

A Once Cozy Home
Stick season is a great time of year to look for bird nests from last spring. With many of the leaves off the trees, nests become visible...


Why did the Porcupine Really Climb the Tree?
Each time I've seen a porcupine in my life, it has been connected to trees. I've seen them on trails while hiking, but they are always...


Yellowbud Hickory Harvest
You may have never heard of Yellowbud Hickory even though it grows in the southern part of Sullivan County and along the Connecticut...


Mycelium Matters
Mycelium are the roots, mushrooms are the fruit. Mycelium is underfoot everywhere. I've written about the Wood Wide Web before, the...


Green Goo or Cyanobacteria
Until recently, I had only heard of cyanobacteria as it relates to lichen. Lichen is a composite organism made up of a fungal partner and...


Northern Lights
I have always wanted to witness the aurora borealis. I even put an app on my phone that is supposed to alert me when the skies are right...


Light Pillars
Last Saturday evening I witnessed an atmospheric phenomenon on my way home from a friends house that looked similar to the northern...


Hot Lips
I can't get enough of lichens these days. I enjoy bright colors and wet lichens do not disappoint. A few common types of lichen have...


Reindeer Food
I first encountered reindeer lichen in the high elevations of the Smokies in Tennessee and North Carolina. It grows on heath balds with...


Who Cooks for You?
The sound of a barred owl hooting is very familiar to me as an outdoor educator. It is one of the easiest owl calls to imitate and the...