How long has skunk cabbage been around? Our local skunk cabbage is a relative of fossils reaching back 72 million years. Using the molecular clock (a method of estimating the age of plant groups by DNA changes) our local species developed roughly 12 million years ago. At that time he
Every small shift in the forest is driven by huge astronomical events. In late February the sun slides northward along the horizon and days lengthen. Sunlight strikes the earth at a more direct angle, and the warming begins. Orion, our winter companion, begins his slow departure from the night sky.
I'd like to begin hosting/leading more or less informal nature walks at the Nixon Park this spring. I am asking anyone who would like to participate to let me know their preference for day and time by completing this brief survey. Please feel free to share with
Names are the way we humans build relationship, not only with each other but with the living world... imagine what it would be like going through life not knowing the names of the plants and animals around you... scary and disorienting — like being lost in a foreign city where you
Snow from the late-January storm is still on the ground. For nearly three weeks nights have dipped into single digits, wind chills pushed well below zero, and daytime readings struggled to climb above freezing. It could be worse. As tough as February 2026 has been more than three feet of
Precipitation levels have risen since the 2024 drought but wells and streams remain on the dry side of normal. According to this week's U.S. Drought Monitor for Kennett Square drought was declared on February 03. Drought declarations are driven by weather station data, groundwater levels in wells,
I had a text from my birder friend Gerry who sighted two redhead ducks on the small pond the park - a rare visit in the local sense, but not totally unexpected as migration follows its familiar pattern. Migration happens in stages over time, it's not a single
Our most recent snow accumulated six to eight inches topped with a taxing and tiresome icy crust. This is followed by a stretch of intense cold that (as is forecast at this writing) will not top the freezing mark for nearly two weeks. Difficult footing and daunting wind-chills made my
It's January and the cold winter sun traces a meager arc on the southern horizon for less than half a day. I found myself longing for July's overgenerous sun that stands overhead for hours. Even so the long, cold, shadows of winter have their charms, and
Deep in the winter after last season's mast year of Black walnuts the gray squirrels and red squirrels are spending the currency they banked before the cold set in. Gray squirrels bury individual nuts or acorns but red squirrels are "larder hoarders": they make piles. You
Have you seen gray squirrels playing "chase me" the past week or so all over the park or in the yard? Three or four (or more) squirrels follow the leader spiralling up and down trees, leaping through the forest floor, stopping, turning, and taking off again. These rapid,
Most animals are lighter underneath and darker on top. This is one of those things that goes unnoticed until someone points it out and you begin seeing it all the time. Sunlight creates shadows, shadows make animals more visible, the more visible you are the more likely you’ll be