A Rainbow of Fall Colors
Week of September 28, 2025 – October 4, 2025 by Anna Stunkel, Environmental Educator Fall and spring have always been my favorite seasons, in large part because they are alive with color. These are times when big changes happen, and nature widely broadcasts seasonal transitions here in the northeast. In fall, you might notice all the colors of the rainbow! As a nature illustrator, I joke about closely observing colors and [...]
iNaturalist at Baltimore Woods
Week of September 21, 2025 – September 27, 2025 by Elizabeth Suzedell, Environmental Educator When you are out in nature, how often do you find something new that you don’t know what it is? Even though I’ve spent a lot of time exploring the trails at Baltimore Woods, I’m always finding new plants, mushrooms, and bugs that I have never seen before. I like to use field guides to help me [...]
What Do You Think This Is?
Week of September 14, 2025 – September 20, 2025 by Katie McLaughlin, Environmental Educator asked as an Environmental Educator when out on the preserve is “What is this?”, but I almost never respond with the answer. Instead, I ask “What do you think it is?” to help guide them to the answer. Now, what you need to know about me is I am not the best at knowing what something is [...]
Journeys of Discovery
Week of September 7, 2025 – September 13, 2025 by Kaylen Iorio, Environmental Educator Shaking off the daze of summer feels like settling down on a cozy Sunday evening; feeling tired from the long days of sunshine and preparing for all that autumn has to bring. That first crisp autumn breeze whispers past with scents of nostalgia, bringing back memories of grade school and jumping into leaf piles with siblings, and [...]
Dragonflies & Damselflies
Week of August 31, 2025 – September 6, 2025 by Anna Stunkel, Environmental Educator As summer winds down and transitions into early fall, I’ve been reflecting on memories of one special group of insects– the dragonflies and damselflies, also known as odonates. These creatures have fascinating lives, including some very impressive adaptations. Around local ponds, streams, and open fields, I enjoy pausing to watch them dart quickly back and forth in [...]
All About Air Pressure
Week of August 24, 2025 – August 30, 2025 by Lizzy Suzedell, Environmental Educator When we think about the weather, measurements like the temperature, clouds, rain, and wind always come to mind. However, to make a forecast, one of the most important considerations is the air pressure. We hear meteorologists talk about it all the time on TV as high and low pressure systems approach, but what does that actually mean [...]
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Week of August 17, 2025 – August 23, 2025 by Katie McLaughlin, Environmental Educator Have you heard of the 3 R’s? Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. This camp season at Baltimore Woods, campers had a wonderful opportunity to learn about the recycling rules for Onondaga county! While many of us know our basics of what to recycle like paper and plastic – there are certain rules that go along with each of those [...]
Turn Out the Lights to Help Creatures of the Night
Week of August 10, 2025 – August 16, 2025 by Anna Stunkel, Environmental Educator After a sweltering summer day, you might enjoy spending some time outdoors in the cool night air. Night is a lovely time to have a cookout, enjoy a summer park concert, or search for nocturnal critters who are also active. About a week ago, we set up black lights for our night buggin’ program at Baltimore Woods. [...]
Meet Our Turtles
Week of August 3, 2025 – August 9, 2025 by Kaylen Iorio, Environmental Educator Here at Baltimore Woods we have some very special staff members (in addition to the humans) that will usually greet you with a smile! I’m talking about our ambassador turtles: Fern, Geronimo, Lucy, and Mr. T! Ambassador animals play an integral and unique role in any nature center, allowing visitors to closely observe them and form meaningful connections. [...]