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Julie Zickefoose Julie Zickefoose lives in Whipple, Ohio, and is the author of the book Letters from Eden.
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Julie Zickefoose

Watching Butterflies Born On A Monarch Ranch

A freshly hatched monarch butterfly. Courtesy of Julie Zickefoose hide caption

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Courtesy of Julie Zickefoose

Opinion

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Watching Butterflies Born On A Monarch Ranch

When gardener, commentator, and writer Julie Zickefoose cut down the milkweed in her garden, she wound up with a perfect environment for monarch butterflies. Now watching their progress has become a yearly autumnal treat.

Watching Butterflies Born On A Monarch Ranch

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The Accidental Hybrid: Discovering New Tomatoes

The accidental hybrid purple tomato. Putative parents: Anderson Special and Black Krim. Julie Zickefoose hide caption

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Julie Zickefoose

Opinion

The Accidental Hybrid: Discovering New Tomatoes

There's a heady delight in stepping out in your garden and discovering a plant perhaps never before grown. It's even more fun when it happens by accident. Commentator Julie Zickefoose wasn't expecting big purple tomatoes, but now she's boiling down vats of them.

The Accidental Hybrid: Discovering New Tomatoes

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Opinion

A Slow Surrender To Winter

Winter's harsh cold is not the ideal condition for flourishing plants, budding flowers or thriving spring life. For essayist Julie Zickefoose, this reality was hard to fight. It took withering blossoms and decaying insects for Zickefoose to understand the finality — and beauty — of winter.

A Slow Surrender To Winter

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Opinion

Parting With A Clunker: Such Sweet Sorrow

As the Cash for Clunkers program screeches to a halt, an estimated 600,000 cars will have been traded in. Many of them — like the Ford commentator Julie Zickefoose once thought she would drive until it died — have rich, redolent family histories.

Parting With A Clunker: Such Sweet Sorrow

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Opinion

This Mama Will Protect Every Hair On Her Cub!

Commentator Julie Zickefoose thinks back to the maddest she has ever been. One minute she was an ordinary mom in a Kmart parking lot. Then she turned into a lion.

This Mama Will Protect Every Hair On Her Cub!

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Opinion

Look At That Puppy! But Be Careful What You Say

It's sometimes said that people grow to look like their dogs. Commentator Julie Zickefoose hopes that isn't true, but she has a public service announcement for people who might be tempted to comment.

Look At That Puppy! But Be Careful What You Say

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Opinion

A Morel Quandary? Where To Find Them

Across the northern tier of the US, mushroom hunting--particularly for the prized morel mushroom--is coming into full swing. Commentator Julie Zickefoose revels in the mushrooms that populate her woodland and sizzle on the stovetop.

A Morel Quandary? Where To Find Them

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Opinion

Otterly Adorable, But Born To Be Wild

Who doesn't love otters? Their little ears, googly eyes and built-in smiles are just a few of the charms of these increasingly rare creatures. But a wild animal is still a wild animal, no matter how cute it might be.

Otterly Adorable, But Born To Be Wild

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Opinion

Woody The Acorn (Not Pileated) Woodpecker

When commentator and resident bird expert Julie Zickefoose said that Woody Woodpecker is a pileated woodpecker, she ruffled some feathers in the ornithological community. Turns out that Woody is actually an acorn woodpecker, but maybe, just maybe, it doesn't matter all that much.

Woody The Acorn (Not Pileated) Woodpecker

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Opinion

The Magic Hedge: Haven For A Lost Bird In Chicago

Songbirds fly through the treacherous city of Chicago as they migrate to more hospitable winter homes. A yellowthroat warbler is rescued from the hustle and bustle and brought to a lakefront park, where hundreds of birds are known to stop on their way south.

The Magic Hedge: Haven For A Lost Bird In Chicago

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