Exploring Nature by Sheila Newenham
The HerbivoresBison In Yellowstone National Park, bison begin calving in early spring. Their young, colloquially known as “red dogs,” are the first wildlife babies, usually appearing in Lamar Valley and Little America in April. By early June, when I visited, it seemed like a full … Continue readingSpring Wildlife Watching in Yellowstone National Park
I didn’t expect to find myself in the middle of spring bird migration in Anchorage in late April. But that is exactly what happened. I guess when summer only lasts three months before the snow flies again, you’d better be here when it starts. I … Continue readingSpring Bird Migration in Anchorage
Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is not what you’d think. Alligators are rare and black bears are common. The biggest black bears in the world, in fact. It’s on an old military bombing range, parts of which are still closed to the public formed to … Continue readingAlligator River National Wildlife Refuge
One person’s problem is another’s pleasure. We are in the midst of the all-time wettest May on record in the Chicago area. And it’s only May 19th. The previous May precipitation record of 8.25″ set just last year. This is a symptom of our warming … Continue readingRecord Spring Rainfall
e·phem·er·al (əˈfem(ə)rəl): lasting for a very short time. They brighten the dull brown forest floors even before winter has really left. Spring ephemerals put all of their energy into carpeting the woodland in color and then fade away under the shade of the full canopy. … Continue readingWoodland Ephemerals: Hope Springs Eternal
It’s a classic Glacier National Park hike. Mid-day in July or August you’ll find people circling the parking lot for an hour or more looking for a place to park as traffic backs up on the narrow, winding, two-lane Going to the Sun Road as … Continue readingHidden Lake Trail at Logan Pass
I turn off Hwy 31 in Dundee onto Country School Road and immediately all the stress and chaos of suburbia falls away. I am heading to the Spring Bird Cottage, a retreat on fourteen acres of oak, hickory and maple woodlands with a network of … Continue readingAn Oasis of Nature
Spring woodland wildflowers are fleeting. They decorate the sunny forest floor before the trees leaf out and shade them for the summer. Two weeks ago the blood root bloomed, last week the trout lilies stole the show. This week, the ground here at Johnson’s Mound … Continue readingA Spring Woodland
I thought we were headed out for an easy, spring, creekside hike in the mountains to a historic site of interest. In my head, I had pictured a stroll in the woods along a babbling brook. I was very excited! Our host, Adrienne, had recommended … Continue readingThe Pulaski Trail: Spring Snow in the Mountains
I haven’t seen a junco since mid-April. It’s hard to mark the day they leave except to note when some has time gone by since I’d last noticed one. Here, they mark the beginning of winter and the promise of spring. As the juncos leave, … Continue readingChanging Seasons: Spring