Perhaps you have seen them while visiting the Missouri Botanical Garden’s William T. Kemper Center for Home Gardening — large white, multi-compartment birdhouses on poles about 14 feet high. In spring and summer, the housing is fully occupied by purple martins (Progne subis), a swallow species. St. Louis today is possibly home to the largest…
Tag: birds
Journey to the Galápagos | Part 3
“I believe it is in our nature to explore, to reach out into the unknown.” Sir Ernest Shackleton We all have our version of the unknown; the uncomfortable ignorance that lies just beyond our comfort zones. As kids, most dream of becoming explorers but few dare to take that leap; to reach out to all…
Giving Birds a Helping Hand
A trip to the Missouri Botanical Garden is a delight to the senses, from the visual beauty of the Garden’s display beds to the fragrant aroma of the plantings that populate them—and the chorus of birdsong from the many feathered visitors that fly by throughout the year (and help pollinate the Garden’s living collections in…
The Wetlands: A Masterpiece of Flora and Fauna
Shaw Nature Reserve’s wetlands habitat stretches 32 acres and houses eight ponds. Of those ponds, two hold water all year, one retains a puddle amount at its deepest, and five remain shallower and run dry at various parts of the year. The wetlands are home to biological, birding and botanical highlights, which change approximately every…