Five years ago, you knew Bernie Fowler Jr. as the son of a famous father and, maybe, a Southern Maryland building contractor. Today, the Patuxent River champion’s son is recognized as the leader of Farming 4 Hunger. His inspiration, innovation and success have fought hunger with over two million pounds of fresh food for two years. This year, Farming 4 Hunger is well on its way to topping a million pounds of fresh vegetables — primarily corn, potatoes and green beans. Man Meets...

Say good-bye to an osprey — if you can find one. My neighborhood nests are all empty and their eerie whistle waded into memory.     Beginning in mid-August, the fish hawks left their summer homes all along the Eastern seaboard for winter grounds in the Caribbean, Central and South America.     Where osprey go we know from the work of osprey followers like Rob Bierregaard, who has tagged with transmitters birds all along the coast.     ...

A Bay Weekly reader recently complained that her magnificent large rhododendron was dying after it had produced a super abundance of blooms this spring. After examining the plants closely, I knew that the cause of death was Phytophtora cactorum. This disease is often the primary cause for rhododendron dieback. It kills the plants starting at the ends of the branches, and works its way down the stem. If you can prune out the dying branches as soon as you spot it, you can often salvage the plant...

Week’s end finds the waning crescent moon in the company of Jupiter before dawn. Around 6am Friday morning, look for the moon high in the east with Jupiter to its lower left. The same time Saturday the moon shines just six degrees from Old Jove. Then Sunday, the now razor-thin crescent is well below Jupiter, while the first-magnitude star  Regulus, is just six degrees away.     While you should have no trouble spotting the waning crescent moon and Jupiter in the east...