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Spring

Tips For Green Spring Cleaning

April 9, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

green spring cleaningIt’s spring cleaning time. Do it in a green way. There are natural household items that make terrific cleaners – beneficial to saving time, money, and the environment. [Read more…] about Tips For Green Spring Cleaning

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: Spring

Small Farms in April in the Nineteenth Century

April 6, 2021 by Maury Thompson Leave a Comment

S. Timmons farm, Walla Walla County, ca. 1892  Photo by F. Fortin, Courtesy UW Special Collections (WAS0304)April is the month when Spring weather typically calls out, “Ready or not, here I come,” and compels nature and humans of New York to come out from winter hiding.

“Happy is the farmer who has got everything ready for the active labors of the coming season. But no matter how thoroughly he is prepared there will always be plenty to do,” the agriculture columnist wrote in the April 25th, 1874 Ticonderoga Sentinel.

The task list was long and varied in the month of getting ready to make hay while the sun shines. [Read more…] about Small Farms in April in the Nineteenth Century

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Food, History, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Western NY Tagged With: Agricultural History, local farms, local food, Newspapers, Spring, weather

Porcupines And Their Need For Salt

May 24, 2020 by Tom Kalinowski 1 Comment

Porcupine by Mary HarrschAs the buds on hardwood trees and shrubs open and New York State’s forests again are cloaked in green, they provide our many herbivores with a welcome change in their diet.

While many plant eaters are able to subsist on woody buds and cellulose laden layers of inner bark throughout winter, leafy matter provides far greater levels of nourishment. The porcupine, a common denizen of the forest, is among our first order consumers of greens when they emerge in spring. [Read more…] about Porcupines And Their Need For Salt

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, Western NY Tagged With: nature, road salt, small mammals, Spring, Wildlife

Quarantine Pastimes: Tracking Spring Bird Migrations

April 12, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

bird watcher by decSpring is an ideal time to observe bird migrations. New York is conveniently located along the Atlantic Flyway, one of the main migration routes. This provides a great opportunity to observe birds flying to their summer breeding grounds.

Here’s a few resources to get you started: [Read more…] about Quarantine Pastimes: Tracking Spring Bird Migrations

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: Bird Migration, birding, birds, nature, Spring, Wildlife

Red-Winged Blackbird Epaulets Play Important Role

March 30, 2020 by Guest Contributor 1 Comment

red winged blackbird by adelaide tyrolAround the middle of March, I begin to feel that springtime urge to hit the road, to lace up the winter-neglected running shoes and start slogging through some miles.

My early-season jogs take me past a wetland area that stubbornly spans both sides of a road near my home. It’s a usual – and very welcome – happening to spot red-winged blackbirds here, even while snow lingers around the cattails and brushy willows. [Read more…] about Red-Winged Blackbird Epaulets Play Important Role

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: birding, birds, Natural History, nature, Spring, Wildlife

A Treasure Hunt for Early Spring

March 28, 2020 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

chickadee-by-adelaide-tyrolThis is such a disorienting time, when all our lives have been turned upside down and shaken. One of the ways my own family is coping is by spending time outside every day.

We stage nature treasure hunts in the woods behind our house. [Read more…] about A Treasure Hunt for Early Spring

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: birding, birds, insects, nature, Spring, trees, Wildlife

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