Early June; it’s the cusp of summer. As soon as I come over the hill and squeeze through the thick mountain laurel, I pick up the chorus of voices. From above, The Eastern Pe-wee (Pee-a-wee), the Pine Warbler, whose fast chirps defy mnemonics. And the Gray Tree Frog, whose trill sounds like a sedated Red-bellied […]
Yesterday and Today Read Post »
When was the last time you came across a Wood Turtle? How about a Box Turtle? I usually suggest a hike. This time, take a drive. During the next several weeks we can all participate in a valuable rescue service. You’ve probably read that Galapagos Tortoises live for over two hundred years. Did you
Let’s Talk Turtles Read Post »
It wasn’t until I went looking for the heron rookery that I realized it had been too long since I walked in the woods alone, for what I might call “spiritual reawakening.” You might call it peace. You might not call it anything. But to me, this winter felt longer and more bitter than it
John Hankins, in the Joshua’s Trust blog, described our then new Madeline Regan Preserve in Tolland thusly: “a ridge-top trail runs along a glacial esker ridge that parallels the Connecticut Path. From the top of the ridge, you can look down 70 or 80 vertical feet into what looks to be a glacial kettle hole,
The Sky Was Falling Read Post »
By Irene Barnard Irises Despite a spate of snowstorms it’s clear that winter is passing. Spring is coming, and with it the sun’s rebirth after a season of darkness. Waking from winter’s deep sleep, hibernating animals stir in their dens, and so do we—even with February’s cold! New buds peek through the snow and ice,
Between Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox Read Post »
by George Jacobi Sometime in mid February, winter will blink, grudgingly admitting that the longer days mean spring is winning. Despite dirty snow still banked high along roads, increased trickles of ground water rising at a benign 52 degrees will initiate ice melting in the shallowest parts of shallow ponds, bogs, and marshes. These days
