Category: Humor

At least I thought it was funny.

Posted on in Birds, Humor

Auto-corrected Bird List

Eric & Heidi EatonToday I have a special guest post from Heidi Eaton, naturalist, zookeeper, and all around very nice person. She’s married to “Bug Eric” of entomology fame. You may remember I recommended his insect blog a while back. Here’s her post. I’m sure you’ll laugh at least as much as I did!

I’ve often used my Samsung tablet to keep a bird list when Eric and I are traveling.  We are often amused at the way the auto-correct tries to change the bird names.  Some aren’t that funny, like it always wants heron, blackbird, and starling to be plural (I can kind of understand why, with blackbirds and starlings).

(more…)

Posted on in Gardening, Humor, Veggies

A Gardener’s New Year’s Resolutions (revisited)

I had an idea for a post for today.
Instead I got the flu.
So instead of new insights, I hope it’s okay
To repost this for you.

A Gardener’s New Year’s Resolutions

Posted on December 28, 2009 by LAH

plants-for-sale-lowes-cs_2008aug02_lah_5106-1Lots of people like to make New Year’s resolutions. Gardeners are no exception. A quick web search turned up plenty of lists, with gardeners around the country vowing to stay ahead of the weeds, thin their carrots, and learn the Latin names of all their favorite plants. If you like to garden, you probably have your own list of good intentions. And if you’re like me, you’ll struggle to keep even one of them.

This year, I’d like to propose a list of gardening resolutions that any enthusiastic gardener can keep. Your garden may not be perfect, but at least you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you achieved your New Year’s goals.

(more…)

Posted on in Birding Tips, Humor

A Checklist of Birders

Birders_ChicoBasinRanchCO_20100501_LAH_4259Just as there are different kinds of birds, there are different kinds of birders. What kind of birder are you? I’m sure that as you read through my list, you’ll be able to identify with one or these—or add another “species” that I haven’t thought of. And if you think I had you in mind when I made my list, well, perhaps I did!

The Merlin
Like a raptor on the hunt, this birder makes a beeline for where the action is. They expend a tremendous amount of energy while birding, but they’re always on the bird. They aren’t easily distracted. If someone points out a bird, they’re first on the scene, and all over it.

(more…)

Posted on in Gardening, Humor, Plant Profiles

Plant Quiz Answers

DBG_LAH_1264If you haven’t tried to identify the plants in my quiz, back up to last Thursday and try your hand before reading any further.

So, how did you enjoy trying to ID various random plants from a photo or two? I think it’s fun, which is why I love my job. Sometimes I know the answer off the top of my head (number 1, for example) while others have me tearing my hair out while I track them down (such as number 8).

(more…)

Posted on in Gardening, Humor

It’s Time for a Plant Quiz!

1. DenverHow well do you know your plants?

For the past few years I’ve posted a monthly bird quiz. I hope you’ve enjoyed the challenge. This morning, as I identified plant after plant for my GardenCompass.com clients, I suddenly wondered why I have never created a plant quiz—so I did. Now you too can experience the joys and frustrations of identifying random plants.

I’ve attempted to provide you with a realistic demonstration of what I do. Therefore, all I’m telling you is where the photo was taken. (The Garden Compass app has a GPS feature.) I’m responsible for answering questions from all the mountain states, from New Mexico and northern Arizona to Idaho, plus Nebraska and both Dakotas, but for this round, I stuck to plants seen in Colorado.

(more…)

Posted on in Birds, Books, Humor

Little-Known and Seldom-Seen

little known 1Do you really need another field guide to North American birds? Yes, you do. In fact, you need two of them—the sooner, the better. How many of your current field guides have entries for the Yellow-bellied Prairie Chicken, the Blunt-billed Woodpecker, or the Split Rail? None of them, I bet.

Do your current field guides explain how to correctly assemble the parts of a bird? I’m sure they don’t. Do you own a book explaining what to say to other birders while on a field trip? No? Well then…

(more…)

Posted on in Gardening, Humor

Is Your Garden in Danger from Gnomes?

gnome2-klbI’m taking a break from blogging to bring you an important message from the Utah State University Extension. There seems to be an annual increase in gnome numbers immediately after Christmas, so this is timely information.

Growing conditions in Ogden, Utah, where this video was created, are very similar to those along Colorado’s Front Range, so I’m sure you’ll find this advice very helpful.

Please sit back, relax, and learn how you can deal with invasive garden gnomes!

Gnome Management in the Garden