Friday, April 4, 2025
Spring is a Season for Hatching!
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
Friday, March 28, 2025
Sing a Song of Salamanders...
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
Explore Outdoors ~ Spring Comes In
Spring officially started last week, but depending on where you live, signs of spring may have been sprouting up since February. Maybe it's the sound of running water (the creek at the bottom of the road is burbling along - noisy compared to a couple weeks ago!) or the abundance of bird calls. Maybe bits of green are poking up through the snow...
This week look for signs of spring!
Friday, March 21, 2025
Oh my Crikeys! It’s tadpole season
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Explore Outdoors ~ End of Winter
Spring officially begins tomorrow! So this is a great time to walk around and see what the dregs of winter look like, and what the beginning of spring brings. Down at a neighbor's yard I found some mummied cherries and a catkin just waking up from a long winter's nap.
What end-of-winter changes do you see around your neighborhood?
Friday, March 14, 2025
More than Mushrooms: an author interview!
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Explore Outdoors ~ Bird Tracks on my Porch
The birds know, without a doubt where the source of the suet and seed is. And, after a dusting of snow, the chickadees have no qualms letting us know that they are waiting for a refill! The woodpeckers have another way of communicating - they're drumming on dead trees and at daybreak it's enough to get one up and moving!
What are the birds telling you where you live?
Friday, March 7, 2025
Animal Homes
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Explore Outdoors~ Frozen
In 15 days, spring will be here! I can't wait. It's been a cold winter, which makes it feel longer than normal. Even when the sun shines and melts snow off the roof, it freezes overnight!
What does the world look like outside your door this week?
Friday, February 28, 2025
Bird Fiction for Middle Grade
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Explore Outdoors ~ Almost Snowcones
When the beech leaves dry up over winter, they curl into cones - perfect for catching snow. Some years I find perfect snowcones. This year, not so much. But still, they're fun to find on a winter walk.
How do the leaves in your neighborhood catch the snow?
Friday, February 21, 2025
Illustrated by Kate Cosgrove...
Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Explore Outdoors ~ Lichens
One of my favorite winter activities is Lichen Looking. That's because trees don't have leaves during this season - or if they do, the leaves are dried and rattly. And they don't have flowers. But they do sport lichens and other fungi. And, in this case, it was neat to observe how the snow gathered on the curls of lichen and bark.
I found this tree at a city park. What sort of lichen can you find in your neighborhood?
Friday, February 14, 2025
A Deep Dive into the Scopes Trial
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Explore Outdoors ~ Ice Needles
It pays to look at the ground when you're walking. You might find a shiny coin, or - as in this case - some interesting crystals. One icy day in mid-December I was walking through the woods here in upstate NY and I saw thick, icy crystals pushing up through the moss-covered soil. I was taken by the way they curled, and their seeming fragility - though they'd have to be pretty strong to push through the moss!
Turns out they are ice needles, or "needle ice" - something that naturally occurs when soil temperatures stay above freezing while air temperatures fall below 32 degrees F. Each needle is thin, but they stick together when they get into the frigid air.
What interesting things have you noticed this week?
Friday, February 7, 2025
Up into Space!
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
Explore Outdoors ~ Wintery Flowers
Welcome Back! Shadow or no, and regardless of what the Groundhog thinks, it's time for me to come out of hibernation, shake the snow out of my brain, and share cool science and books for the spring.
I spent part of the winter months in south Boston area, near the ocean. The air seemed to be warmer, the climate milder, and the flowers bloomed into December...
Here are a couple I captured at first snowfall, right before the Solstice.