An archive of all of the Naturalist Blog articles written by the Baltimore Woods education team
Week of March 6, 2022 – March 12, 2022 by Melissa Kirby, Environmental Educator As the calendar shifts from February to March, the movement from winter toward spring might not feel like it’s coming fast enough, but each day subtle changes can be observed in nature. Spring is on the move – from birds migrating, [...]
On a recent walk around Baltimore Woods, I noticed that there has been quite a bit of snow melt around trees. This is because the trunks give off heat, resulting in a snow well around the base of each tree.
While the human-made decorations are coming down after the holiday season ends, nature still has plenty of colors, lights, and beauty to decorate the landscape.
Week of February 13, 2022 – February 19, 2022 by Meghan Morral, Environmental Educator This month, while out with our trail school program, we had the pleasure of finding a multitude of different tracks in the snow. Over the course of the afternoon we found rabbit, squirrel and chipmunk tracks. We stopped to examine fisher [...]
Week of February 6, 2022 – February 12, 2022 by Bridget Jones, Environmental Educator In winter, humans aren’t the only ones getting outside and enjoying the snow: the bird feeders at Baltimore Woods have seen a flurry of activity this season! Since November, staff members at Baltimore Woods have been participating in Project Feederwatch, an [...]
As we welcome the recent snowfall, and as the days gradually become longer, I’ve had the chance to enjoy some new discoveries out on the trails here at Baltimore Woods.
Many things are easier to see in winter: tracks across fresh snow, subtle forms of bark otherwise overshadowed by verdant leaves, bright birds that stand out against a drab background. Unfortunately not everything we can find in winter is what we would like to find.
I recently went into a classroom for our Nature in the City program and assisted in teaching the second grade lesson that’s all about the science of snow. The students were elated the moment they saw the mason jar of snow we brought into their classroom.
The snow tells a new story about the nature we see everyday. As we start the new year, I encourage you to let the snow guide you to rediscover nature in a different way and rediscover the excitement and joy nature brings to the child inside yourself.
We all have our own favorite ways to welcome in a New Year, and one of our favorite traditions at Baltimore Woods is to head out on a staff hike in the early days of the New Year to spend time connecting to nature and each other. As we walk into a new year together, I invite you to take a hike without an agenda; just let nature be your guide.
