“Project GNBee” at Baltimore Woods
Week of April 27, 2025 – May 3, 2025 by David DuBois, Director of Stewardship Have you ever noticed the bees that swarm in early spring along the Boundary Trail on the way to Phillips Pond? These stingless bees, which are harmless to hikers, love the bare soil in the trail to nest in while they spend their day pollinating plants that bloom in mid-spring including spring wildflowers, wild cherries, and [...]
Spring Sunshine Among the Flowers
Week of April 20, 2025 – April 26, 2025 by Anna Stunkel, Environmental Educator After a long, cloudy winter with mostly overcast days, the sun is finally making an appearance. It feels rejuvenating to wake up to blue and cloudless skies with robins and chickadees singing. For those of us who spend time hibernating indoors over the winter, this sunshine is a welcome invitation to spend more time outside again. I [...]
The Return of the Ospreys
Week of April 13, 2025 – April 19, 2025 by Kaylen Iorio, Environmental Educator The Ospreys are returning! As early as March you may be able to spot the dark brown and white birds of prey returning to nest for the summer and I’m always so excited when I spot the first Osprey of the season. Ospreys fascinate me as they seem to plop down and nest wherever they see fit. [...]
Weather Folklore
Week of April 6, 2025 – April 12, 2025 by Elizabeth Suzedell, Environmental Educator How did people predict the weather hundreds of years ago? Long before computers and satellites, people had to rely on their own observations of the skies and nature to make a forecast. Observations of weather trends led to the creation of hundreds of proverbs and sayings that actually do have some truth to them (sometimes). “Red sky [...]
The Patience of Nature
Week of March 30, 2025 – April 5, 2025 by Catherine McLaughlin, Environmental Educator I fell victim to “false spring” last week. When the weather was above 50 degrees and the sun was out… I was wearing t-shirts and longing for summer activities. Now it has been back down to normal spring temperatures of the 30s or 40s and I find myself having to be patient again for the warm weather [...]
Building Community Through Birding
Week of March 23, 2025 – March 29, 2025 by Anna Stunkel, Environmental Educator This past weekend on Saturday, I woke up with a familiar feeling of anticipation. It was time to head over to Derby Hill in Mexico, NY for the first busy weekend day of the spring hawkwatch season! Each spring, from March 1 to May 31, a biologist busily records the migrating birds of prey (raptors) passing Derby [...]
Anticipation of Spring
Week of March 16, 2025 – March 22, 2025 by Kaylen Iorio, Environmental Educator The weeks before springtime arrives are saturated in anticipation. The snow is nearly gone, the sky is a marvelous blue, and just like the plants and animals, people are feeling revitalized. While the winter has its many festive celebrations and snow-filled activities, spring is a time for growth both outside in nature and within ourselves. From my [...]
Maple Sugaring
Week of March 9, 2025 – March 15, 2025 by Lizzy Suzedell, Environmental Educator Have you been noticing any early signs of spring lately? Here at The Woods, we found skunk cabbage almost ready to bloom on the Griffiths Trail, we’ve heard many singing cardinals and flocks of snow geese flying by, and we watched much of our snow melt with the warmer temperatures. These changes in the weather got us [...]
A Comfort in Change
Week of March 2, 2025 – March 8, 2025 by Katie McLaughlin, Environmental Educator Have you had the chance to read The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl yet? With 52 chapters- one for each week of the year you can spend time savoring the read, or you can read it in one sitting like I did. (Or perhaps you read it with our monthly book club this past month! [...]