Naturally Native Lensography

Bounty of Beautiful Birds 

Bird, Bird, Bird, Bird is the Word!!!
Birds are one of our favorite animals.

Red-bellied Woodpecker Family

The only good thing that Hurricane Katrina did for Southeastern Louisiana was to leave plenty of broken trees in which the woodpeckers and other cavity nesting birds could raise their young. The Red-bellied Woodpeckers have been very prolific this ye...

Nest Box Trails for Bluebirds and Others

Lawrence Zeleny's book, the Bluebird How You Can Help Its Fight for Survival, alerted the public about the peril of our native Bluebirds. Now people all over North America are building and maintaining Bluebird Trails. Anyone can start their own trail...

The Cardinal's Nest

Every bird-watcher and most children recognize the male Northern Cardinal, a Christmas symbol, but many people know nothing about its nesting and courtship habits. Through the years, we have been able to observe and photograph most of the mating beha...

Brown-headed Nuthatch of the Southeastern U. S.

Brown-headed Nuthatches are indigenous to the Pine forests of the Southeastern United States where they are permanent residents. They are one of nature's acrobats and we never tire of their antics. Their primary food is Pine nuts, so their food suppl...

Carolina Wren's Nest

The little brown Carolina Wren pair with their perky tails and loud voice builds a nest somewhere around our house each year. This year we photographed their nest in the hanging basket on the porch. This lens contains information about Carolina Wren...

Prothonotary Warblers are Golden

A small golden yellow bird with blue gray wings darts across the creek. its clear, high, metallic rising "tsweet tsweet tsweet tsweet tsweet" song rings out through the forest. It lands and picks a clump of green moss, then flies to the hole in a ne...

Carolina Chickadees

Carolina Chickadees are great little cavity nesting birds and nest in early spring. They are permanent residents in the Eastern United States and coexist well with humans since they love sunflower seeds and suet. Chickadees are very under rated and e...

The Wings of Winter

The winter season is hard on wildlife, but most of all the birds. Some bird species migrate to warmer climates, but many do not. There is quite an assortment of beautiful birds that are permanent residents of, or that visit Louisiana during the wint...

Gifts for the Birder on Your List

Are you looking for a gift for the birders on your list? You've come to the right place. We are nature lovers and have searched the web to find great gifts that we would like to receive. We have highlighted the best books, binoculars, cameras, appare...

Pine Warblers of the Forests

The Pine Warbler is a beautiful yellow and olive green bird that inhabits Pine forests all over the United States. In the south, these birds are permanent residents, but in the north, they migrate south in winter. Because they are the only Warbler th...

Songs and Signs of Spring

Down here in the the Deep South, the signs and songs of spring begin to show themselves in what would be considered late winter for the rest of the country. It is not uncommon to have Taiwan Cherry tree and Wild Blueberry (Huckleberry, Vaccinium spp...

Bluebirds and Their Boxes on Twitter

This Twttrlist is for all the bluebird lovers in the world. I've gathered all the best tweets about bluebird boxes and Eastern bluebirds. These tweets contain many links to videos and photos of beautiful bluebirds, that I know you will enjoy.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

The tiny Ruby-crowned Kinglet is one of our favorite winter residents. Being just a little bit larger than a hummingbird, you would think that this bird would be shy, but it's not. These lovely little nymphs are in perpetual motion as they travel th...

Hum-Hum-Hummingbirds 

Nature's Flying Jewels

Mizell's Butterfly and Hummingbird Extravaganza in Folsom, LA

Each September, Mizell Farms welcomes butterfly and hummingbird lovers to their nursery for the annual Butterfly and Hummingbird Festival. Events include speakers, hummingbird banding, visiting the butterfly house, touring the nature trail, plant rel...

Hummingbirds and Gardening for Them

Who wouldn't want to attract hummingbirds, nature's flying jewels, to their yard? Hummingbird feeders will help bring them into view, but to really sustain them it is necessary to plant for them. Planting a Hummingbird Garden full of nectar rich flow...

Winged Jewels of Winter

Did you know that some species of hummingbirds spend the winter in the southern United States? Yes, it's true. In backyards and habitats all over the south species such as Rufous, Allen's, Black-chinned, Broad-tailed, Calliope, Buff-bellied...

Butterflies, Moths and Other Buggy Things 

Insects Rule! Let's Give Them a Hand.

