Our perspectives shape the way we look at the world around us. When we take on a new perspective, it is usually accompanied by awe and wonder. One simple way to take a new perspective of the world is to zoom in to it. Now, I don't mean to learn about nature on the virtual meeting platform Zoom. What I mean is take a look at the world through a simple hand lens. A small crack in an acorn cap suddenly becomes a canyon! The grass in your backyard becomes a jungle with exotic cre

Awe can be expressed in so many ways. Some people stand speechless taking it all in as they watch a beautiful sunset, others start thinking up a storm asking questions about the phenomenon; still others take their experience back with them and create art in an attempt to capture it and possibly share it with others. This fall, Dawn has been teaching a Nature Art series to some home school families. One week they focused on the awe and wonder that happens when a New England fa

Staghorn sumac is very visible in the fall with its bright red leaves and bright red berries. This is another plant that has separate male and female plants. The females are the ones with the clusters of bright red fuzzy berries. The berries have a zingy flavor to them. I once made lemonade out of them by soaking clusters of berries in cold water in sunlight and adding some maple syrup to it. The berries are strained out before you drink it. Recently my friend, Ben Nelson, of

During the beginning of September, I noticed many monarchs nectaring on the red clover in the hayfields on the County Farm each afternoon. I had some tags with me, so I chased some of them down with an aerial net, carefully took them out and tagged them with a small sticker before releasing them. This same week, I had the pleasure of teaching for the first time since the pandemic started. A home school family came out to learn about the monarchs and tag them with me. As I wat