Bryan's Posts About Being Outside

Walking, Limping, Sitting

On the occasion of my total knee replacement, here is a reflection on walking, limping and sitting — and on finding equanimity in nature.

War and Nature

As a biologist here in the relative safety of New England, I’m struggling to reconcile the new life of spring emerging from the horrific shadows of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Birdwatching’s Carbon Problem

A moral question for birdwatchers and others who enjoy — and simultaneously harm — nature on a warming planet.

My Extra Hour

Time marches on — but I have a plan to beat the clock on Sunday when we dial back clocks and devices an hour. I’ll save mine for nature. Here’s an essay for The Boston Globe.

The World on the Wing of a Butterfly

From arctic bogs to southwestern deserts — and lots of places in between — I offer you transcendence on the wing of a tiny butterfly.

A Flower’s Reproductive Antics

For two hours we sat beside a trail and did little more than observe how a stately flower reproduces. Our singular task was in part an act of rebellion.

Podcast: Birding and Conversation

My morning birding with Erica Heilman, a dear friend and the creator of Rumble Strip. It’s a podcast. So as we watched Yellow Warblers glow, Erica and I talked about birds and about finding our place in the world.

First in Flower

The Eastern Bluebird, singing in a flight display overhead, put an end to winter. My day could have been complete. Then came the flowers.

Rebuilding

On Inauguration Day, an ephemeral insect in the Grand Canyon offers some perspective on rebuilding, hope and new forms of extinction.

Gifts of the Land and Spirit

Find respite for this year and hope for the future in the pages of the Vermont Almanac and in other triumphs of the written word.

Vermont’s Imperfect Ban on Socializing

A common sense explanation of Vermont’s latest policy on the pandemic: basically a ban on socializing.

The Winds of August

Summer readings, flowers and flying things. Oh, and a couple of puppy pictures.