It’s a great time of the year when rice harvest begins. One of our favorite parts of harvest is the aroma of a freshly-harvested rice field. Maybe it has something to do with the bran or bran oil on the rice grain where the aroma is released in part by the harvest process. Whatever it is, it is earthy with a mildly sweet overtone. At least to many, the aroma is comforting. Have you driven the backroads at rice harvest time, rolled down a window and breathed in the sweet smell of harvested rice?

Rodent exterminator, no charge
Photo taken by Conservancy staff on a Conservancy preserve, 2024. It’s often difficult to view, but part of the Conservancy’s job is to see that wildlife has access to sustenance on the preserves. Here, a Snowy egret (Egretta thula) manages to nab a quick lunch on a Conservancy owned and …