When I caught sight of my first monarch yesterday, my silly heart fluttered faster than her beautiful wings (which you’ll see is pretty quick!) And so it begins. My wonderful summer ritual of protecting caterpillars so they can form their chrysalises and emerge as the new generation of monarchs. To kick off butterfly season, here’s a fun Q&A about these amazing members of the Nymphalidae family!

Who doesn’t love a sunset? Watching the center of our solar system descend in a blaze of color certainly stirs our senses. But this display is only half of our galaxy’s remarkable show. Do yourself a favor and find a dark night sky to fill your soul! Beyond intangible feelings of wonder and peace, dark skies offer relief from the bombardment of artificial light that scientists now know disrupts sleep, increases stress, and adds to chronic disease.

Ephemeral may mean fleeting or short-lived, but when it comes to woodland wildflowers, it really should mean magical! By the time the tree canopy above fills with leaves, these native perennials have already produced their gorgeous flowers, dropped their seeds, then died back to spend the rest of their life cycles underground. Learn what to look for as these wondrous Spring treasures start to appear.

Does the “big picture” on our planet ever make you suck in your breath… and not in a good way? Yet, every day brings me more hope, especially when I turn to nature. Beside the healing effects we get from nature, researchers are also leveraging the powers of flora and fauna to help remedy our impact on the planet. Read some promising solutions and ponder how we each can help our Earth.

We learned many things the hard way when planning the 7,000 mile adventure to 20 national parks in Eye Rolls & Awe: A National Park Road Trip with Teens. Don’t miss our top 10 tips!