History, Natural History & the Arts
Most of our northeastern snakes draw their coloring from the palette of earthly tones, coming in browns, grays, and yellows.
Some species have bright patterns that fade as the snake ages, and others have eye-catching yellow, red, or orange scales on the belly that are mostly hidden except when the snake feels threatened. [Read more…] about Smooth Green Snakes: Hidden Grassland Jewels
If you live near a large meadow, hayfield, or grassland, you may have recently noticed some bubbly robotic noises emanating from those areas. It might sound like an overexcited android, but the real source is a medium-sized songbird, the bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus).
One of the few avian grassland specialists in the Northeast, bobolinks have recently returned from their wintering grounds in southern South America and are now fully engaged in breeding activity. [Read more…] about Bobolink: The Grassland Bird in a Reverse Tuxedo
Are you looking for recommendations of native plants and trees to plant on your specific site? DEC and the New York Natural Heritage Program recently released a Species Selection Tool that provides a list of recommended native tree, shrub, and herbaceous plant species, including flowering species, ferns and herbs, to improve habitats, increase biodiversity, and benefit wildlife across New York State. [Read more…] about A New Native Species Selection Tool
A bog is a special natural community, characterized by deep, wet, and acidic soil below an open sky. Soft sphagnum mosses squish underfoot, dominating the surface of the bog and making up the mostly undecomposed organic soil below.
The ground springs up and down with each step – a sign that the entire surface of vegetation is saturated with water and even floating in some cases. [Read more…] about Tussock Cottongrass: Champion of Bogs and Alpine Areas
In early March, birds that have been gone all winter begin appearing at my feeder. One of the earliest of these spring migrants is a brown-backed sparrow with a white breast coarsely streaked with brown.
The streaks converge in a dark central breast spot, an easy identification mark. This is the song sparrow, our most widespread and abundant North American sparrow. [Read more…] about The Song Sparrow: Backyard Neighbor
Late fall and early winter are the best times of year to spot giant silk moth cocoons. Perhaps you’ve seen these creatures in the summer, fluttering by your porch light in the evening or resting on your garage wall in the early morning after spending the night at its light.
These large, showy moths in the family Saturniidae live only briefly as winged adults, are strikingly colored, and, as moths go, are huge. [Read more…] about Cocoon Spotting: Giant Silk Moths in Winter
As the beautiful New York landscape takes on its legendary colors and the unwelcome first frost arrives, home gardeners often have questions about fall garden tasks.
Here are seven concerns with answers to make your autumn easier and pave the way for an early start on next year’s garden. [Read more…] about Fall Garden Tasks: A Primer
A yellowthroat warbler sang, “witchety, witchety, witch,” as I carefully made my way through the tangle of an alder swamp one afternoon not long ago.
I looked about, hoping to catch a glimpse of its yellow breast and black mask. I could hear the twangs of green frogs calling in the distance. A dragonfly zoomed past me, then flew back and landed on my shoulder. [Read more…] about Exploring Shrub Swamps
Most people have heard about insect declines, with recent headlines like “Insect Declines: The Great and Merciless Thinning.”
Bumble bees and butterflies are the best-known examples of declining groups, but there is a growing body of evidence documenting downward trends in other insects. Fireflies, famous for their impressive light-shows in the eastern US, are one such group. [Read more…] about A Firefly Atlas: Research Hopes to Help Declining Species
The Western New York Land Conservancy has announced that it will be fundraising to permanently protect six properties in the Western New York Wildway this year totaling 732 acres.
All six properties are located within Core Areas of the Wildway, the Land Conservancy’s landscape-scale conservation initiative that seeks to protect and connect some of the largest remaining forests in the region. [Read more…] about Land Conservancy Seeks Protection of Western NY Wildway Lands
While grasses are getting greener and flowers are blooming, New Yorkers, high on many people’s priorities is pulling out their mower and beginning the summer-long cycle of mowing their fields or larger lawns. However, the timing of mowing can have significant impacts on a variety of bird species.
Small grassland songbirds nest on, or close to, the ground in grassy and shrubby fields. Mowing and bush-hogging during the spring and early summer can destroy nests and remove the habitat required to successfully raise their young. [Read more…] about Mowing Practices to Benefit Ground-Nesting Birds
During winter, I often hear gnawing and the scurrying of little feet inside the walls of our house. Mice have taken shelter in our old farmhouse again.
Although I hate killing the cute creatures, after we had to hire a carpenter twice to remove sections of our walls and take out smelly mouse nests, we resorted to trapping them, since our cats couldn’t get at the mice inside the walls. We began with livetraps, but the mice just returned, so now we use snap traps. [Read more…] about White-footed Mice Seeking Warm House
Halloween is long past, but you may notice devilish figures hanging out in scrubby fields and open areas this winter: horned larks.
These birds are North America’s only true lark species. They reside year-round in parts of the Northeast, such as the Champlain Valley, but disperse across the region more widely in winter, when the stark landscape makes them easier to spy. [Read more…] about Horned Larks Enliven Sleeping Fields
For many birdwatchers in New York, this is the time of year when backyard bird feeders go back up. To avoid conflicts with bears, bird lovers should only feed birds when bears are inactive.
There are many natural sources of winter food for birds including birch catkins, spruce and fir cones, dried seed heads from native grasses and flowers, and lingering fruits on plants. Bird feeders can supplement these natural foods and may attract more birds to your yard. [Read more…] about Feeding Wild Birds Safely and Responsibly
Through the ongoing implementation of the Reduced Mowing Policy — part of the New York State Pollinator Protection Plan — grow zones have become a staple at state parks and historic sites.
These zones, where native grasses and wildflowers are allowed to grow tall, benefit the environment and local wildlife, proving to be more sustainable than traditional mowed areas and enhancing visitor experience in new ways. [Read more…] about State Parks’ Reduced Mowing Program Boosts Nature
As the height-of-summer floral abundance fades, goldenrods and asters fill the landscape with hits of yellow, purple, pink, and white. Beyond the beauty they provide, these late bloomers are a critical food source for several native species of wild native bees. [Read more…] about Late Blooming Flowers Feed Native Bees
Grassland habitat is in decline in New York State, which is key to the survival of grassland breeding songbirds, such as bobolink, Eastern meadowlark, and savannah sparrow. [Read more…] about How Landowners Can Help Grassland Breeding Birds
On a recent hike up Eagle Mountain in Milton, Vermont, we climbed to a ledge overlooking Lake Champlain. Turkey vultures soared overhead, tilting back and forth on the breeze. A sheer cliff dropped to the forest below us, a lush variety of plants clinging to its face. Cliffs are defined as areas of exposed bedrock with a slope greater than 60 degrees. We tend to think of cliffs as solely geological features. But they also host distinct natural communities of plants and animals. [Read more…] about Cliffs Host Varied Flora and Fauna
During a late summer walk, I noticed that the common milkweed in our back field is becoming not-so-common. Once vigorous patches of the milky green plants have dwindled, engulfed in a sea of Canada goldenrod. [Read more…] about Establishing Milkweed for Monarchs
The Hempstead Plains were once a defining feature of Long Island. Covering some 40,000 acres, the Plains stretched from the Queens border in the west to the Suffolk border in the east, creating a sea of waist-high grass in the middle of what is now Nassau County.
Remnants of the Plains still remain, most notably in a 17-acre segment on the campus of Nassau Community College preserved by the Friends of Hempstead Plains. [Read more…] about Hempstead Plains Environmental & Cultural History
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