Backyard and Beyond

Starting out from Brooklyn, an amateur naturalist explores our world.

As John Burroughs said, “The place to observe nature is where you are.”

The Years Go Marching By

It’s harder and harder to age in this savage republic. Even as a long-in-the-tooth perpetual adolescent, I’m not in much of a celebratory mood this year, but here are some birthday posts of yore:

2020: bathing beauty.

Wait, I did another birthday Red-tailed Hawk in 2019?

It fell during Kestrel Week in 2018.

2017: tree rings.

{In 2016 I repeated 2013, see below.]

2015, in Dante’s Italian.

Very minimal, 2014.

In 2013, I had some fun scavenging literature.

Skipped 2012 all together.

2011, the first use of Dante.

This blog started in March, 2010.

3.5″ long pocket knife in the center of this enormous stump, presumably a tuliptree, as in the photo in the middle of this post. Sad to see these giants go.

12 responses to “The Years Go Marching By”

  1. Happy Birthday, Matthew! May the coming year bring you all great things.

    1. Thanks, Dr. D!

  2. Happy Birthday Matthew!!!

    1. Thank you, Leah!

  3. Happy Birthday Matthew! I hope you have a wonderful birthday weekend!

    1. Thank you, Ellen! Watching Japanese films all day, but will get into the sun tomorrow.

  4. Happy birthday Matthew and thank you for all the beauty that you’ve shown us. I look forward to your posts every day

    1. Thank you so much, Susan.

  5. My old tree has quite a few rings. Also a winter baby. Have a good one!

    1. Thank you, Joan!

  6. Chuck McAlexander

    Happy Birthday! May you always enjoy nature as though you just discovered it.

    1. Thanks, Chuck. That is the great thing about nature, isn’t it; never the same river twice.

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