Laura Tangley Subscribe to Feed
In the Buzz About Bees, Don’t Forget the Natives
Honeybees have been in the news a lot this month. On May 2, the federal government published results of a comprehensive study looking at potential causes of the insects’ dramatic decline in a phenomenon known as colony-collapse disorder. The widely… Read more >
Help Bugs—and Birds—By Growing Native Plants
Like most environmentally-friendly gardeners, I’ve long known that it’s better to cultivate native than nonnative plants. Adapted to local conditions, natives thrive better—and with less water and other expensive inputs such as fertilizer—than do most exotics. Natives also are less… Read more >
Summer Bird Feeding: the Case For and Against
Should you take your bird feeders down for the summer? The answer may depend on where you live. Ever since I started feeding backyard birds several years ago, I’ve religiously taken down my feeders this time of year and not… Read more >
Monarch Butterflies in a Changing World
On a recent trip to California, I stopped by Natural Bridges State Beach, a lovely seaside protected area in Santa Cruz that’s best known for the monarch butterflies that overwinter there. Unlike monarchs east of the Rocky Mountains, which fly up… Read more >
Wildlife Gardening: Don’t Forget the Neighbors
When I bought a house on a large corner lot a decade ago, I was in a hurry to convert the lawn as quickly as possible to a lush, plant-filled haven for wildlife. Too much of a hurry, it turned… Read more >
Nonnative Plants: Ecological Traps?
When I moved into my first house several years ago, it was also the first time I’d ever had my own yard—and with a double lot located on a corner, it was a substantial yard indeed. A lover of lush… Read more >
Things That Go Bump—or Hoot—in the Night: 5 Animals You May Hear While Camping in Your Yard
Welcome to June, officially designated as Great Outdoors Month by the federal government and several states across the country. Here at the National Wildlife Federation, we’ll be celebrating the outdoors in a big way on June 23 with NWF’s Great American Backyard… Read more >
Back from the Brink: A Photo Gallery of Birds Helped by the Endangered Species Act
This Friday, May 18, 2012, the nation celebrates Endangered Species Day. To mark the event, we’re sharing photos of five North American bird species that represent endangered species success stories. To ensure that these birds continue to recover–and to provide… Read more >
Four Tips For Attracting Hummingbirds
Here in the MidAtlantic region, ruby-throated hummingbirds are just starting to show up, returning from their wintering grounds in Central America and Mexico to breed across much of eastern North America. Elsewhere across the country, hummingbirds are on the move… Read more >
Bird of the Week: Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Glancing out the window at my feeder last weekend, I noticed something unusual: a streaky, buff-breasted, brown bird that was larger—and had a much bigger bill—than the dozen or so house sparrows that surrounded it. What the bird most reminded… Read more >
