In an anthropology of the world, twins are usually regarded with some combination of suspicion, mystery, magic, and awe. So it should be fitting that we close our tales of Gaia’s misbegotten monsters on a happier and altogether more magical note with the story of a twin fox named Moonshadow. A creature so pure and
Not all of nature’s demons are animals, you know. Sometimes it’s not just the gremlins that glower in the grove, but the greenery itself. You’ve probably all heard of the butterfly-eating cobra lilies in the Oregon boglands, or the common venus flytrap in North Carolina’s Green Swamp, or even the tree mushrooms that live in any
Of all the horrors of the Forgotten American Backcountry, the Fredericksburg Sheep stands apart, being neither horrible to look at, nor reeking of decay, nor creepy, crawly, or otherwise frightful in any manner. The Fredericksburg Sheep is, in fact, a lovely specimen: a full coat of tawny locks, a face and ears the color of warm
Just as you’re about to sleep, you hear a rustling. You look over your shoulder but nothing’s there. A shadow moves across the corner of your left eye, your head turns, but again you find yourself alone in the night. Shrugging it off, you close your eyes and try to sleep, but you can’t pretend
A relative newcomer to the Great American Wild, and not quite so wild as the rest you’ll meet in your travels, you should always be vigilant — or you might end up sharing room and board — with a California House Snake. Not just venomous, but poisonous even to the touch (some say that merely seeing
