Russet, bright orange, deep red, gold, brown, dark purple, and varying shades of green … those are the colors of Autumn, and…

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation, or ENSO, is an atmospheric teleconnection— in which weather at one location relates to weather at another, sometimes thousands of miles away — that involves the direction and strength of the trade winds. 

My series of short stories about the creepy crawly and green pieces and parts of our natural world is based on my lifelong curiosity about nature, regardless of if I knew what they were. I grew up in the 60s in south Louisiana, before air conditioning was a thing. I do not recall being hot but outdoors was where I spent most of my time, looking for stuff! That was the origin of my Qu’est Que C’est journey.

I’ll admit that serious birdwatching is new to me. After moving to an old farm place in Union County, the amazing array of beautiful birds we encountered just flew into our hearts, so to speak. It was a natural process, but before we knew it, we were feeding, watching, and documenting every new bird species we encountered out here on Buttercup Hill.