Turn your yard into a functioning ecosystem

The raccoon tipping over your trash can at midnight isn’t coming for you. It’s planning to eat whatever’s in there [...]

House centipedes are venomous. That’s the scary-sounding part. And yes, they can technically bite. They are, objectively, one o [...]

Great horned owls have attacked and killed cats. This isn’t an urban legend. There are documented cases, wildlife rehabilitatio [...]

If you grew up catching fireflies in a jar and your kids have seen maybe a handful total, you’re not imagining the difference. [...]

Here’s the truth: yes, garter snakes bite. They’d rather not, and they’ll usually flee well before things get to th [...]

Yes, wolf spiders are venomous. All spiders are, technically — venom is how they subdue prey. The more useful question is whether t [...]

You’re not going to call an owl into your yard. That’s not how this works. Owls don’t show up because you want them [...]

Most birds avoid wasps, and that’s the reasonable position. Wasps sting, they swarm, and they’re not worth the trouble wh [...]

There’s a particular kind of backyard encounter that happens every spring. Someone finds a nest of cottontail kits, or a young [...]

The opossum in your yard, mouth agape, showing off 50 teeth, drooling slightly, is not preparing to attack you. It’s terrified. [...]