The Naturalist’s Blog

Week of August 28, 2022 – September 3, 2022 by Elizabeth Suzedell, Environmental Educator As a lover of all things weather, especially clouds, sunset is my favorite time of the day. There is quite the contrast between the light blue skies with white or gray clouds at noontime and the bright warm colors you can see at the end of the day. Sometimes, sunsets look as if someone took a [...]

Week of August 21, 2022 – August 27, 2022 by Bridget Jones, Environmental Educator Among the green leaves of summer, flowers bring splashes of color to fields and forests across Baltimore Woods. Their vibrant colors and unique shapes catch our attention and entice us to pause for a moment, slow down, and appreciate their beauty. But the striking colors and patterns of flowers evolved to attract attention from a very [...]

Week of August 14, 2022 – August 19, 2022 by Anna Stunkel, Environmental Educator On warm August nights, I always look forward to katydid choruses. As the sun goes down outside my window, True Katydids gradually burst into song. It starts with a few of their classic “kat-y-did” calls, and eventually the treetops are echoing with their raspy chorus. The True Katydid has one of the most recognizable katydid songs, [...]

Week of August 7, 2022 – August 13, 2022 by Elizabeth Suzedell, Environmental Educator If you take a look up at the sky on a few different days, chances are you will see a wide variety of cloud types. Observing the beauty and unique shapes of several clouds can be an enjoyable activity, as well as informative; the types of clouds you see can give hints to what the weather [...]

Week of July 31, 2022 – August 6, 2022 (Originally published August 30, 2020) by Eliza Phillips, Environmental Educator For as long as humans have been on this planet we have been making art. Creating drawings, carvings, paintings, sculptures, music, and more about the things all around us. Most notably about the natural world around us. And no wonder we have, nature is breathtakingly beautiful! From sunrise to sunset we [...]

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. [...]