New Orleans Goes Buggy for Bugs

If you live in one of the Gulf Coast states and want to take a "single tank" vacation, then you should head for New Orleans to see the brand new Audubon Institute Insectarium, a museum which displays and celebrates our largest family of animals, the...

Butterflies and Gardening to Attract Them

What is more beautiful than a garden full of colorful flowers with gorgeous butterflies flitting around? It's really not that hard to create a haven like this right in your own yard. All you need to create this sanctuary for you and the butterflies a...

Clearwing Hummingbird Moth

One may think there's a tiny little baby hummingbird flying among the flowers, but more than likely it's a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth. This moth will feed during the day and it's shape, coloration and scaleless wings give it the appearance of a small...

Critters 

Our Favorite Crawly Creatures.

Snakes of Louisiana

Snakes are probably one of the most controversial animals. You either love them or hate them. Snakes are a very important link in the food chain and without them our earth would be overrun with vermin and harmful insects. Here in Louisiana there are...

Kingsnakes of Louisiana

Since we were children we have welcomed the gentle, non-poisonous Kingsnakes into our yard. Kingsnakes are constrictors that live in many types of habitat, but seem to prefer ridges and levees that border wet areas. They will kill and eat poisonous...

Diamond-back Water Snake

The Diamond-back (or backed) Water Snake is a long, heavy-bodied, tan to gray-brown snake with a pattern of dark brown to black chain-like markings. The belly is yellow, but with dusky brown markings. As the name implies it lives in slow moving water...

Black Racer Snake

Black Racers are very fast black snakes with a bluish cast to their scales. Other names for this handsome, non-venomous snake are Blue Racer, Blue Runner and Black Runner. The Southern Black Racer occurs in habitats all over Louisiana and through mo...

Cottonmouth Moccasin Snake

The Cottonmouth (which used to be called Cottonmouth Moccasin or Water Moccasin) is a venomous semi-aquatic snake. It is one of the five species of pit viper that inhabits Louisiana. It is also the only semi-aquatic viper in the world. The name, Cott...

Rat Snakes in Louisiana

Rat Snakes are attractively marked, non-poisonous constrictors which primarily eat rats and mice and some birds and eggs. They are known for their climbing ability and their great length which can be up to 101 inches. In the south they are called Ch...

Ring-necked Snake of Louisiana

The Ring-necked Snake is a small, harmless snake that lives in forested areas all over the Southeastern United States. It spends most of the daylight hours hiding under logs, but is active at night during the warm months of the year. Ring-necked Sna...

Hognose Snake in Louisiana

The Eastern Hognose Snake is a most unusual reptile with some very unique defense mechanisms, including puffing up like a cobra and playing dead. Although it is considered non-poisonous, in that it does not have fangs, it's saliva sometimes causes a...

Yellow-bellied Water Snakes

Plain-bellied Water snakes are found in every southeastern state in the U.S. They are stout snakes with dark brown, gray or greenish gray backs and bellies that range in color from yellow to red. In Louisiana, the Yellow-bellied and blotched water s...

Ribbon and Garter Snakes

Garter and Ribbon snakes are beneficial, non-poisonous snakes. Garter Snakes are welcomed into gardens because they eat small rodents, snails, slugs and harmful insects among other things. There are several different species that inhabit Louisiana. M...

Broad-banded Watersnake of Louisiana

The Broad-banded is the only species of Banded Water snake that lives in Louisiana. They are found in bodies of water all over Louisiana and the Southeastern United States. Unfortunately, these stout non-poisonous water snakes with colorful bellies,...

Rough Green Snake

The Rough Green Snake is the only type of Green Snake that inhabits Louisiana. It is a slim, medium sized, non-poisonous snake, which is bright green in color. Rough Green snakes are egg layers and are excellent climbers.  

Other Reptiles 

Pond Life, One of those Days

There's a new module in town and it's perfect for people like us who love to take pictures. The Caption Contest Module allows users to enter all sorts of funny and clever captions for variety of pictures. So if you like to write funny one-liners or...

Amphibians 

Amazing Amphibians of Louisiana

Amphibians are an interesting and very important class of animals and there are certainly plenty of them here in Louisiana. We have everything from large Bullfrogs to tiny Tree frogs, Toads that keep the garden free of harmful insects and even secret...

