Aug 12, 2026
What do the dog days of summer have to do with a star? What does a coneflower have to do with echinacea? And what might a bald eagle flying over a busy city or a dragonfly resting in the grass reveal when we pause long enough to really look?
In this Walk with SMB episode, Susan follows a handful of questions sparked by things she’s noticed and learned this summer. The familiar phrase “dog days of summer” turns out to carry an ancient connection to Sirius, the Dog Star. A coneflower and echinacea reveal themselves as different ways of knowing the same plant. An unexpected bald eagle challenges assumptions about where nature belongs. And a close encounter with a female darner dragonfly becomes an opportunity to marvel at something as seemingly ordinary—and astonishing—as a pair of wings.
Together, these observations lead to a larger question about curiosity, knowledge, and wonder. We often think explanation removes mystery: once we know how something works or what it’s called, perhaps it becomes less remarkable. But what if the opposite is true?
Looking closely can reveal how much more there is to notice. Learning one thing can lead to another question. And sometimes understanding a little more about the living world doesn’t diminish wonder at all—it deepens it.
During these dog days of summer, what are you curious about right now? What might become visible if you looked at something familiar a little more closely?
Resources Mentioned
Sirius (the Dog Star) and the origins of the “dog days of summer”
Echinacea / coneflowers
Darner dragonflies
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