The Naturalist’s Blog

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 [...]

Week of May 22, 2022 – May 28, 2022 by David DuBois, Land Steward There are countless stories of how human activity has forever damaged an ecological resource. From covering a wild place with an asphalt parking lot to building a housing development in formerly pristine forest, the examples feel all too familiar. This result is not an inevitable outcome of human actions however. With deliberate action and careful consideration [...]

Week of May 15, 2022 – May 21, 2022 by Anna Stunkel, Environmental Educator Over the past week, it has felt almost like winter has sprung forward right into summer! This has accelerated the arrival of many spring birds, and it’s been a joy to observe new arrivals every day here at Baltimore Woods. Along the brushy banks of the pond, Yellow Warblers, Hooded Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, and Blue-winged Warblers [...]

Week of May 8, 2022 – May 14, 2022 by Bridget Jones, Environmental Educator April 30th marked the end of the 2021-22 season of Project Feederwatch! Birdwatching, like many other activities in nature, can help us slow down and connect with the world around us. Just as birdwatching can bring healing benefits to humans, through citizen science projects like Project Feederwatch, we can return the favor by contributing to bird [...]

Week of May 1, 2022 – May 7, 2022 by Tom Meier, Program Manager Listening to George Winston’s piano solo album Winter Into Spring as the snow and cold give way to the awakening of wildflowers and trees is one of my required personal spring rituals. He reflects the emotions of the changing season so well, from the quiet anticipation to the roaring wind and reflective rainy days, and finally the joy [...]

Week of April 24, 2022 – April 30, 2022 by Bridget Jones, Environmental Educator At this time of year, mud seems to be everywhere you turn. In the woods, ground that has been reliably stable and frozen for months squelches and shifts underfoot, sometimes claiming boots in the process. Although it can be inconvenient, mud season comes with many joys as well, like the flowers that emerge from the softer [...]

Week of April 10, 2022 – April 16, 2022 by Melissa Kirby, Environmental Educator Rainy days and above freezing nights have been in the weather forecast. This is a time of year where I can’t help but feel the excitement and anticipation of salamander migrations. The yellow spotted salamander is one I look most forward to seeing. In the spring, yellow spotted salamanders will emerge from their underground wintering sites [...]