BACKYARD TALES
Every year
I plant dill
for the swallowtail
caterpillars. It’s so fun
to watch them feast and
get plumper as they go.
Nancy McGrady
CHARLESTON,
SOUTH CAROLINA
This five-
lined skink
took up residence among
other critters around
my small ornamental
backyard pond. Skinks are
often regarded as pests
or dangerous, but they
are actually very beneficial
because they help keep
insect populations down.
TJ Waller
WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA