The creatures of Chesapeake Country are out in force. Since the last full moon on June 13, critters of every make and model have been hopping, waddling, crawling, slithering, walking, meandering and flying out of cover and into view.     Since that moon, treetops flash with male fireflies signaling their mates. Closer to ground, females flash in their own code. Strange flying things come nearer still.     Luna moths hang around my porch light in pairs, glowing in...

I was expecting SHOUT! The Mod Musical to be smashing, and it is. With hits by the likes of Petula Clark, Lulu, Shirley Bassey, Mary Hopkin, The Seekers and The Association plus a phenomenal cast of singer/dancers plus a superstar director (Jerry Vess) from seven previous Summer Garden productions, how could it be anything but?     What I didn’t expect was relevance.     SHOUT!, which debuted in 2006, revisits the Swinging Sixties in London through the eyes...

After the altruistic Autobots defeated the evil Decepticons in the Battle of Chicago, the American government had enough of alien warfare. The military ended its alliance with the Autobots, and both Autobots and Decepticons were declared illegal immigrants.     So you can bet that the junked semi-truck found by broke robotics inventor Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg: Lone Survivor) is more than it seems. In repair, he discovers that the wrecker is actually Optimus Prime, leader of...

Peony A spherical burst without a tail Chrysanthemum Like the peony but with a trail of sparks on its way up to bursting   Willow Similar to chrysanthemums but lasting longer with a dome effect that looks like a weeping ­willow tree   Palm Looks like a palm tree with fewer large tendrils instead of smaller streaks Diadem Looks like a peony or chrysanthemum with a ­cluster of static stars in the center   Crossette...