The First Lesson is Covering the Soil A reflection on what my garden has taught me and how those lessons will inform my new project. My garden rooms aren’t finished. I suspect they never will be, no matter where I am. The pulsing, living nature of gardening makes it a constant project that can only be abandoned.… Continue reading Lessons from my Garden Rooms

Many bee species lack pigment when they first hatch. They are called callows. Over the next few days, they become darker and indistinguishable from their hive mates. This callow stingless bee is in my new hive. It’s very exciting! The hive was rescued from a wall during a house renovation and unfortunately, the transfer did… Continue reading This morning I saw my first callow bee!

HEROES OF MOTHER NATURE — A SERIES OF INTERVIEWS Connect with The Nature Exchange and Enjoy Reciprocity at its Best An interview with a Hero of Mother Nature and how to get your hands on truly comfortable t-shirts with impeccable ethics! Disclaimer: I receive no financial or other material benefit from writing about this business. The views expressed… Continue reading Connect with The Nature Exchange and Enjoy Reciprocity at its Best

Nature’s beauty held in time by a chrysalis that will never release the butterfly within Jane Frost (Jane Grows Garden Rooms) Originally published in Tea with Mother Nature 3 min read Oct 28, 2022 A caterpillar was munching my vine. I watched. It started to devour the whole stem from the leafy new growth down.… Continue reading Butterfly Beauty Before Metamorphosis

An account of a herping night for FrogID week Ever been herping? No, it’s nothing to do with twerking or any other type of dance. It’s a term used to describe going out and searching for reptiles or amphibians, derived from herpetology. Herpetology is the study of reptiles and amphibians. Last night, I went herping for… Continue reading Where’s Wilcoxii? A Citizen Science Adventure

Finishing this book was like Leaving an Inspiring Mentor… A review of the audiobook version of Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer Braiding Sweetgrass is a series of stories about combining Native American botanical knowledge with Scientific knowledge. The stories told by Robin Wall Kimmerer are sourced from her personal experiences and detail her struggles to… Continue reading A Review of Braiding Sweetgrass

Caterpillars. They are the best pets for children. This is my opinion after six months with the delightful species, Jezebel Nymph or Mynes geoffroyi. My children have been enchanted from the time that they discovered the eggs. We watched them grow and then transferred two-thirds of the caterpillars into a cage. My children did research,… Continue reading Which pets create “blazes of excitement”?

Exploring Far North Queensland Australia Purtaboi Island Adventure Exploring a tiny paradise just off the Cassowary Coast, Australia. If you’ve never heard of Purtaboi Island, you’re not alone. If you’ve never stepped foot on the shore, you’re in an even bigger group. Yesterday, my family and I stepped out of both of these groups to… Continue reading Purtaboi Island Adventure

Australian Bush Tucker Bites presents a Lemon Myrtle Roast Chicken Recipe. Lemon Myrtle (Backhousia citriodora) is one of Australia’s best known bush food ingredients. Here’s one way that I use the nutritious leaves and powder in the kitchen. You will need: a chicken, 3 teaspoons Lemon Myrtle powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 40 grams of… Continue reading Aussie Roast Chicken that’s perfect for a family dinner!

Drop this one in your champagne! Australian Bush Tucker Bites presents Wild Hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa). This plant is not strictly Australian. Depending on the source you read, it was introduced many hundreds of years ago by Regardless, it has been around long enough for the indigenous populations in Tropical Australia to incorporate it into their… Continue reading Hibiscus sabdariffa – Wild Hibiscus – Rosella