OK, I may be opening a proverbial can of worms or Pandora’s Box, but I am going to do it anyway. Should be fun. Here goes. What burning questions do you have about something in or about nature that I may be able to write about? In other words, what are your Qu’est Que C’ests.
For anyone new to my stories, the series title is Cajun for “What is that?” – verbalized with gusto! I have written about common and not so common critters and plants that occupy our world and which are often right in front of us. On the critter side, I have written about common creatures like roaches, earwigs, spiders (my favs), a variety of insects, birds, and other creepy crawlers.
On the not so common side of critters, I have introduced readers to zombie wasps, glass lizards, and other creatures that are on the shy side or seldom seen. Plant stories have included those that are easy to hate (strong language, but appropriate at times – reference Popcorn Trees) and others that are downright irritating and far too often in our paths, like greenbriars – they hurt! Foraging for and eating common and introduced plants has also been a common theme.
I have had fun sharing details about cool places, cool people, and projects about nature and conservation that inspire me and hopefully you as well. And although I am not necessarily running out of things to write about, I thought I would brave a request for more. And just so I am clear here, the topics I write about are those that I know something about or a lot about. But I do research additional details to share, often new to me. We should never stop learning.
So, please send along any suggestions you may have. I will write them all down and credit you for the idea. I will do my best to address as many as I can, short of those that may be beyond the capacity of my relatively short stories. For those that are beyond my capacity, I may have to punt, but any suggestion will be appreciated, nonetheless.
I will now take a deep breath and hope for the best. Fire away!
Hope to see you in our great outdoors!
Photos above: Golden Silk Spider, Dwarf Paw Paw, John Lipscomb
Mark is a naturalist and wetland ecologist, providing expertise on wetlands, water quality and environmental impacts of humans. He has also developed and conducted a number of environmental education programs and workshops for youth, teachers, realtors, and the general public on a variety of subjects including wetlands, natural history, and environmental landscaping. Mark is a graduate of the University of Southwestern Louisiana (B.S. and M.S. degrees) and Mississippi State University (Ph.D.). Mark is the recipient of the Chevron Conservation Award, the Mississippi Wildlife Federation Conservation Educator Award, the Gulf Guardian Award, and the Boy Scouts of America Silver Beaver Award.