Cricket Frogs of Louisiana

Louisiana hosts two species of Cricket frogs, the Northern cricket frog (Acris crepitans) and the Southern cricket frog (Acris gryllus). This colorful little pipsqueak has some amazing qualities. It can leap great distances (for its size) and it has...

Gray Treefrog in Louisiana

Gray Treefrogs are interesting looking little frogs that are often found living near human habitats. There are actually two species of Gray Treefrogs which occur in the Southeastern United States (including Louisiana). The Common Gray Treefrog (Hyla...

Bronze Frog in Louisiana

Green Frogs come in shades of green and browns and are found all over the Southeastern United States, but only the subspecies, the Bronze Frog, Rana clamitans clamitans occupies Louisiana. Green and Bronze frogs are one of the most commonly seen spe...

Green Treefrog in Louisiana

Green Treefrogs are colorful little frogs that coexist well with humans. They are amphibians of the woodlands in riparian areas. The Green Treefrog is the state amphibian of Louisiana and is another of the beneficial predators that help organic gard...

Love Those Cute Cuddly Creatures! 

Halloween - Why Cats, Bats and Spiders?

So many of our Halloween symbols are animals. Black Cats, Bats, Owls, Spiders and even Toads have all become a part of Halloween. This lens will give you some insight into how this came about and will also provide you with the real facts about each o...

Creatures of the Night

When the sun goes down, the night creatures come out of their nests, dens and boroughs. This is their time to shine. They have adapted to living by the light of the moon and stars, so that the cycle of life (producer, consumer and predator) will cont...

Remarkable Animal Videos

As we grow older we are constantly amazed with the special talents and abilities of animals, both domesticated and wild. The videos that we have collected here just show a few of the remarkable gifts that animals possess. We have many animal friends...

These are for the Animals 

They donate their proceeds to various animal charities like the Humane Society of the U.S. and the National Wildlife Federation Alaska.

Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau was a man for all seasons. He was an author, a naturalist, philosopher, surveyor, Transcendentalist and a protester. His happiest times were spent studying the flora in the forests around his home in Massachusetts. His last and un...

Funny and Cute Animal Videos

This lens is for all of you animal lovers out there. We keep finding these cute, funny and interesting videos on YouTube.com featuring one of our favorite things, Animals, so we thought we'd put them all together in one place. There are too many to...

Bluebird Tribute in Video and Song

This is a tribute to the beautiful and joyful Bluebird of the fields and forests of the U.S. Young and old alike should enjoy this lens which features Bluebirds in YouTube Video, Songs and literature. Yes, this is a love fest for Bluebirds, whether t...

My Summer of Love Virtual Concert

My Summer of Love Virtual Concert will benefit our abandoned and mistreated animals. Many of the groups and individual musicians (like John Denver and Marvin Gaye) who will appear at this virtual concert were activists for a variety of worthy causes,...

Summer of Love Great Sounds Video Showcase

I was a teenager in the early 1960's during a time of revelation in the music industry and the world. The Fifth Dimension, Diana Ross and the Supremes and the Beachboys were groups that had that special something that blended into a great sound. Come...

Our Animal Family 

We have a whole menagerie of adopted pets. Meet the family!

Blaze Star, Our Oldest Cat

We feel that pets, especially cats, who choose you are the most precious. This lens is about Blaze Star, the cat, not Uncle Earl's honey, who found us one morning in September of 2003. We have shared our home with her ever since and she brings us suc...

Our Pets' Stories

Through the years we have had many pets and somehow, in the grand scheme of things, most of them found and adopted us. This is the story of some of the beloved animals that have shared our lives. Though many of them were not with us as long as we wou...

Star Noir, Our Beautiful Black Cat

Just like people, animals have their own unique personalities. This is especially true with cats. Star Noir, our Halloween surprise, appeared as if by magic and has taken the roll of protector of little Blaze and mediator between Blaze and Dax. She i...

Backyard Chickens on Twitter

A current trend is to move away from the sterile exotic lawn landscapes and move back towards useful, food producing yards. With that, the reappearance of chickens in the backyard naturally follows. All over North America, peeps are building coops an...

Dax - Tiny Kitten to Big Cat

Little Dax, the sweet looking kitten that we adopted from our Vet's office, seemed to be the perfect companion for our small, rescued cat Blaze, but we soon realized that because of his wild heritage, he was filled with spit and vinegar. Then, when...

Healthy Habitats are Very Important to the World's Ecosystems 

Plant Natives and Save Our Natural Habitats.

