Category: Nature

Would You Love Taking Care of Roses?
Did you know there are roses in Boston just waiting for you to volunteer some time to deadhead, prune, and care for them?

One thing people miss when they move from the suburbs to the city is gardening. Yes, some folks have a small front or back yard garden area, but others find themselves without plants to tend.

Community gardens are one answer if you have lots of time to tend a plot of land. However, there are alternatives for those who would enjoy an occasional garden chore in the company of other rose lovers.

The Boston Public Garden Rose Brigade

The Friends of the Public Garden has a group of volunteers called the Rose Brigade that has cared for the four rose beds for decades. Click on the link to learn how to join this group on a one time or regular basis.

Kelleher Rose Garden, Back Bay Fens
Here, it's the Emerald Necklace Conservancy that organizes the volunteers. You can join them deadheading and pruning roses and weeding the rose beds and borders on Tuesdays. Details are at this link.

If you know of other opportunities for the occasional gardener, please share in the comments below. It doesn't have to be a rose garden, some folks might like to grow tomatoes or tend hostas!

What do you know about Amazon Prime? We use it and love it. You pay once a year for free 2-day shipping delivery charges. Amazon throws in access to instant streaming movies and TV shows and they let you borrow a free ebook each month. They will even give you a one month free trial. Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
October 21, 2013
Bees Keep Working into Autumn

The seasons change but the bees don't care, they keep working.

Gathering goodness to bring back to the hive.

Sending out signals to their hive mates, when they find a new patch of pollen and nectar. And, providing us with a fascinating subject to photograph.

Thanks to everyone who hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support. It doesn't cost you any more, but they put a few coins in our tip jar.

What's on your Fall Shopping List? Click here for Fall Season Savings over at Amazon.

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

September 26, 2013
Bees Keep Working into Autumn

The seasons change but the bees don't care, they keep working.

Gathering goodness to bring back to the hive.

Sending out signals to their hive mates, when they find a new patch of pollen and nectar. And, providing us with a fascinating subject to photograph.

Thanks to everyone who hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support. It doesn't cost you any more, but they put a few coins in our tip jar.

What's on your Fall Shopping List? Click here for Fall Season Savings over at Amazon.

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

September 26, 2013
Bees Keep Working into Autumn

The seasons change but the bees don't care, they keep working.

Gathering goodness to bring back to the hive.

Sending out signals to their hive mates, when they find a new patch of pollen and nectar. And, providing us with a fascinating subject to photograph.

Thanks to everyone who hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support. It doesn't cost you any more, but they put a few coins in our tip jar.

What's on your Fall Shopping List? Click here for Fall Season Savings over at Amazon.

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

September 26, 2013
Magnificent Mantis!

While this mantis (commonly called “praying mantis" due to front leg positioning) might be described as magnificent, there’s also a certain ominous quality about it – maybe it’s the eyes. Then again, having a camera lens staring you down could be interpreted as quite threatening.

Fortunately, for us, humans are a bit larger than the usual mantis diet, which consists mostly of any species small enough to capture – mainly insects, although larger varieties of this creature have been known to dine on small frogs, birds, and fish.

The mantis is classified as an ambush predator, changing appearance to blend into the background of wherever it’s hiding then striking with formidable speed. That quickness can also be applied during mating when the “off with their heads” technique is thought to be a way of survival for the female mantis.

In our part of the world, mantises are not generally considered an endangered species, although as child I always thought it was illegal to harm them. They are valued by many for their pest control ability and also kept as pets. The praying mantis has even been given special status as the state insect of both Connecticut and South Carolina.

By the way, the state insect for Massachusetts is … the Ladybug .

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

September 23, 2013
Magnificent Mantis!

While this mantis (commonly called “praying mantis" due to front leg positioning) might be described as magnificent, there’s also a certain ominous quality about it – maybe it’s the eyes. Then again, having a camera lens staring you down could be interpreted as quite threatening.

Fortunately, for us, humans are a bit larger than the usual mantis diet, which consists mostly of any species small enough to capture – mainly insects, although larger varieties of this creature have been known to dine on small frogs, birds, and fish.

The mantis is classified as an ambush predator, changing appearance to blend into the background of wherever it’s hiding then striking with formidable speed. That quickness can also be applied during mating when the “off with their heads” technique is thought to be a way of survival for the female mantis.

In our part of the world, mantises are not generally considered an endangered species, although as child I always thought it was illegal to harm them. They are valued by many for their pest control ability and also kept as pets. The praying mantis has even been given special status as the state insect of both Connecticut and South Carolina.

By the way, the state insect for Massachusetts is … the Ladybug .

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

September 23, 2013
Magnificent Mantis!

While this mantis (commonly called “praying mantis" due to front leg positioning) might be described as magnificent, there’s also a certain ominous quality about it – maybe it’s the eyes. Then again, having a camera lens staring you down could be interpreted as quite threatening.

Fortunately, for us, humans are a bit larger than the usual mantis diet, which consists mostly of any species small enough to capture – mainly insects, although larger varieties of this creature have been known to dine on small frogs, birds, and fish.

The mantis is classified as an ambush predator, changing appearance to blend into the background of wherever it’s hiding then striking with formidable speed. That quickness can also be applied during mating when the “off with their heads” technique is thought to be a way of survival for the female mantis.

In our part of the world, mantises are not generally considered an endangered species, although as child I always thought it was illegal to harm them. They are valued by many for their pest control ability and also kept as pets. The praying mantis has even been given special status as the state insect of both Connecticut and South Carolina.

By the way, the state insect for Massachusetts is … the Ladybug .

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

September 23, 2013
Traffic Jam on the Entry Ramp: Turtle Style

Traffic was unusually heavy on the entry ramp to the duck and turtle island at the Boston Public Garden, last week.

Turtles were coming and going, forwards, backwards, and even sideways.

Ducks had to float around in a holding pattern circling the ramp waiting their turn to merge.

And, the swan's grooming session brought all traffic to a standstill.

Maybe everyone was trying to get onto the island for Labor Day weekend!

What do you know about Amazon Prime? We use it and love it. You pay once a year for free 2-day shipping delivery charges. Amazon throws in access to instant streaming movies and tv shows and they let you borrow a free ebook each month. They will even give you a one month free trial. Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

September 2, 2013
Traffic Jam on the Entry Ramp: Turtle Style

Traffic was unusually heavy on the entry ramp to the duck and turtle island at the Boston Public Garden, last week.

Turtles were coming and going, forwards, backwards, and even sideways.

Ducks had to float around in a holding pattern circling the ramp waiting their turn to merge.

And, the swan's grooming session brought all traffic to a standstill.

Maybe everyone was trying to get onto the island for Labor Day weekend!

What do you know about Amazon Prime? We use it and love it. You pay once a year for free 2-day shipping delivery charges. Amazon throws in access to instant streaming movies and tv shows and they let you borrow a free ebook each month. They will even give you a one month free trial. Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

September 2, 2013
Traffic Jam on the Entry Ramp: Turtle Style

Traffic was unusually heavy on the entry ramp to the duck and turtle island at the Boston Public Garden, last week.

Turtles were coming and going, forwards, backwards, and even sideways.

Ducks had to float around in a holding pattern circling the ramp waiting their turn to merge.

And, the swan's grooming session brought all traffic to a standstill.

Maybe everyone was trying to get onto the island for Labor Day weekend!

What do you know about Amazon Prime? We use it and love it. You pay once a year for free 2-day shipping delivery charges. Amazon throws in access to instant streaming movies and tv shows and they let you borrow a free ebook each month. They will even give you a one month free trial. Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

September 2, 2013