Happy Birthday to this Blog!

One year ago today I wrote the first post for this blog.  Since then, I have written 246 more posts (including this one). 

It is really interesting to be able to see what people are searching for on the internet that leads them to this blog.  My five most-read posts have been:

     1.  Leaves of three, let it be... What about leaves of five?
     2.  Mid-Michigan Habitats - Floodplain Forests
     3.  Dogwood Misidentification
     4.  A tale of two flowers - one native, one alien
     5.  Aquatic Ecology and Mother Earth Week at the Ziibiwing Center

The goal of all of these posts has been:  1.) to answer questions that students ask me during my presentations at local schools; 2.) to showcase the local habitats and species of Mid-Michigan; 3.) to highlight upcoming nature and science related events in Mid-Michigan. 

I try to write a post a day (Monday - Friday) when school is in session.  Sometimes when I am really busy I only have time to post a picture but usually I try to write something to go along with it.  This school year has been very busy.  By the end of the school year in June I will have done over 300 classroom presentations.  This is both the best and the worst part of my job.  It means that I often don't have time to go out and seek out new things to photograph or learn about, but also means that the teachers in Isabella County are very committed to environmental education.  That is awesome!


One thing that students ask me all the time is "How do you know all of this stuff?"  I tell them that it has taken me years of reading and studying to learn what I now know and also that I am constantly learning new things.  That has been the best thing about writing this blog - I am always learning new things to share.  I hope that you enjoy learning along with me!