Browsing Category "Writing"
The Secret Life of Bee (Keepers)
By     |    Aug 28, 2017
Posted in: apiculture, bee keeping, bees, Eastern Apicultural Society, Natural Science, Rhode Island DEM, RIDEM, RINHS, Uncategorized, URI, USFW, Writing     |    No Comments

The Secret Life of Bee (Keepers)

Childhood obsessions are pretty common. Some children love a particular line of dolls, trading cards, or teddy bears. As they grow, the obsessions are set aside, sometimes to literally gather dust. In other cases, though, the obsessions simply morph into something new. “When I was little, it was a unicorn obsession, and as I grew older it went from unicorns to something legitimate like bees.” At 26, Azure Giroux’s childhood […]

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BioBlitz: Counting All Creatures Great and Small
By     |    Jun 11, 2017
Posted in: ASRI, Audubon Society of Rhode Island, BioBlitz, dragonflies, land trust, Moth Mingle, Moths, Natural Science, Ocean State Bird Club, Rhode Island DEM, RIDEM, RINHS, snakes, Uncategorized, URI, US Fish and Wildlife, USFW, wasps, Writing     |    No Comments

BioBlitz: Counting All Creatures Great and Small

Picture this: you’ve been dropped into the middle of 1000 acres of woodlands, fields, and water. Your job is to count everything. Not just the birds flying by. Not just the types of trees in the forest. Nope. Your task is to count every plant, insect, fungus, bat, snake, fish, clam, flower, in fact to count every species of every living thing that calls that region home. And you have […]

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Turtles from the Dust: Endangered Terrapins in Rhode Island
By     |    Sep 7, 2014
Posted in: diamondback terrapin, land trust, Natural Science, Outdoor writing, Rhode Island DEM, RINHS, turtles, URI, US Fish and Wildlife, USFW, Writing     |    No Comments

Turtles from the Dust: Endangered Terrapins in Rhode Island

The sand is fine grained and the sun is hot. Hundred Acre Cove in Barrington is just a few hundred yards away, but at the moment, there isn’t a shred of the cool breezes usually associated with being by the water. There are only scrub pines, weedy grasses, and dust. Lots of dust. Charlotte Sornborger carries a basket containing an empty green and white striped Newport Creamery plastic tub. She […]

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What is a Gall, after All?
By     |    Jul 15, 2014
Posted in: Kettle Pond, mites, National Audubon Society, National Audubon Society Field Guide to Insects and Spiders, Natural Science, Rhode Island DEM, RINHS, Roger Williams Park Zoo, Uncategorized, US Fish and Wildlife, USFW, wasps, Writing     |    No Comments

What is a Gall, after All?

Note: “Science and Nature for a Pie” is now on Facebook!  Stop by and “like” the page for ongoing stories, photos, and discussions about the great outdoors! https://www.facebook.com/scienceandnatureforapie “You have some gall saying that to me!” “Man, that guy galls me!” It’s difficult to determine precisely how common these expressions still are, but most will recognize the idea that having “gall” or to “gall” someone is not a good thing. […]

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Chowder, Clam Cakes, and Cigarettes: Rocky Point Shore Dinner Hall
By     |    Jun 24, 2014
Posted in: Rocky Point Park, Uncategorized, Writing     |    8 Comments

Chowder, Clam Cakes, and Cigarettes: Rocky Point Shore Dinner Hall

Note: The 2014 BioBlitz was held at what’s left of one of Rhode Island’s legendary attractions: Rocky Point Amusement Park.  That story is in a different post.  What follows here is a memoir of my time spent  working as a busboy at my first job, at the Shore Dinner Hall. The story goes that river boat captain William Winslow brought the genteel set to Rocky Point in the 1840’s for […]

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The Buzz on Bees
By     |    May 10, 2014
Posted in: apiculture, bee keeping, bees, BioBlitz, Eastern Apicultural Society, National Audubon Society, Natural Science, Uncategorized, URI, US Fish and Wildlife, USFW, Writing     |    No Comments

The Buzz on Bees

“…the only reason for making honey is so as I can eat it.” Winnie the Pooh, by A. A. Milne The yard contains about a dozen white boxes, each standing some four feet tall. A wrangler, whose job it is to move the living contents from one area to the next, approaches the white structure. He uses a tool to puff smoke into the box and then removes the wooden […]

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Touch the Sky: Bird Banding with RI Natural History Survey
By     |    Apr 21, 2014
Posted in: BioBlitz, Kettle Pond, Natural Science, Red Bellied Woodpecker, Rhode Island DEM, RINHS, The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America, Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge, Uncategorized, URI, US Fish and Wildlife, USFW, Wildlife Rehabilitators of Rhode Island, WRARI, Writing     |    5 Comments

Touch the Sky: Bird Banding with RI Natural History Survey

  For even the most casual birder, spring is an exciting time. The warm temperatures mean the return of birds not seen during the long dreary months of winter. Even feathers of the goldfinch, who lingers all winter, bear a dreary greenish color during the cold months. But that all changes come April. Suddenly, there are songs and brilliant feathers everywhere. Feeders fill with the newly returned, and many people […]

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