Learning the language of birding
For veteran birders, the spring migration season is a delight, with new bird species arriving – or passing through – daily, in yards and forests, fields and wetlands. For newer birders or casual backyard bird watchers, this influx can be overwhelming.
Headwater streams are vital sources of clean water
For nearly 15 years, I have been exploring the headwaters of a river near my home.
The tale of a lake tsunami
The sharpest contrast between rivers and lakes is in water movement. While rivers flow inexorably downhill, lake water movement is more subtle.
The fascinating adaptations of frogs
Celebrated for their amphibious lifestyle and cacophonous choruses, the long arc of frog evolution has yielded other awesome and efficient adaptations in organs from their lungs to their skin.
Total eclipse of the sun is headed our way
In the cosmic dance of heavenly bodies, no phenomenon possesses the drama of a solar eclipse, when the moon passes directly between the sun and earth. This year, our region will experience a total solar eclipse on April 8.
For white-throated sparrows, opposites attract
In the wild, finding a suitable mate is no simple matter – and it’s an extra complicated affair for one familiar resident of the woods and underbrush.
Maple sugaring adapts to a changing climate
Boiling maple sap into syrup is a time-honored tradition in the Northeast, to the olfactory delight of anyone who has spent time in a steamy sugarhouse while inhaling the sweet maple scent of the season.
New invasive zig-zags across North America
A new invasive insect is zig-zagging its way across North America.
The humble acorn is a feast for wildlife
The acorn is a perfectly designed container packed with potential. It holds the seed that may become a towering tree that will shelter and feed thousands of creatures throughout its lifetime – including many animals that rely on acorns for winter survival.
Ebbing snow cover affects plants and animals
Our region is riding a meteorological roller-coaster. Overall, winters are shorter, temperatures warmer, there is less snow cover, and we are experiencing more wet-snow and rain events.
A tale of two grosbeaks in winter | The Outside Story
Last February, several evening grosbeaks which we rarely see here visited our feeder.
Freezing solid is no problem for red velvet mites in winter
Built like eight-legged, scarlet Beanie Babies, red velvet mites are hard to miss, even though most of them are no bigger than an eighth of an inch long. They are arachnids in the family Tombidiidae, so their relatives include spiders and ticks.
Discovering Orion in the winter night sky
Orion is one of the most easily distinguished constellations, in part because of the three bright stars that form its belt. The hunter figure of Orion also wields a club raised above his head, a shield held before him, and a sword hanging from his belt.
Pine cones & the complicated lives of conifer seeds
My yard is full of eastern white pine trees, and every three years or so, it is full of pine cones. This is one of those years.
American Tree Sparrows are winter’s hardy visitors
American tree sparrows (Spizelloides arborea) are so named by European settlers who were reminded of Eurasian tree sparrows back home. The name, however, is a misnomer, as these “tree” sparrows are actually ground birds, spending little time in trees.
The Outside Story: Thundersnow makes for a rare winter storm
While most of us equate thunderstorms with hot, humid summer weather, they can also happen during the winter. Thundersnow is simply a type of thunderstorm where precipitation falls as snow rather than rain.
The Outside Story: Six-legged creatures of winter streams
Insects are abundant in winter streams because they are able to find food and, on most days, the water is warmer than the surrounding land. Many species hatch in time to consume autumn leaves and the bacteria that grow on them.
The Outside Story: Bundle and look up for the Geminid meteor shower
Peaking from December 13 to 14, this year’s Geminid meteor shower coincides with the dark sky of a new moon, which should make for great viewing – assuming the night is clear, of course.
The Outside Story: The Canada yew is a scarce but native evergreen
For thousands of years, people have decorated their homes with evergreen boughs – a symbol of eternal life – during the darkest time of the year around the winter solstice and Christmas.
The Outside Story: Pine siskins inbound
If you are prone to looking up as you walk (or pedal or drive) among trees, you may have noticed a bumper crop of cones clinging to the highest branches of white pine trees this summer and fall.