The Naturalist’s Blog

Week of July 24, 2022 – July 30, 2022 by Anna Stunkel, Environmental Educator As summer camp started last week, the preschool campers in my group were particularly fascinated by daddy longlegs! These creatures are especially active during the summer, and we saw several of them crawling around on their spindly legs each day. The campers enjoyed gathering around to watch them move, and spotting them resting atop stinging nettle [...]

Week of July 17, 2022 – July 23, 2022 by Bridget Jones, Environmental Educator As darkness falls on warm summer evenings, it is common to see bats fluttering in the night sky. A few nights ago, several bats appeared outside my window, and I enjoyed watching them swoop and dive to catch insects. In the near darkness, it was impossible to see anything but their faint silhouettes; however, their uneven [...]

Week of July 10, 2022 – July 16, 2022 by Elizabeth Suzedell, Environmental Educator With the warm temperatures and long days, summertime is a favorite season of many. It is the perfect time of year to enjoy several outdoor activities, like swimming, hiking, or camping. Despite all of the beautiful days we will experience during the season, there is one storm that occurs more frequently- the thunderstorm. The typical morning [...]

Week of July 3, 2022 – July 9, 2022 by Bridget Jones, Environmental Educator As we experience early summer heat this weekend, some of us might stay cool by sitting near air conditioners or fans, eating cold treats, or going for a swim. But how do animals stay cool when the temperatures rise? Although humans are able to sweat, only a few other animals have this ability, such as horses. [...]

Week of June 26, 2022 – July 2, 2022 by JP Soderberg, Summer Intern On a recent hike to a part of Baltimore Woods I had never visited before, we arrived at a large previously agricultural field barred by 10ft tall fencing. At first glance it seemed there was only a field of decaying cornstalks and a variety of weeds before me and I was confused as to why this [...]

Week of June 19, 2022 – June 25, 2022 by Brooke Stratton, Environmental Education Intern What does it mean to be an environmental education intern at Baltimore Woods? Since I just started about a month ago, I have already learned so many different things, not just about nature education but also about the children in Syracuse through the Nature in the City program. Sitting one on one with children and speaking to [...]

Week of June 12, 2022 – June 18, 2022 by Bridget Jones, Environmental Educator Imagine that you have shrunk down to the size of an ant in the forest. From this perspective, trees turn into unimaginable behemoths, logs loom like rolling mountains, and leaf litter on the forest floor stretches into an endless sea. Although this view is not one we often see, there is an advantage to experiencing the [...]

Week of June 5, 2022 – June 11, 2022 by Anna Stunkel, Environmental Educator During the late spring season, aquatic creatures in our pond and streams meet many students visiting on field trips, homeschool and preschool children, and Syracuse students when the insects travel in buckets into the city with our Nature in the City program! Students have the opportunity to learn about the almost otherworldly adaptations that help insects to survive [...]

Week of May 29, 2022 – June 4, 2022 by Meghan Morral, Environmental Educator Have you ever taken a hike outside and just felt lighter? Perhaps it was hard to explain, but the walk you took on your lunch break shifted your entire mood. Well, research shows that spending time outside has some pretty incredible effects on your health: emotionally and physically. Studies from all over the world are emerging [...]