The Naturalist’s Blog

Skeletons of Trees Week of November 14 – November 20, 2021 by Melissa Kirby, Environmental Educator While hiking the preserve recently on a glorious sunny day I gazed up at the leafless skeleton of a sumac tree. The contrast between the tree and vibrant blue sky was mesmerizing enough that I stood there for a minute or so. I observed the shaded areas around the branches, trunk, and the red berries [...]

Rituals Week of November 7 - November 13, 2021 by Tom Meier, Program Manager Just behind the Interpretive Center there is a patch of black walnut trees that have produced a mountain of nuts this year. If you venture too close to the trees you may be scolded by a spunky red squirrel who seems determined to stash every nut in the eaves of the pole barn. This ritual is [...]

It’s nearly the end of acorn season, when the mighty oaks of the eastern forest give up their precious acorns to make a feast for jays, squirrels, birds, and mammals. Hidden inside each one of these acorns is the makings of a new oak and the continuation of the forest.

As October draws to an end, I love seeing all of the different autumn decorations throughout my neighborhood. Just as nature celebrates the season with brilliant leaf colors, humans celebrate autumn too. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, but I found out there is more to the story than just fun costumes and candy.

Walking through my backyard, I notice piles of fall leaves starting to form in nearly the exact same spots as last October. Getting to know the plants and animals in my backyard has given me a great connection to nature. Wherever you are, get outside and make those connections in your little piece of the planet.

Look outside your window and you’ll find there are living beings to meet: plants growing between the sidewalk, lichens on stairs, insects and spiders by the mailbox, squirrels in a tree. Become familiar with these critters as subjects in themselves, make observations about them, maybe even give them a name...and become their neighbor.

Here in Central New York, we are fortunate to have so many different natural areas to explore. These include some very special birding hotspots, such as Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, which is west of Auburn on Route 20. The refuge is carefully managed with the needs of wildlife in mind, and it’s an important stopover refueling site for migrating birds along their spring and fall journeys.

Walking around the Baltimore Woods preserve, I’ve begun to enjoy the changing autumn leaves. Trees that were a vibrant green last week have hues of orange, yellow and red starting to paint their branches. Scientifically, leaves change color due to the breakdown of chlorophyll from a reduction in the amount of sunlight each day as the days become shorter and the nights become longer.

After moving cross-country from the deserts of California, I’ve experienced the drastic seasonal changes of Central New York. And during this transitional season of autumn, I began to wonder...why do the seasons change? And why are they so different across North America?