By Elizabeth Enslin on February 19, 2010
Tomorrow, we drive to NE Oregon to spend a week or so in our yurt (and a few other places). The creature I fear most on this trip is not the cougar, wolf or porcupine. It’s much smaller. Most females and the younger males of the species could fit into the palm of my hand….
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Posted in Recent, Species of the Week, Yurt Living | Tagged archaeology, climate change, Homesteading, mammals, wild
By Elizabeth Enslin on January 1, 2010
I woke to the first day of 2007 in a treehouse in Northern Laos. That set a standard for New Year’s celebrations that I’ll probably never live up to again. It was just me, my partner Jerry, and all the wildlife of Bokeo Nature Reserve. We could have joined eight other travelers at the main treehouse for a night of revelry, but we longed for solitude….
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Posted in Eco Travel, Recent, World Travel | Tagged creative nonfiction, nature writing, photography, wild
By Elizabeth Enslin on December 28, 2009
I’ve spent most of my life among Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga sp.) Although I love other trees and plant communities, Douglas fir forests still speak to me of home. In the Pacific Northwest, they’re ubiquitous from the Cascades to the coast. Douglas fir and other conifers of the region are why I’ve never felt at ease in the deciduous forests of eastern North America (as lovely as they are), where bare branches in winter make me especially homesick….
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Posted in Around the Northwest, Biodiversity, Recent, Species of the Week, Wild Plants | Tagged Pacific Northwest, photography, wild
By Elizabeth Enslin on December 25, 2009
I used to be the Christmas tree enthusiast in the family. I’d drive around Seattle for hours looking for the perfect tree, set it up, decorate it….
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Posted in Recent, Sustainable Gardening, Wild Plants | Tagged holidays, nature, Sustainable Gardening, wild
By Elizabeth Enslin on December 4, 2009
During the cold holiday season, I find myself remembering trips to tropical waters and the species I’ve encountered there. I may write about sea turtles, reef sharks, octopus, and triggerfish in the future, but it’s the spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) that have been on my mind this past week….
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Posted in Recent, Species of the Week | Tagged oceans, wild
By Elizabeth Enslin on November 25, 2009
Unlike my stepfather and his clan, numerous cousins, the son I spawned, and many friends; I don’t usually look at wild animals and think: meat. Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo), indigenous to North America, have become a recent exception….
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Posted in Humor, Poetry, Politics and History, Seasons and Rituals, Species of the Week | Tagged food, holidays, Thanksgiving, wild, wordplay
By Elizabeth Enslin on October 31, 2009
I’m miles from town, so there will be no trick or treaters for me tonight. Instead, I’ve decided to mark the day by highlighting some posts I’ve written on creatures that tend to be maligned, misunderstood and caricatured on Halloween….
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Posted in Seasons and Rituals | Tagged Halloween, holidays, wild
By Elizabeth Enslin on October 14, 2009
Photograph of mist in a remote canyon in Northeast Oregon.
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Posted in Around the Northwest, Images | Tagged inspiration, photography, wild
By Elizabeth Enslin on September 28, 2009
I’ve been reviewing some photos I took this summer and found one that makes my day….
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Posted in Seasons and Rituals, Sustainable Gardening, Wildlife Encounters | Tagged photography, reptiles, wild
By Elizabeth Enslin on September 25, 2009
On our Northeast Oregon property, we have an old house that’s rotting. It has little historic or architectural value, so we’ve been leaning towards tearing it down. Then my nephew, Gerek, found the bat in the closet….
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Posted in Homesteading, Species of the Week, Wildlife Encounters | Tagged nature, photography, wild
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