Rain Lilies

08/05/2026

Freelance environmental writer Michael Smith lays out programs in North Texas that are working to get kids outdoors.

08/01/2026

A few changes are in the works. First, the updated name, corresponding to my Substack which is dedicated to Lilly. If you have been following "Our Lives in Nature," I would appreciate it if you'd go have a look at https://rainlilies.substack.com/ and consider subscribing (free).

Observations from the woods, wetlands, and prairies, and thoughts about our relationships with such places. Click to read Rain Lilies, by Michael Smith, a Substack publication. Launched 4 months ago.

07/19/2026

Maybe it helps to know that the task of adapting to change is something we share with every other life in the world.

There has never been a day without transitions. The deepest and darkest blue in the sky lightens toward dawn. Birds awaken and add their song to the pre-dawn quiet. Clouds become visible, gray and …

07/12/2026

Revisiting the LBJ National Grasslands with friends. All but one photo from the top of the cuesta in Unit 71, but the pond is from Unit 30 (I wrote about the pond and that trail in Mindfulness in Texas Nature).

07/04/2026

A walk at the preserve and a reminder of the losses we are experiencing.

June 30, 2026 I got started with my walk at the preserve just before 9:00am, with the bright sun climbing the sky and a group of painted buntings calling in nearby trees. Maybe I arrived toward the…

06/22/2026

It was a privilege to write this for the Mind-Body Ecology Institute...

MBEI ally Michael A. Smith shares some reflections and photos from his wonderful mindfulness in nature journeys across Texas. Thank you, Michael!