Dana Wilde lives in Troy. His writings on Maine’s natural world are collected in “The Other End of the Driveway,” available from online booksellers or by contacting the author at [email protected]. Backyard Naturalist appears the second and fourth Thursdays each month.
Latest columns
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Nowadays we cherish the clear autumn chill and the color in the trees, but it wasn't always the case, writes Dana Wilde.
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Exploring is an essential component of the health of human beings, writes Dana Wilde.
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The red planet is brighter and closer than usual to Earth this summer, while scientists say there's mounting evidence of water, which could mean extraterrestrial life, Dana Wilde writes.
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Facts from this summer indicate the roulette wheel ball is slowing down and getting ready to land just about anywhere but a lucky number for us, Dana Wilde writes.
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A flower is not a star, yet at some point in our dreams and at the edge of reality they cross paths and the two become one, Dana Wilde writes.
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Only passive landscaping is keeping the birches, sumac and raspberry thickets from taking over the yard, Dana Wilde writes.
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Nature, red in tooth and claw, was on full display as a hammock spider and jumping spider encountered each other, Dana Wilde writes.
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The birds' tapping can be communicating complicated messages, such as domestic intimacy, as sounds are passed around out there among the trees, Dana Wilde writes.
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The Earth's climate is changing, whether you believe it or not, and so is the moral climate, Dana Wilde writes.
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From 7-foot high snowbanks to dandelions, the slow dawning of spring has come after a paralyzing winter, Dana Wilde writes.
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Bird populations are being decimated worldwide, including 19 percent of Maine species, largely because of habitat degradation, writes Dana Wilde.
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Catastrophic floods provide a window into the effect global warming is having on insect populations and, as a result, the very fabric of our ecology, Dana Wilde writes.
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Whether true 'spring' exists in Maine is debatable, but for now there is winter's hangover, Dana Wilde writes.
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Astronomers turn to ancient origins for most bright stars, and some of those designations are mysteries, Dana Wilde writes.
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Frost heaves are a sure sign that winter may be slowly ending, but it's still winning, Dana Wilde writes.
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The Earth has continued to overheat and the U.S. government's determination to ignore that problem is increasing, Dana Wilde writes.
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Observations of black flies, deer ticks and dragonflies as well as research have led a state entomologist to call for an insect inventory, Dana Wilde writes.
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In line with Thoreau and other romantics, backyard naturalists glimpse matters on a different scale not to be confused with dementia, writes Dana Wilde.
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The scientifically determined mechanics of the sun's path through the sky don't separate it from the feelings that arise within us as we witness it, writes Dana Wilde.
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While there are a number of weird and troubling setbacks in combating climate change, there are also bits of good news and signs of local promise, writes Dana Wilde.
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