Human Interest

This year's British Open is full of surprises: Two Americans are tied for the lead — and neither of them is Tiger Woods. The world's No. 1 didn't make the cut in Scotland. Lawrence Donegan, the golf correspondent for The Guardian and author of Four Iron in the Soul, has the latest.

Summertime doesn't have to mean hours behind the lawn mower, at least for shade-dwellers. Forty years ago, David Benner, horticulturist and moss enthusiast, killed all the grass on his property and cultivated moss in its place. Benner has 25 different moss species growing in his garden near New Hope, Pa.

Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States. He was an architect, an inventor and a statesman. But his passion was nature. Host Liane Hansen visits Monticello, Jefferson's primary residence on a mountaintop in Virginia, and tours Jefferson's magnificent gardens.

Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States. He was an architect, an inventor and a statesman. But his passion was nature. Host Liane Hansen visits Monticello, Jefferson's primary residence on a mountaintop in Virginia, and tours Jefferson's magnificent gardens.

Barbecue chef extraordinaire Adam Perry Lang teaches NPR's David Greene how to grill that ultimate burger. The recipe is complex, but Lang says barbecue novices need not be concerned. The trick, he says, is to get organized and be prepared.

Wicked Plants is a new book documenting the sometimes deadly plant kingdom. Author Amy Stewart writes about illegal, dangerous and toxic species, including oleander and poison sumac. This summer, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden features some of these "evil" plants skulking among its lily ponds and greenhouses.

Wicked Plants is a new book documenting the sometimes deadly plant kingdom. Author Amy Stewart writes about illegal, dangerous and toxic species, including oleander and poison sumac. This summer, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden features some of these "evil" plants skulking among its lily ponds and greenhouses.