Author Archives: friendsoflimberlost

By Curt Burnette ​ One of the many wonders of the digital age is the Internet search engine. Recently, I utilized one of these search engines by typing in the word “Limberlost” to see what kind of results would be returned to me. Of course, there were many entries regarding the Limberlost Swamp and GeneContinue reading “Wherein is revealed some of the many places around the United States and the world whose name was influenced by the Limberlost”

By Curt Burnette Not long ago, I bought a used paperback copy of Tarzan of the Apes. I had read a version of the tale when I was a child and, of course, had seen Tarzan movies on TV. Like many a young boy, I imagined myself to be the mighty “Lord of the Jungle”Continue reading “Wherein our columnist indulges in wild speculation by wondering if Tarzan of the Apes was influenced by Freckles of the Limberlost”

By Curt Burnette “Mr. Archibald, who lives near Decatur shot the last deer in Adams County in 1867.” This news item appeared in the Decatur News of Dec. 7, 1882 and was reproduced in the mammals section of the biology chapter of The 1979 History of Adams County, Indiana, published by the Adams County HistoricalContinue reading “Wherein a year-long project is completed and startling numbers are revealed”

By Curt Burnette Although Gene Stratton-Porter was known as “the Bird Woman of the Limberlost”, an alternate nickname could well have been “the Moth Woman of the Limberlost” as Purdue entomologist Tom Turpin has suggested. Gene’s love of moths, specifically the group known as the giant silk moths, even surpassed her love of birds. InContinue reading “Wherein is revealed the Bird Woman’s love of the “moon-flowers of June’s darkness””

By Benjamin W. Hess Large wetlands can be a rare site in Indiana especially in heart of the farmland of East Central Indiana. However, the restoration efforts to bring back a once great wetland are alive again in Jay County. This once great wetland of approximately 13,000 acres was home to an array of floraContinue reading “Nature Preserve Spotlight – Loblolly Marsh”

By Bill Hubbard SPIDER!! The mention of the word is enough to evoke a primal fear response in many folks. Few creatures are held in lower esteem than the spiders. Most of us have had otherwise lovely walks in our favorite natural areas rudely interrupted by a spider web becoming attached to our face. Or worseContinue reading “THE ITSY, BITSY SPIDER…”

By the Chicago Daily Tribune, 14 Aug 1903, p. 7. “The Song of the Cardinal” has the true Spirit of Nature. “The Song of the Cardinal,” by Gene Stratton-Porter (Bobbs-Merrill Co.), is as pretty a story as may be found among nature books. Not only is the bird romance full of beauty, the rich beauty ofContinue reading “Pretty Bird Romance”

By Curt Burnette The bald eagle became the unofficial symbol of the U.S. as part of the Great Seal of the United States when it was adopted on June 20, 1782. The official designation as our national bird and symbol did not occur for another seven years, in 1789. During those seven years, there wereContinue reading “Wherein our columnist mulls over the symbolism of a nation rescuing its national symbol”

By Alberta Wright, age 12 Gene Stratton-Porter, one of our most noted writers of nature stories, writes many interesting stories. One very nice one is “Friends in Feathers.” In the book, she tells of many interesting incidents with birds. She says about the first thing to do is to win a bird’s confidence. By movingContinue reading ““My Favorite Story and Why””

By Terri Gorney ​Gene Stratton-Porter was named one of the “Ten Greatest Living Indianans” in 1922 by a survey done by the “Indianapolis News.” The newspaper received 802 lists submitted by its readers. Of the top ten, Gene was the only woman. Five of ten were authors. Indiana was second only to the state ofContinue reading “The Ten Greatest Indianans”