Author Archives: friendsoflimberlost

By Terri Gorney Nestled in southern Adams County is a little natural and historic gem called the Munro Nature Preserve. It is the first and only preserve owned by ACRES in the county. It is located to the west of the town of Geneva and north of the restored wetlands of the Limberlost and Loblolly. The preserve isContinue reading “Munro Nature Preserve”

By Alexandra Forsythe “A very quiet and well-conducted little member of our winter choir, with habits similar to those of the nuthatch, is the junco, with dark head and back, white breast, and grey sides. With an ivory-white bill, he feasts daintily at our winter offerings, occasionally remarking: ‘tsip, tsip’. This is merely a whisper of sound.Continue reading “Dark-eyed Junco”

by Alexandra Forsythe Baltimore Orioles, with their bright plumage and beautiful song, are favorites among backyard birders. John James Audubon studied and wrote about the Oriole extensively. He wrote: “Much might the traveller find to occupy his mind, and lead him into speculations regarding the past, the present, and the future, were he not attractedContinue reading “Baltimore Oriole”

by Alexandra Forsythe The Peregrine Falcon is the fastest animal in the world, capable of traveling up to 200 mph in a “stoop” or dive. Their primary food source is birds, and they have been documented preying on over 450 species of birds in North America, including Sandhill Cranes, White-throated Swifts and hummingbirds. As fastContinue reading “Conservation Success Story: The Peregrine Fund”

By Curt Burnette A few folks live in only one or two houses their entire lives.  Many people live in several houses during their lifetime.  Others live in numerous homes—moving from place to place or up-sizing or down-sizing as the needs of their lives dictate.  Some are able to own more than one home at a time.  WeContinue reading “Wherein I chronicled the history of the many homes of Gene Stratton-Porter”

by Tom Turpin, professor of entomology at Purdue University reprinted from Purdue Extension’s “On Six Legs”, January 2009 Gene Stratton-Porter, one of Indiana’s best-known authors, was known as the “Bird Woman” in real life. She could just as well have been known as the “Moth Woman.” Born in 1863 in the small town of LagroContinue reading “The Moth Woman of Northern Indiana”

by Alexandra Forsythe The inaugural Indiana Dunes Birding Festival took place over the weekend, and Limberlost’s own Randy Lehman was asked to be a featured speaker at the event. Over 240 people attended the conference and Randy had a packed crowd, eager to learn more about Gene Stratton-Porter and Limberlost. Randy spoke passionately about Gene’sContinue reading “Randy Lehman and the Indiana Dunes Birding Festival”

By Alexandra Forsythe I love this photo, mostly because of the memories and emotions that accompany it. This little Chestnut-sided was one of the happiest birds I’ve encountered. It was early morning and I had just finished my chores. I decided to celebrate and reward myself with a quick walk around the yard before divingContinue reading “Chestnut-Sided Warbler”

By Curt Burnette Gene Stratton-Porter’s parents, Mark and Mary, produced a large family of twelve children whose births spanned more than a score of years.  Gene’s oldest sister, Catherine, was 24 years older than her.  At the time of Gene’s birth on August 17, 1863, her father was 50 and her mother 46.  Gene was a bit unexpectedContinue reading “Wherein the destinies of the many siblings of Gene Stratton-Porter are briefly described”

By Terri Gorney Gene Stratton-Porter developed many friendships with naturalists, writers, and artists. One such artist was that of Carl Arthur Faille (pronounced Fy). He credits Gene with launching his career as she was the first person of note to appreciate his large paintings. He said that Gene referred to him as “her painter man.” She noticed twoContinue reading “Gene Stratton-Porter’s Painter Man: C.A. Faille”