The Naturalist’s Blog

Week of June 11, 2023 – June 17, 2023 by Bridget Jones, Environmental Educator This week, smoke from the Canadian wildfires covered our region, transforming the world outside our windows. The fires have caused devastation and evacuations in Quebec and impacted air quality as far as the midwest and southern United States. Although we are not experiencing the wildfires themselves here in Central New York, for many of us, the [...]

Week of June 4, 2023 – June 10, 2023 by Sunny Guyette, Environmental Educator Have you noticed a bunch of white fluff in the air? It’s not all from dandelions, most of it is from Eastern Cottonwood trees or Populus deltoides. You may know these trees for their heart shaped leaves that shimmer in the wind and rough bark! Many people mistake this “fluff” for dandelion fluff or pollen, but it [...]

Week of May 28, 2023 – June 3, 2023 by Elizabeth Suzedell, Environmental Educator Getting outside in nature is so beneficial to our health as humans. From going on a gentle walk to find the season’s blooming wildflowers or backyard birds, to an intense hiking expedition up to a mountain’s peak, there are so many ways to discover and enjoy the wonders of our earth. One of these activities that [...]

Week of May 21, 2023 – May 27, 2023 by Anna Stunkel, Environmental Educator Recent days have been filled with birds as many spring arrivals flew in at Baltimore Woods and beyond. Last Friday morning, I led a program all about rediscovering the joys of childhood in springtime as an adult. As we grow older, many of the simple joys that we experience as children can become clouded by stress [...]

Week of May 14, 2023 – May 20, 2023 by Bridget Jones, Environmental Educator In spring, nature’s constant process of change is on full display. Wildflowers bloom, fade away, and are replaced in quick succession, visited by busy insects in every shape and color. Walking through the woods, you may catch a glimpse of a toad beneath the leaves, a brightly-colored warbler high in the canopy, or a butterfly darting [...]

Week of May 7, 2023 – May 13, 2023 by Elizabeth Suzedell, Environmental Educator It feels very different at Baltimore Woods than it did just a month ago. The frigid temperatures of winter have passed and long days have returned, bringing warmth and light. As the sun gets higher in the sky, rises earlier, and sets later, life continues to emerge and thrive. There is suddenly so much to discover [...]

Week of April 30, 2023 – May 6, 2023 by Sunny Guyette, Environmental Educator Along many local roadways and trails, there is a leafy green plant emerging with heart-shaped leaves with toothed edges. Garlic Mustard or Alliaria petiolata is an invasive herbaceous, flowering plant that smells like garlic when crushed. The clustered white flowers bloom in May or June and only appear in the second year of the plant’s life. Garlic Mustard [...]

Week of April 23, 2023 – April 29, 2023 by Bridget Jones, Environmental Educator Warm spring weather has finally come to Central New York, and with it, life in the forest has burst into full visibility. Emerging wildflowers transform the world with their vibrant colors, while animals returning from migration or hibernation bring sound and motion to the woods. It seems like every day brings an encounter with a new [...]

Week of April 16, 2023 – April 22, 2023 by Anna Stunkel, Environmental Educator As buds burst and birdsong echoes from the forests, a great variety of scaly and slimy critters awaken. At Baltimore Woods, Phillip’s Pond is one of the best places to find our reptile and amphibian friends. These animals are known as herptiles or “herps,” and looking for them is called herping. The water can be teeming [...]