Valerie Blaine
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Falling now from a tree near you: acorns, walnuts and hickory nutsSep 27, 2011 12:00 am - Acorns bounce like ping-pong balls on the sidewalk. Hickory nuts plop onto the lawn. Walnuts fall with a thud on the ground. These trees are pummeling anything and every...
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Teasel takes over where wildflowers growAug 27, 2011 12:00 am - It stands tall and prickly, bearing seed heads that dare you to get close. Where there’s one, there are legions. They are well-armed and on the offense. The plant is tea...
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Crickets, katydids fill summers days with courting callsAug 19, 2011 12:00 am - “There are frogs in my trees at night and they’re driving me crazy!” one caller said. Another person who enjoys the sound told me, “We like to take a walk at dusk to hea...
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Wildflowers offer beauty and medicinal properties,tooAug 05, 2011 12:00 am - Wildflowers not only offer their beauty, but medicinal properties, too
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Fireflies figure in summer memoriesJul 23, 2011 12:00 am - It’s tough to name an insect that is universally loved, but there is one that is near and dear to everyone’s heart: the firefly. My July 4 column on fireflies drew doze...
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Fireflies: nature’s light showJul 03, 2011 6:00 am - The fireworks of the Fourth of July will burst in a crescendo of color in the sky while crowds “ooh!” and “aah!” There will be another light show, too — a quieter and l...
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Forests, plants hit pay dirt with healthy root fungiMay 07, 2011 12:00 am - There's buried treasure in the back woods. Sink a spade in the soil by an old oak tree and you'll come up with the booty. You won't be able to see it with the naked eye...
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Role rabbits play in IllinoisApr 16, 2011 2:00 am - Some rabbits wear pocket watches and are always running late. Some are carrot-chomping cartoon icons that always want to know what’s up. Others are velveteen animals wi...
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Development comes at a costMar 21, 2011 2:00 am - One summer evening in 1963 I pedalled my JC Higgins bike as far west as I could go. The journey took me past the old section of my town in suburban Cook County, past a n...
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Tasting spring's maple sweetnessFeb 19, 2011 12:00 am - Had enough of winter? Sweet springtime is on its way! If you're skeptical, listen hard to the trees. You can almost hear the sap rising. We're about to embark on the pas...