Along with the benefits and challenges of keeping koi comes their symbolism of strength and perseverance.

Last summer, I cared for several dozen future butterflies that were raised in a Monarch Waystation garden in Bridgehampton. Created by Cindy Warne, the garden provides milkweed for caterpillars and nectar-rich plants for butterflies once they emerge from their chrysalids.

The Star's Hunter-Gatherer has gone shopping for things that can be useful inside and outside. They'll bring the spirit of outside inside, and the comfort of inside outside — yes, you can have it both ways.

Like oyster farming, raising chickens is a growing phenomenon on the South Fork, with poultry practitioners describing a low-maintenance operation that has multiple benefits of the environmental and gastronomic varieties, with little if any downside.