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Mayapple Flowers- The first sign of mayapples are the leaves that rise up like closed umbrellas, and as they open it appears the umbrellas are slowly opening. Also known as umbrella leaf, their large leaves catch the rain, often holding drops on them hours after a storm has passed. April […]

In early spring, bloodroot begin pushing up through the half-frozen soil. They are named for the red sap found throughout the plant, most obvious in the rhizomes and leaves. At first, the leaves are closed tight, wrapped around the flower stalks. As the days warm, the leaves begin to open […]

As the pandemic spreads and intensifies, we are now all encouraged to stay at home, and I am taking this time to really observe the subtle nuances of each day in my woods. With recent record warmth, along with frequent rain showers, spring has been arriving especially quickly this year. […]

When I was a kid, my aunt told me about a magical occurrence. For one night, monarch butterflies slept in the pine trees in her yard, crowded together on the branches and trunks. She lived there in upstate New York for 50 years and never saw them mass together again. […]

Scientifically, turtles are said to stack in order to be closer to the sun for warmth, since ideal basking spots may be scarce. Also, it might be a defense against predators, to make themselves look larger. This turtle duo looks like a two headed monster, and of course two heads […]

Many birds are colorful, but few can rival hummingbirds. The colors are from both pigment in the plumage, and also structural, with prism-like cells in the top layers of the feathers. Looking closely at hummingbird feathers, the surface has layers of air bubbles. When light strikes, some goes straight through […]

Sloths have an unfair reputation for being lazy, since their lifestyle is based on physiology and not lack of motivation. They have a low metabolic rate, less than half what would be expected for their body size. They partly control their temperature by sunning themselves, like cold blooded animals. They […]

I recently returned from another visit to Costa Rica, a country I have visited so often that it is like being with an old friend, both exciting and relaxing. My first visits many years ago were to study monkeys and rainforests, so it felt familiar to spend time watching and […]

On a visit to the New York Botanical Garden a couple weeks ago, I managed to hit the peak of daffodil bloom. The garden has one of the biggest collections of daffodils in the country. They are tucked in borders, line walkways narrow and wide, and most impressively form an […]