The Naturalist’s Blog

Week of January 29, 2023 – February 4, 2023 by Elizabeth Suzedell, Environmental Educator Winter can feel bleak. With frigid temperatures, everything covered in snow and ice, short days, lifeless plants, and an apparent lack of animal activity, I am longing for the summer, when everything is so vibrantly green and the sun is bright all day. While I do feel down during this season sometimes, I can’t help but [...]

Week of January 22, 2023 – January 28, 2023 by Sunny Guyette, Environmental Educator The Harrison Trail is one of our newest additions (extending the Harrison Loop) and was one of the last trails that I had explored since starting at Baltimore Woods. Recently, I decided to take my first stroll along the whole Harrison Trail to find inspiration for writing a social media post and what I noticed was [...]

Week of January 15, 2023 – January 21, 2023 by Bridget Jones, Environmental Educator Phillip’s Pond is a favorite summer spot for many campers, hikers, and visitors at Baltimore Woods. However, in the winter, the pond transforms into a new world with its own fascinating experiences to offer. On a cold day last week, I took a walk to the pond to see what I could find. While the summer [...]

Week of January 8, 2023 – January 14, 2023 by Anna Stunkel, Environmental Educator As a new year begins, I enjoy pausing to reflect on special experiences in nature from the past year. One of these moments happened just as the year was ending, when my dad and I were birding in one of our favorite spots: Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, on the north shore of Massachusetts. As we [...]

Week of January 1, 2023 – January 7, 2023 by Elizabeth Suzedell, Environmental Educator As 2022 ends, I find myself reflecting on the past year at Baltimore Woods. I am especially thinking about all of the connections with nature that this preserve has provided us. Through the trails, the Interpretive Center, public programs, Summer Nature Day Camps, and Nature in the City lessons, so many people of all ages were able to [...]

Week of December 25, 2022 – December 31, 2022 by Bridget Jones, Environmental Educator This holiday season, I’m looking forward to spending some time in an ecosystem very different from that of Central New York. I’ll be spending the holidays with my family on the coast of New Jersey, where I grew up. Although I love Central New York, visiting the coast always renews my appreciation for the beauty and [...]

Week of December 18, 2022 – December 24, 2022 by Sunny Guyette, Environmental Educator I used to dread winters, I really do not like being cold. But that apprehensiveness to accept winter changed when I had to go outside for two hours everyday for my Environmental Science class in High School. I realized that if I lived in an area where it was always warm, then I wouldn’t appreciate being [...]

Week of December 11, 2022 – December 17, 2022 by Elizabeth Suzedell, Environmental Educator Last week was rainy and drizzly. We had gloomy days with the ground continuously soaked with water. If there was so much moisture in the environment, why does our skin still feel so dry? The answer is because of the cold. Air in our atmosphere consists of several gasses, including water vapor. Warm air holds a [...]

Week of December 4, 2022 – December 10, 2022 by Anna Stunkel, Environmental Educator As December’s chill sets in, I fondly think back to days of catching frogs at the pond or marveling at frogs and toads hopping around on the forest floor. Do you ever wonder how these critters survive in the depths of winter? Some frogs, such as Northern Leopard Frogs and Green Frogs, sit deep below the [...]