KING OF THE ROAD

KING OF THE ROAD

BY KIERAN LINDSEY, PhD There’s a wonderful word—one of my favorites — to describe creatures that are active at dawn and dusk. Crepuscular. There are plenty of them so the great outdoors gets lively when the light is low, making dusk and dawn excellent times to see...
RUNNER-UP (repost)

RUNNER-UP (repost)

BY KIERAN LINDSEY, PhD I don’t know what American grade school kids are being taught these days—my days at Oakville Elementary ended a couple of decades ago (okay, fine—several decades ago) so I don’t have direct access to 21st century homework assignments. But I’ll...
LONG-STEMMED

LONG-STEMMED

BY KIERAN LINDSEY, PhD Daddy longlegs are the jazz cats of the arachnid world! This realization came to me as I watched a single backlit note bebop across the asphalt path in front of me. A soundtrack of jazz piano greats immediately began to play in my head — Willie...
THE GREAT PUMPKINSEED

THE GREAT PUMPKINSEED

BY KIERAN LINDSEY, PhD Setting out for a walk, I paused just past my building’s threshold to savor morning air crisp as a fresh Granny Smith apple, perfumed with a blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves that have been whisked, infused, and frappéd into breads,...
STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT

STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT

BY KIERAN LINDSEY, PhD Have you ever listened to the mesmerizing serenade of field crickets (Gryllus spp.) on a crisp autumn evening and wondered why they’re doing that? I mean, the mercury’s definitely headed south, the nights are going to become pretty...