The Naturalist’s Blog

Week of September 15, 2024 – September 21, 2024 by Catherine McLaughlin, Environmental Educator I was the child who had those glowing stars on their ceiling as a kid because I am a little afraid of the dark. However this fact did not stop me from exploring the night. During those warm rainy nights in early spring there wasn’t much anyone could do to stop me from going out to look [...]

Week of September 8, 2024 – September 14, 2024 by Katie Robideau, School Programs Manager As a child, I always recognized the late summer insect “symphony” as the return to school and a sign that fall was well on the way. I remember associating these sounds with the fear of starting a new school year, joining a new class, and making new friends, a feeling that quickly wore away once the [...]

Week of September 1, 2024 – September 7, 2024 by Anna Stunkel, Environmental Educator Lately, summer has been winding down and making way for fall to begin. Katydids are becoming quieter and slower with their nighttime songs, the air is cooler, and leaves are even beginning to change to flaming colors of red, orange, and yellow. Fall is also a time of change for us humans as kids return to school, [...]

Week of August 25, 2024 – August 31, 2024 by Elizabeth Suzedell, Environmental Educator Have you seen a cottontail rabbit lately? I feel like I have been seeing them everywhere this summer- in the garden, in peoples’ yards as I walk around town, and foraging along the edges of the fields here at Baltimore Woods. Several of our visitors have told me that they’ve seen more rabbits than previous years around [...]

Week of August 18, 2024 – August 24, 2024 by Anna Stunkel, Environmental Educator On the cool summer nights that we’ve been having lately, I’ve found the sounds of nocturnal nature to be very calming. It’s been a great year for katydids and crickets chorusing among the trees and shrubs. If I’m lucky and listen really closely through the window screen, most nights there have been owls calling. Screech owls are [...]

Week of August 11, 2024 – August 17, 2024 by Katie McLaughlin, Environmental Educator Nature is where we get everything from. From clothing, to food, to even our technology – without nature humankind would not be where we are today. This past week I have spent time with our Voyagers wilderness survival camp. We traveled back in time to start a fire, carved our own spoons using coals from the fire, [...]

Week of August 4, 2024 – August 10, 2024 by Kaylen Iorio, Environmental Educator During the chaos of summer schedules, you can’t help but notice the calmness and the sense of balance in nature. There is harmony amongst the plants and animals at Baltimore Woods – everything in an ecosystem gives value to one another while adapting to changes and persevering. Feeling the sun shine down on the preserve breathing life into [...]

Week of July 28, 2024 – August 3, 2024 by Anna Stunkel, Environmental Educator The week before last was one of my favorite camp weeks of the summer– art camp! Throughout this themed Voyager week, we explore all over the preserve while drawing, painting, sculpting, acting, and creating other forms of nature art. I provide materials and some guidance, but this week is mostly camper-led in terms of how the kids [...]

Week of July 21, 2024 – July 27, 2024 by Catherine McLaughlin, Environmental Educator When was the last time you got dirty? Was it your hands in soil, or paint, or something sticky? For some it may not be often, but life is messy and we should embrace that. This week while walking the trail  we were talking with a camper who had been exploring in Boulder Brook. Little bits of [...]