Canoeing the Tchefuncte River

Come with us on a virtual canoe ride down the lovely and scenic Little Tchefuncte River. We'll see many of the plants and animals that live in and along the river. Your guides will also tell you about the river and its flora and fauna. So, get your v...

Naturally Native Habitat

Naturally Native is all about our love of nature, animals and the great outdoors. We enjoy Louisiana's scenic rivers and the abundant native flora and fauna and we want to share it with the world. Most of the photographs featured here were taken in S...

Preserving Native Habitats in Louisiana

Scientists from all over the world, like Douglas Tallamy the author of Bringing Nature Home, are advocating using native plants in sustainable, ecologically balanced gardens in suburban and urban yards to help bring back the beneficial insects that a...

Folsom, Louisiana Native Plant Society

The Folsom Native Plant Society has been active since the late 1980's. The purpose of the group is to protect, perpetuate, and propagate the abundant native plants of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, and adjacent areas, focusing primarily on our native...

Plenty of Plants and Sustainable Gardening 

Planting a Garden Will Help Save the World.

Sustainable Gardening a la Rabbit Hill

When Robert Lawson wrote and illustrated Rabbit Hill over 60 years ago he was ahead of his time in the way he felt about sharing his part of this earth with the indigenous animals. For years, we have been using many of the gardening "techniques" that...

Planting for Birds and Wildlife

Welcoming birds and animals into our yard has been a most enjoyable experience. The beauty and motion that they add to the landscape makes the garden that we have created seem all the more beautiful. We have provided a planting list with photographs...

Gardening with Native Plants

Using native plants in the landscape and sustainable gardening are 2 hot topics, today. This lens will provide you with native plant lists, techniques, and links to more information that will get you started on the way to creating an ecologically hea...

Restoring an Heirloom Garden

We are still working to completely restore our heirloom garden to it's true glory, and we thought that some of the gardeners out there might like to hear about how we began. Each time we pulled the weeds and vines away from a beautiful plant it was...

Planting Camellia Gardens

The beautiful Camellia japonica and Camellia sasanqua and even the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, have been in southern gardens for so many years that it's hard to think of a garden without them. We have several very large, old-fashioned specimens in...

Hip Old Roses for Sustainable Landscaping

Old and Antique Roses are making a big come back as homeowners search for attractive, low maintenance, sustainable plants to add to their landscape. Many of the old varieties of roses have survived, unattended for years in cemeteries and on old homes...

Great Gifts for the Gardener

We are avid gardeners and we know that many non-gardeners don't know what kind of gift we would like to receive, so we are publishing a list of our most desired gift items. Most gardeners like similar things so this should help all of you gift givers...

How sustainable is your landscape?

"Sustainability, Green Living, growing your own produce", we hear these words more and more as prices soar and the economy plummets. But how many people really do any of it? Do the city dwellers have little patio or balcony gardens. Are the suburbani...

Saving Native and Other Plant Seeds

Saving seeds from your favorite plants is an easy and economical thing to do. Whether it be native plants, pass-along flowers or heirloom vegetables, when you harvest and store seeds, you know that you are perpetuating a species of plant that might h...

Rudbeckias for the South

The Rudbeckia species contains several striking, easy to grow perennials whose golden yellow flowers attract butterflies and other pollinators and whose seeds are eaten by a variety of small songbirds. Many members of the species are drought resistan...

Native Louisiana Irises

Native Irises grow over the entire northern hemisphere, and there are a number of especially lovely species that are native to Louisiana and the other coastal southern states. While only 4 (some experts say 5) species make up what is known as "The Lo...

Bee Balm Monarda for the South

Monardas are perennial wildflowers and are members of the mint family (note the square stem) so they are considered an herb. All parts of the plant are aromatic. Butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinators are attracted to the nectar rich flower...

15 Easy to Grow Southern Wildflowers

Here are 15 easy to grow native flowering perennials that are guaranteed to thrive in the hot, humid areas of the coastal southern United States and in other parts of North America, too. As we move toward sustainability, native plants are becoming mo...

Indian Pink, Perennial Wildflower

Indian Pink, Spigelia marilandica is a "must have" for the hummingbird garden. The gorgeous red tubular flowers with yellow star-shaped tips are filled with nectar and the hardy, perennial plants adapt to many shade to part sun conditions. Pinkroot...

