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By Gene Stratton-Porter If the little yellow flower were imported and cost us $5 a plant, we would all be growing it in pots and exhibiting it as something rare and beautiful. But because it grows in field and wood and is the universal flower of the soil, few people bother about it or takeContinue reading “The Universal Dandelion”

By Gene Stratton-Porter The killdeer nest was in the middle of a cornfield. It was not much to boast of. The four tan-colored eggs sprinkled with dark brown and black lay on the bare earth surrounded by a few bits of bark and cornstalk. The mother bird was young and extremely shy and nervous, andContinue reading “A Shy Killdeer Family”

By Ellsworth Smith I attended the Indiana Master Naturalist (IMN) Gathering at McCormick’s Creek State Park on April 8, 9, and 10th. The activities started with a tour of the Blue Caverns near Bedford. It was a great trip underground riding in boats. We then walked to and from a sink hole that was tiedContinue reading “Indiana Master Naturalist Gathering 2016”

By Terri Gorney When Gene Stratton-Porter wrote “Freckles” in 1904, one wonders if she could imagine how beloved the character of “Freckles” would become. Over one-hundred years later, generations have read and re-read the book. “Freckles” has become woven into the rich history of Limberlost. The character of Freckles was based on a real manContinue reading “Praise for “Freckles””

By Terri Gorney Gene Stratton-Porter drew inspiration from the Limberlost Swamp that was around Geneva. It was her outdoor classroom for 25 years. She wrote both fiction and non-fiction books. Even in her fiction books, she put facts about herself and others she knew in her writings. Gene made herself the Bird Woman in bothContinue reading “The Bird Woman of Geneva”

Researched and written by Terri Gorney Gene wrote, “Character Sketches of Twelve Birds” as part of the Biennial Report of Game and Fisheries of Indiana, 1908. These sketches were taken from the book “What I Have Done with Birds” by Gene. Gene Stratton-Porter wrote, “The greatest thing possible to do with a bird is toContinue reading “Sketches of Twelve Birds”

By Terri Gorney Gene Stratton-Porter met interesting people throughout her life. Some became dear friends besides business associates. Gene’s second book “Freckles” was published in 1904 by Doubleday, Page & Company. Gene would become close to the Doubleday family. Neltje Blanchan DeGraff was born into a prominent Chicago family in 1865. She was of theContinue reading “Gene Stratton-Porter and Neltje Blanchan DeGraff Doubleday”

“The swallows have the air for their province. On tireless wings, with open mouths, they sieve the air, taking millions of tiny gnats, mosquitoes, and flies, that would make life altogether unbearable for us were we compelled to live and breathe among them in their unchecked development” – Gene Stratton-Porter, Homing with the Birds. TreeContinue reading “Tree Swallow”

By Kayleen Reusser Having been raised on a farm, I am acquainted with cows and horses, but not sheep. We never had one ‘baa’ in our barnyard. Maybe that’s why I find sheep fascinating. References in the Bible about them are not complimentary (‘all we like sheep have gone astray’), but I love to seeContinue reading “Fiber Fest”

By Alexandra Forsythe ​Is this hummingbird an albino? Or is it suffering from leucism? Or perhaps it is displaying signs of dilution? Or maybe it has a condition causing progressive greying? The answer might depend on whom you ask. There has been some confusion and disagreement in the scientific community about the exact nature ofContinue reading “Albinism vs. Leucism vs. Dilution vs. Progressive Greying”