The plant: Where I grew up in Connecticut, cattails edged ponds where I’d watch salamanders gliding just under the water’s surface. Each fall, along with dried corn stalks and burnt-orange pumpkins, ...

Claim to fame: Cattails are one of the best-known aquatic plants in Missouri and throughout much of North America. These tall, shallow-water plants with their familiar brown cylindrical seed-heads can ...

I spent too much time this past weekend trying to get a great action shot of the red-winged blackbirds at my neighbor’s pond. You know how sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees? In this ...

Domestic cats are common in Leon County. Today’s couch ornament is a far cry from its immediate ancestors which were valued for their pest control skills. These feline predators prowled barns, ...

I spent too much time this past weekend trying to get a great action shot of the red-winged blackbirds at my neighbor’s pond. You know how sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees? In this ...