Bryan's Posts About Being Outside
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 flies — but I have a plan to beat the clock on Sunday when we dial back 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.
The Virtue in Uncertainty
Lessons from the lovely, confusing butterflies here in my backyard — and most likely in yours.
