Families are complicated—Orchidaceae most of all. A bracing winter night's walk, illuminated by March's full moon, transports us to the Orchid Range, and from there: Panama? Nepal? Ghana? The incredible diversity of color and form in this global flower family is ours to explore, and their hidden evolutionary stories ours to read—if we know how. […]

Pining to spruce up your evergreen knowledge? This is the class fir yew! When the bare branches of winter start to get you down, turn to the conifers for a breath of fresh, pine-scented air. More ancient and more steadfast than the deciduous divas of autumn, our native coniferous trees like eastern red cedar and […]

With the return of spring comes a nightly chorus of chirps and peeps, but those aren’t birds you’re hearing! Join us as we seek out the frogs responsible in their unique, ephemeral habitat: the vernal pool. One of spring’s most fascinating—and fleeting—features, vernal pools appear and disappear with the changing of seasons. And this time […]