Best of Gardening on Twitter

I'm always looking for good references about gardening and I have just found a goldmine of them on Twitter. The good thing about this list is that it is ever changing and it can be updated with the click of a mouse. If you're like me and want to lea...

Tips About Rain Gardens on Twitter

One of the new Green landscaping techniques is to utilize low areas in your yard to build rain gardens which will keep excess storm water on-site. Rain gardens impact the environment in a number of positive ways. There are many tweets about rain gard...

Love to Read... 

... just wish we had more time to.

Favorite Animal Fantasy, Amazing Tales and Mystery Books

Fantasy, Science Fiction and Mysteries are my favorite genres and I love animals of all shapes and sizes, so when you put them together, well, I could stay happily occupied for hours. This lens contains an annotated bibliography of, what I feel, are...

Give Children the Gift of Reading

  Giving children the gift of reading is the greatest gift anyone can give. It's the gift that keeps on giving. When parents spend quality time, reading to a child the whole family benefits. By adding a plush toy book character for the child to...

Sookie Stackhouse Vampire Mysteries

Sookie Stackhouse is the unique heroine of Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire Mysteries. She is a beautiful, clever telepathic bar maid with a heart of gold, even for those supernatural beings without a heart beat. Sookie fans have been following her...

Eragon Inheritance Cycle

I wish that I had discovered the Eragon Inheritance Cycle and begun the fascinating journey when the first book came out. But maybe it was better that I first read Eragon and saw the movie right before the second book, Eldest was published. That way...

Teaching and Learning... 

... should never stop.
We all should be Life-long Learners.

Johnny Appleseed Thematic Unit

The legend of Johnny Appleseed (aka John Chapman) is filled with fact and fiction and Steven Kellogg's humorous retelling of the story is perfect to build a thematic unit around. I have included suggested teaching / learning activities, centered arou...

Pumpkin Picking Time

 Pumpkins seem to fascinate children, whether they are growing in a field or carved as a jack-o-lantern on the front porch. This thematic teaching unit is all about pumpkins from growing them and eating them to the history and symbols associate...

Native American Legends Thematic Unit

Native American culture is rich with wonderful folktales and legends. I have featured three of my favorites and written a mini thematic unit about each. The unit for Legend of the Indian Paintbrush by Tomie dePaola is geared toward first grade. The G...

Eggs and Easter Teaching Unit

Eggs and Easter mean lots of fun, but they also present many learning opportunities for children. I have written a fourth grade, inter-disciplinary thematic unit on Eggs which includes many activities and bibliographies of books and audio-visual mat...

Louisiana Sights and Sounds 

My alma mater - LSU, LSU, LSU!!!!

St. Tammany Parish is where we live.

I grew up in North Louisiana.

Al grew up in New Orleans.

Mardi Gras in Louisiana

Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana is filled with lots of free fun. The parades are still rolling in the Big Easy, as well as on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain. New Orleans Mardi Gras is steeped in tradition with its King Cakes, Krewes, Gran...

Mardi Gras on the NorthShore

If you enjoy Mardi Gras, but don't want to brave the hustle and bustle of New Orleans, then Carnival on the North Shore is the place for you and your family. There are plenty of parades, masking and throws and the pace is much slower and more family...

Memories of Louisiana Baby Boomers

New Orleans has always been a magical city, but was more so in the 1950's and '60's. During that time people sat on their front porches and watched all the children of the neighborhood. Children could play in Audubon and City Park without fear and co...

Covington, LA on New Orleans' North Shore

Covington, LA is located on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain, across the Causeway Bridge from New Orleans making it the perfect place to stay when visiting the Big Easy. It is the parish seat of St. Tammany Parish and it's history is old, datin...

LSU Tigers Video Tribute

The LSU Tigers had a remarkable season in 2007 with Les Miles and in previous years with he who will not be named. The team goes on to Fight, Fight Fight to victory each year. This lens is a collection of some of LSU's greatest moments and memorabil...

More About Our Family 

Growing Up in Rural North Louisiana

Growing up in rural North Louisiana was a gift that keeps on giving. The good times I spent romping through the meadows, fields and forests were some of the best times of my life. The life skills that I learned on our farm / ranch, near Coushatta, Lo...

Artist Mattie E. Clark

My grandmother, Mattie E. Clark was an artist, who had to set aside her art for a number of years to raise five children and, after my grandfather died at an early age, also manage the family farm. My mother always told us about our artistic grandmot...

