There was a sucking sound as my rubber boot sank into the deep black muck. Naturalist Jon Binhammer and I were standing in the middle of a hardwood swamp in central Vermont.
Above us, dainty red flowers clung to the still-bare branches of red maple trees and fat black buds encircled the stems of black ash. Though the trees in the surrounding uplands had leafed out, the swamp was cooler, and these trees had not yet unfurled their leaves.
Bright yellow blooms of marsh marigold covered the swamp’s floor, growing out of mud and pools of water. Speckled alder shrubs, named for their spotted stems, were scattered about. In the distance we heard the “kuk-kuk-kuk” of a pileated woodpecker and the “toolili” of a blue jay. [Read more…] about Outside Story: Life In A Swamp
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has encouraged the public to do a seasonal check-in on trees in their yard or on their street. 
Our eastern white pine (Pinus strobus), monumental in a number of important ways, is now imperiled throughout much of its range south of the border. Unfortunately, we can expect that to become the case in Canada in the near future. 
As you swat away blackflies this summer, look closely; it may be that not all those flies are flies. Some of them might be tiny sweat bees, members of the Halictidae family, which gets its common name because some species will lick sweat from human skin. 
Gore Mountain has announced it is open for scenic skyrides, hiking, lift-serviced downhill mountain biking, and disc golf Thursday-Sunday, from 10 am to 4 pm during the summer. Retail and food service will also be available. 
I imagine there was a lot more hand-wringing prior to the Covid-19 lockdown in Switzerland as compared to other countries, because since 2008 it has been a federal crime there to isolate social animals. Makes you wonder if Swiss authorities have brought charges against themselves yet, or whether they’re waiting until after the crisis lets up. 
During the hot days of summer, it is important to remember that trout and salmon experience serious physical stress whenever water temperatures climb above 70° Fahrenheit. 
Hit and miss rain showers and scattered thunderstorms have provided much of the precipitation over the New York State during this past month.
We were touring the neighborhood backroads one summer evening when the kids noticed a sleek movement through a small pond.
North American porcupines are large rodents whose ancestors apparently crossed from Africa to South America on floating trees and logs some 30 million years ago. Their most prominent feature are the approximately 30,000 quills which grow individually everywhere out of the skin musculature, interspersed with bristles, under fur and hair.