It’s that magical time of year when snowflakes dance from the sky, wrapping the world in a cozy, white blanket. People are warm and snug inside, sipping hot cocoa and watching winter do its thing. But while everyone is bundled up, the team at the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy is thinking ...
Leaves are probably the most common feature used to identify trees. But in winter, when so many trees have dropped their leaves, combinations of other features are needed. The bark, along with the pattern and shape of buds on branches can be used to determine species. The bare branches of ...
Have you ever wondered why plants and animals thrive the way they do here in Chautauqua County? After moving here, I took a dive deep into learning about local geography and the county’s natural surroundings. As a geography graduate, maps are a fascination of mine, and I couldn’t resist ...
If the groundhog sees its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If the Wooly Bear caterpillar has a narrow orange band in the middle, it will be a harsh winter. If a cat sneezes, it will rain soon. Humans have been observing animals for millennia and using their behaviors to ...
New York’s forests are in trouble. Tiny, destructive insects are spreading fast, killing trees that have stood for hundreds of years. We’ve already lost American chestnuts and millions of ash trees. Now, another tree is at risk—the eastern hemlock. A tiny bug called Hemlock Woolly ...
Last week, driving home from Audubon Community Nature Center, my daughter and I were so captivated by a flock of crows that I had to pull over just to take it all in. The scene was incredible—thousands of crows crowded the neighborhood trees, their dark silhouettes watching us like something out of an Alfred Hitchcock film. They weren’t doing much besides cawing and interrupting one another, yet the sheer presence of so many wild creatures gathered in such mass was breathtaking. When I told my 9-year-old that a group of crows is called a murder, she eagerly spread the news, proudly ...