Tribute to Mother

I cherished my own dear mother who left this earth in January of 2008. Mother's Day is a little bittersweet for me these days, so I thought I would celebrate this year by remembering some of the special qualities of my Mom. Of course, no one is perf...

Yummy Dishes 

Cooking and Eating are Popular Sports in Louisiana!

Please Eat the Wild Flowers

For centuries, people have been eating wild flowers and plants. There are so many tasty buds out there, free for the taking, if you know what to look for. I've included some of our favorite edible wild flowers and plants with descriptions, photograph...

Stuffed Mirlitons and More New Orleans Recipes

Is a Mirliton an instrument, a dance movement or vegetable? Actually, the answer is, "all three", but this lens is about the vegetable pear - How to grow it, how to cook it and even festivals that honor it. Mirlitons are an integral part of old New O...

Oat Bread Recipes for Bread Machines

Old-fashioned oat bread is both delicious and good for you. It is low in cholesterol and contains cholesterol lowering oatmeal so this easy to make bread is one that everyone should try. There are many ways to make oat bread and we've included recipe...

Stalking the Wild Greens

All of our Mamas told us to eat our greens. They knew how nutritious greens can be and wild greens like dandelion and chickweed are filled with vitamins and minerals. These so-called "weeds" have been eaten in other countries for years. Instead of s...

Favorite Wild Fruits

Ever since we were children, we have loved the fruit of native plants. Now, with the Green movement and the increased use of native plants in landscaping and sustainable gardens, those delicious fruits are available to more people. This lens provides...

Best of Cajun Recipes on Twitter

We love our spicy food down here in south Louisiana and I'm always looking for new recipes, especially ones that are geared toward low fat and cholesterol. I found a bounty of Cajun recipes on Twitter. Recipes for everything from classic Cajun style...

Louisiana Holiday Feast

If you are not from Louisiana, you probably don't know how different the northern part of the state is from the southern part of the state. We cook different foods, pray in different churches and celebrate in very different ways. I have lived in both...

Louisiana Seafood Diet

Down here in Louisiana, we usually eat all the food that we see, but that's not exactly what this lens is about. Food from the sea and local waters, including fish, shrimp, crabs, oysters and crawfish are popular all year long, but especially on th...

Sweet Treats 

7-up Cake Recipes

7-Up Cake has been popular since the 1950's when adding the soft drink instead of water to a mix was said to make the cake "light and airy". In the early 1980's the 7-Up pound cake baked in a bundt pan became popular. We have included recipes for all...

Coca-Cola Chocolate Cake

Coca Cola Cake is a sinfully rich chocolate concoction of the 1960's. It was a favorite during my teenage years and was a standard at parties during that time. There are several different recipes for this moist, delicious sheet cake and I have gathe...

7-up Cake or Coca Cola Cake, which is best?

Which is your favorite? Do you prefer the light, moist, lemony 7-up Cake or the dark, rich, moist chocolate Coca Cola Cake? Let's hear the pros and cons of both. Maybe you've never heard of either. Let's hear about that, too. Speak out in this Batt...

How to Make Brownies

If you are a chocoholic like us, then you'll love this brownie lens. I've included several different recipes for the cake brownie and the fudge brownie people and for the beginners and the experts. We even found a great YouTube video that de...

Christmas or Anytime Cookie Recipes

Some of the best times I can remember were spent in the kitchen with my Mom, baking cookies. With our rush and hurry world of today, so many of the old family recipes have not been passed down as they were in times past. This lens features recipes th...

Holiday Fun 

Celebrating the Holidays with Nature and Natural Things and a Little Local Flavor!

Halloween Masking in New Orleans

Down here in South Louisiana we're always looking for an excuse to put on a costume and have some fun, so Halloween is celebrated with gusto. The ghouls and goblins, witches and werewolves prowl the French Quarter from Dusk to Dawn. This is a time wh...

Christmas New Orleans Style

Every part of the world has it's Holiday Traditions. But for post Katrina New Orleans, LA, many of these traditions are just fond memories. For many native New Orleanians a part of their history was washed away on that famous day in late August,...

Natural Christmas Wreaths and Other Crafts

We love nature's bounty and enjoy gathering the supplies for our family's Christmas wreath. The gathering starts as soon as the interesting seed pods form, usually in the fall. Pine trees abound where we live, so our wreaths have a foundation of pine...

