At this time last year, I found myself ready to leave one of the most beautiful places I had ever been. We had just found what appeared to be the last parking spot in Zion National Park and were walking to what looked like a never ending line for the tram to go into the valley. And it was ...
This weekend marks the unofficial beginning of summer. That means little league games, swimming pools, and maybe some beach time. But summer also brings sunburn, sweltering heat, and biting/stinging insects. Today, however, let’s focus on the botanical scourge called poison ivy, which sits atop my list of summertime blights. I write from experience. My history with poison ivy is long and unpleasant. During my late spring elementary school days, I sometimes stayed home because the poison ivy rash actually swelled my eyes shut. My worst memories of little league baseball are ...
May is a season of fast changes. Storm clouds boil up over the hills to the west and sweep rain across the region. Days of baking sun are followed by mornings where winter coats are more appropriate. Most of the changes, though, are quiet. The forest fills slowly with life. Ferns ...
One of my favorite parts of being a naturalist is watching kids discover things they have never seen before. So many children simply don’t get the opportunity to explore outdoors or don’t even know that exploring outside is an option. Audubon does a lot of programs for schools in ...
The nesting season for birds shifts into high gear in May. Geography, weather, and each species’ biology affect the precise timing of the nesting season, but one constant is the role of the incredible egg. Think of an egg as an avian gestation chamber, or the functional equivalent of a mammalian uterus. It’s where a fertilized egg develops into an embryo and then transforms into a chick mature enough to hatch. The wonder of embryonic development is how fertilized eggs transform into chicks. Typically, females sit on a clutch of eggs and after a period of time, the eggs hatch. ...
Everyone loves a good neighbor, especially one that comes to your house to clean. Chautauqua Lake has a good neighbor — the Conewango Creek Watershed Association. For the last four years, they have come to help clean up the outlet of Chautauqua Lake, and they are set to do it for a ...
