FOPPI

Like many folks, my parents honeymooned at the Niagara Falls; probably not thinking one iota about the significance of this natural wonder. It probably didn't cross their mind that the Falls is part of the greater Niagara Escarpment that begins near Rochester, New York and continues as far south as Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, where I live. Truthfully, up until recently, I didn't think it was all that important either -- I thought of it as just another tourist trap. But, once I met some of...

As what usually happens to me, I was searching for something else and found a box of photos of the early Plum Island years that I'd forgotten about. The box had photos of the original eagles' nest that was along the trail, the first Lady's Slipper I'd ever seen, the Dwarf Lake Iris, volunteers that have moved on, and those who still capture the magic that Plum Island has to offer. These photos are ancient ... taken on an old film camera ... the kind of pictures that you hope turned out...

Growing up in Milwaukee, the only bird calls that I could recognize where those on my uncle's clock. Each hour a different bird would sing their signature song and wait their turn for another 24 hours. Then I walked the trail across Plum Island and learned how sheltered I'd been. There is a symphony of birdsong in the natural world! Thanks to the Merlin app my level of knowledge continues to increase as I now have the (cheater) tool to recognize the call of a Cedar Waxwing, Northern Yellow...