I’ve recently seen several unusual living creatures in and around my place (aka: Hickory Hill Haus). I thought I would start cataloguing the wildlife and, maybe, if I get the chance, take photographs of the different wildlife here. Broadhead Skink (Eumeces [Plestiodon] laticeps): At least I think that’s what these are. I saw a large […]
Tag Archives: nature property
Get ‘Er Done: Vashon Island Treehouses Starts Growing
A New Project: Vashon Island Treehouses My brother Gene Kuhns Jr. has always been a “doer”. With his wife Jan by his side (and often, slightly in front of him), they get more done in a week than many folks get done in a year. That’s why I’m excited and anxious to watch the progress […]
When You Think You’re On Nature’s Treasure Heap, And Then Aren’t Certain Anymore
You might think you’re on Nature’s treasure heap. You might be weeping for the beauty of it all. You might want to share it with the entire world. Certainly, you want to share it with family and friends, the people who matter the most to you. Why? Because you think, hope, wish and pray they’ll […]
If You Look For Mushrooms, Will They Appear?
It’s a dream to find edible wild food, but you have to really look for mushrooms. Gene and Jan are interested in putting up tree houses on their acreage on Vashon Island, WA, and running a bed and breakfast. They also enjoy foraging for wild food (and creating their own, where possible). Dreaming of oyster […]
Identifying Plants In Our Yard
Identifying plants — especially native ones — can be a somewhat difficult process, especially if you’ve moved (as I have) to a bio-zone different from where you’ve lived before. I was talking about this issue with my brother Gene, out in Washington State. He’s gotten very good at identifying native plants on Vashon Island, where […]
My Thoreau-ly Walden-esque Experiment: Is This Lifestyle Sustainable?
Is Nature’s Guys nature-focused lifestyle sustainable? It is a question I’ve asked myself a lot, perhaps no more than yesterday when, with an allergy-induced fever, I worked myself into a sweat clearing away privet bushes, planting an elderberry plant and a yellow squash by the creek, cleaned out the ditch of old, disgarded tires; and […]
If I Knew Birds Songs Better: What Is It? Video
Yesterday, May 5, 2018, was a Big Day in birding, and it left me wishing I knew bird songs better. First, what’s a “Big Day”? If you’ve seen the Jack Black / Steve Martin movie “The Big Year”, it’s kind of like that. www.eBird.org organized a world-wide “Big Day”, where birders all over the world […]
Finding And Completing A Cedar Circle
When my brother moved to Vashon Island, WA, he became friends with a couple who studied Native American traditions. One thing they did on their property was plant a group of cedars in a circle, creating a sacred space cedar circle. I’ve tried to respectfully learn more about this tradition, but haven’t found much. This […]
Plant In The Ant Hill: Gardening Experiment
Northwest Georgia is notorious for several things, including large fire ant hills and thick, sticky red clay. The clay is so thick, it is hard to imagine any plant can grow in it without a lot of compost or some other organic material to break it up. However, the fire ants make their hills in […]
The Wildflower Fire Experiment + What Is This Flower?
A couple of months ago, I was mulling over what to do with the long grasses which are covering the north part of my property. I know some of the clumps are non-native and invasive species, while the other grasses seemed to be thatched pretty heavily, not allowing anything to grow. In addition, these grasses […]