The Naturalist’s Blog

Week of October 9, 2022 – October 15, 2022 by Elizabeth Suzedell, Environmental Educator The Aurora Borealis, or the Northern Lights, is perhaps the most magical sight we can see in the sky from here on Earth. An aurora is a beautiful show of dancing, colorful light that is seen at night near the earth’s poles. While it’s rare in Central New York, the aurora is still seen here every [...]

Week of October 2, 2022 – October 8, 2022 by Anna Stunkel, Environmental Educator As summer turns to fall, many of the fields here at Baltimore Woods gradually become carpeted in gold. Along with the crimson, orange, yellow, and violet colors of autumn leaves, blooming goldenrod adds a pop of color to the landscape. There are many different species of goldenrod, all belonging to the aster family. Not only are [...]

Week of September 25, 2022 – October 1, 2022 by Bridget Jones, Environmental Educator If you’ve gone hiking at Baltimore Woods, you know that the Preserve is a great place to see animals of all shapes and sizes, from birds and mammals to reptiles and amphibians. But did you know that the Baltimore Woods Interpretive Center is home to several animals as well? Our resident animals inside the building help [...]

Week of September 18, 2022 – September 24, 2022 by Bridget Jones, Environmental Educator As dusk begins to fall earlier, I’ve been thinking about the wildlife that comes out at night. At our Night at the Woods program this past Friday, we were lucky enough to hear several Eastern Screech Owls calling to each other in the woods! The experience made me look forward to cold winter nights, when owls [...]

Week of September 11, 2022 – September 17, 2022 by Elizabeth Suzedell, Environmental Educator Autumn is the foggiest time of the year. As we approach the equinox, you may notice more fog in the valleys, over the lakes and ponds, through the fields and forests, or in your neighborhood. With the shorter days and longer nights this season, fog will become more common. Fog is simply a cloud that forms [...]

Week of September 4, 2022 – September 10, 2022 by Anna Stunkel, Environmental Educator While many of us may know songbirds as generally diurnal creatures, a mass migration of them occurs at night during the spring and fall. Nocturnal migrants include birds such as warblers, thrushes, vireos, and sparrows. These little birds may fly by night in order to avoid the watchful eyes of hawks and other predators, to save [...]

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, [...]