Powerful Pollinators
As summer is beginning, it’s an exciting time to keep an eye out for insect pollinators. Busy bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, ants, and more are all crucial helpers in the process of pollination, fertilizing plants and allowing them to create seeds. Many of the fruits and vegetables that you eat wouldn’t exist without our pollinator friends. As insects visit flowers to feed, pollen sticks to them and is then transferred to other flowers. For example, have you ever seen a fuzzy bumblebee covered in yellow dust? That’s pollen!
Night Buggin’ Adventures
Summer has always been my favorite season. There is so much to see and explore! Every year as my children grow I have the amazing opportunity to experience the joys of summer through their eyes and there’s no better sensory adventure than exploring the world of bugs at night.
Itching to Learn About Mosquitos
As I was having lunch by the pond yesterday, I felt a prickle on my arm. I looked down, and there was a mosquito having lunch with me...only my blood was the lunch! Irritated, I waved my pesky, uninvited guest away. But then I started to wonder about these little flying insects. Many of us hate mosquitoes because of their itchy bites, high-pitched buzzing, and infamous ability to transmit deadly disease. How much do we really know about the lives of these little creatures?
The Spring Juggernaut
Of the 10 trails at Baltimore Woods, the Valley Trail has long been my favorite. This steep, lush trail descends into the heart of the preserve, providing an immersive sensory experience with stop-in-your-tracks views across the forest, ancient mossy maples, and two bridges over the clear brook.
The Makings of a Good Trail
Many trails at Baltimore Woods feel like they’ve always existed. A log here or a bridge there, a path through the woods seems simple in its creation. As appealing as the thought is, it is far from the truth.
The Magnitude of Small Things
Over the past few weeks I have been dipping a net into Phillips Pond in search of creatures to show to 5th graders in the Syracuse City School District. Their virtual field trip to Baltimore Woods introduces them to the different ecosystems we have and the animals and plants that inhabit them.