Good morning, friends, I sensed winter in the air when I left Winterfield Pines Nature Sanctuary a few days ago. Perhaps it was temperatures flirting with the freezing mark each morning. Perhaps it was the late fall aroma imprinted in my brain, instinctively reminding me that this smell is followed by snow.  Maybe it was a subconscious reaction to the breeze. Its direction. Its gentle bite. The feel of what cannot be seen. “Soon,” Mother Nature said in her subtle way. “Listen

Greetings from the Treehouse at Winterfield Pines Nature.    The sky is still dark and filled with brilliant stars. Through branches of these large white pines, I see Orion in the sky - my favorite constellation. Outside the air is cool. Crisp. Still. 32°F.   I roll out from under the quilts and wool blanket on this Treehouse bed. My muscles are sore from yesterday's work. I cautiously feel through the darkness to touch familiar obstacles.  One step to the table. Two more ste

Greetings friends,   People have been curious about how pure my electricity-free lifestyle in the forest is. For instance, everyone knows that I write these Michigan Forest Life posts using a cellphone. Doesn’t that work because of electricity?   The easiest way to explain this is that ‘electricity-free’ is a hobby lifestyle for me, not a conviction. It is something that makes me feel closer to nature. It did not take long for me to realize that being connected to an electric

Good morning, friends. Welcome back to Winterfield Pines Nature Sanctuary (Photo 1).  The sun has not yet approached the horizon. The sky is dark. The forest sleeps.  I hear the beginnings of rain on the Treehouse's metal roof. A gentle drumming that comes in waves. We need the rain. I wish for a full morning of it. The forest is lovely now, painted with fall colors (Photo 2-4).  Can you smell the fall forest air? If you spend enough seasons seeing fall colors and smelling th

Good morning forest friends, Have you ever been in a tag alder swamp? They are distinctive ecosystems scattered throughout mid-Michigan in naturally shallow depressions that hold water off-and-on throughout the year (Photo 1 and 2). Not enough water to support cattails, but enough for clumps of tag alders to grow old. They range from a few acres to hundreds of acres. The swamps are often laced with animal trails and are known for the year-round habitat they provide for deer,

Welcome back to the Treehouse at Winterfield Pines Nature Sanctuary (Photo 1).  When I designed the treehouse in 2005 and we began...

Good morning, friends, Sunrise is a motion picture, ever changing until it evaporates into the morning of a new day (Photo 1). It is a...

Good afternoon, friends,   I lean back in an Amish rocker on the Bunkee's porch, listening to rain on the Bunkee's metal roof and on...

Good morning, friends.   Welcome back to Winterfield Pines Nature Sanctuary!   I am pleased to announce the upcoming release of FOREST...

Good day, nature enthusiasts! Let me share today's Treehouse sunrise with you (Photo 1) ...and the sunrise a few minutes later from...

Greetings from the Treehouse at Winterfield Pines Nature Sanctuary.  If an ancient tree could talk, what would it tell us? (Photo 1)  ...

'Tis a quiet morning in the forest (Photo 1). Only a few stray screeches from a bird flying about. I heard it moving from west to east....

Good morning, friends,   'Tis a damp, muggy morning in the forest, with promise of a hot day to come (Photo 1). I plan to spend part of...

Good day, nature enthusiasts! Let me inspire you with another sunrise from   Winterfield Pines Nature Sanctuary. I took this photo from...

Good morning friends, The forest is going through another seasonal change this week. You might ask, "But what is the change? Leaves...

Greetings Friends, The cuckoo in the corner of the Treehouse just completed its fifth chirp - 5:00 am. I sit on a porch high above the...

Greetings from Winterfield Pines Nature Sanctuary, I have been in the forest for nearly one week. I've spent much of that time thinking...

Good morning, friends, Welcome back to the Treehouse at Winterfield Pines Nature Sanctuary. It seems like I have been away for an entire...

Greetings, friends, When I peered between the white pine branches early this morning, Venus' bright orange glow looked back (Photo 1)....

Good morning, nature lovers! 'Tis a beautiful morning at Winterfield Pines Nature Sanctuary. An east-facing window from the Treehouse...