Angel Crafts for Christmas

Creating Christmas decorations is an American tradition. In our family, we love to make our own decorations and many are passed down from generation to generation. I have included some patterns and instructions for a few of the Christmas Angels that...

Cajun Night Before Christmas

Did you know that Santa once moved to Louisiana and that there is a book called, the Cajun Night Before Christmas by Trosclair and James Rice, that tells the tale? Since the 1970's James Rice has delighted readers with his fanciful illustrations...

St. Patrick's Day Louisiana

Both Al and I can trace part of our ancestry back to the Emerald Isle, so we enjoy celebrating St. Patrick's Day. The history of St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland is also very interesting to us. St. Patrick's Day is widely celebrated and is f...

Valentine, What Shall I Give Thee?

Are you wondering what to give your sweetheart for Valentine's Day this year? Why not try a natural gift, like flowers or a plant? Since Victorian times, many herbs and flowers have been given special meanings and there is even a "language of flowers...

Zazzle, Zazzle 

...We Love Zazzle, CafePress & Etsy!

Zazzle's Halloween Creatures

When the frost is on the pumpkin, our thoughts go to Halloween with its tall black cats, hooting owls, flying bats and spiders spinning webs. These are the animals of Halloween. We have searched Zazzle.com with animal lovers, like us, in mind and hav...

Nature Postage Celebrates Animals

This lens celebrates wildlife and says, "We love and protect animals". It is here that the creatures of Louisiana, both wild and domesticated, are spotlighted (in a positive way) by displaying their photo on postage stamps. Tips on attracting wildli...

Naturally Native Gifts Zazzle Gallery

We love to photograph and draw and paint nature and our Naturally Native Gallery reflects our love of nature and the outdoors. We take pictures each day when we walk our 2 rescued dogs to the beautiful Tchefuncte River and we can share our view of t...

Razzle Zazzle Christmas Gifts

Zazzle is the place to shop for Christmas and we've gathered a selection of designs, books and poems which any nature lover should adore. You'll find shoes, T-shirts, ties, bags, mugs and Christmas cards with matching postage. We've incl...

Postcards from the Hedge

We've always enjoyed collecting postcards of our favorite animals or scenes and so we decided to feature postcards of many of our best nature and animal photographs. We like to use postcard size photographs of birds or animals to make attractive comp...

Etsy Goes Natural

Artists seem to run in my family and I have been drawing, painting and creating since I was a girl. My husband and I have opened an Etsy Store which features my designs, most of which are inspired by nature. I have many interests so you'll find a var...

How to Show Off Zazzle Products Using Text Modules

Calling all Zazzle Associates! Here's a simple way to feature attractive picture links to your own or other Zazzlers' products. Products can be grouped in horizontal rows of two or more products or with one large picture link spotlighting one product...

CafePress ala Naturally Native

We have been drawing, painting and taking photographs of nature and for over 30 years. CafePress and Zazzle have enabled us to share the beautiful nature of Louisiana with the world. We hope you enjoy viewing our designs of both the wild and domesti...

naturegirl7's Zazzle Designs

Our gallery is called Naturally Native Creations and it features nature related photographs and art work. We create posters, T-shirts, Keds shoes, mousepads, greeting cards and lots of other things. My husband and I love nature and the outdoors and w...

My Second 100 Lenses 

It's getting much too busy here, so I've started another lensography for our next 100 lenses.

Naturegirl7's 100 Lenses and Counting

After a little more than a year on Squidoo, I have completed over 100 lenses and am proud to say that the Giant 100 Club has accepted me. The second 100 lenses that are featured here, include some new niches which we are expanding upon, including Am...

Our Groups 

We manage two groups and we are enjoying it a lot. There are so many great lenses here from many extraordinary lensmasters.

Naturally Native Squids Headquarters

The Naturally Native Squids group welcomes lenses about nature, animals, native plants, gardening (especially ecologically healthy gardening) and all things natural. Lenses should be well constructed with good content and photographs, with no generic...

Squidoo Zazzler Co-Op Headquarters

SQUIDOO ZAZZLE CO-OP Welcome to the Squidoo Zazzle Co-op. This group is the home for top notch lenses relating to Zazzle. Let's have some fun showing off our great creations and helping each other promote our gallery shops! Use creativity in y...