every new insect to our yard. We are lucky, we live in an area of the country where more and more people are thinking about permaculture. Thank you for your article.
Maybe if we were all made to observe and catalog all of the plant and insect life in our yards we would all be living lives more in tune with nature and be more respectful of it instead of paving over, soaking with chemicals and downright destroying it.
Reblogged this on The Life and commented:
Something I think we would all benefit from in every city and country.
Gosh! These neighbors must not know how bad pesticides can be for them and the environment! I sure don’t like spiders, ants, and bees but they help our planet a whole darn lot! I wouldn’t dream of killing them off! You are right about that, we are the issue not some plague or meteor. We need to make smarter choices and not burn books (Great Comparison!) and our environment!
In India, we coexist with all the bugs, flies, and other insects. I’ve noticed, even the insects tend to understand out lifestyle and routine, and move around according without causing much harm. Also it is imperative to keep these insects alive, especially bees as they play a vital role in pollination. No pollination, no new plants, no oxygen, and there ends our planet.
I love this (except for the part about your bug hating chemical loving neighbors) and thank you for doing your part and continuing to provide refuge and safe havens for our wildlife be it plant or animal. I too have been trying to discern what is growing in my yard so that I may encourage more edible native plants and flowers and discourage some that is not as useful (to me at least). In my journey to learn about my wildlife I never thought to document it with reference photos and the info I learned about it. Thanks for the great idea. Hopefully it will serve me and my family well for many years to come and help them realize the bounty nature provides for us if we’d just be willing to notice.