Blog Profile / A Passion for Nature
| URL : | http://winterwoman.wordpress.com/ | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | Hobbies / Nature | |
| Posts on Regator: | 517 | |
| Posts / Week: | 1.9 | |
| Archived Since: | March 5, 2008 | |
Blog Post Archive
Traditions
Apparently Sue’s family used to do this when she was younger: meet at the pavillion at the Quaker picnic area of Allegany State Park. Cook up and eat a magnificent breakfast, then head out to hike one of the trails. Sue revived the tradition and this year celebrated the third Annual Allegany Breakfast and Hike. I [...]
The Escape – Part II
We neared the end of the narrow side trail and could see the wider main trail ahead. There in the branch of a tree was a one gallon plastic tub. Hmm… I wondered if it was a geocache. We took it down to have a peak. You could still just barely see that someone had [...]
An Escape…
Sometimes when the world is weighing down heavily on your shoulders, the only thing that helps is a little escape… a chance to walk, explore, breathe crisp Autumn air. A chance to surround yourself with the familiar, yet be open to the novel. The Art Roscoe Ski area at Allegany State Park is a wonderful [...]
Humbled
I am humbled to have been placed in the same sentence with names like Emerson, Thoreau, John Muir, Aldo Leopold and Mary Oliver – and Dave Bonta! And, I may steal this idea for an activity in some future workshop… http://donaprofe.wordpress.com/2010/09/27/trails-of-discovery-and-learning/ (Thank you Mavis!)
Large-Medium-Small
I took a hike on Saturday along the Chautauqua Rails To Trails - the Nancy B. Diggs Nature Trail section from Hannum Road to Route 430. It was quite a day for butterflies. During the drive to the trailhead and all along the trail I saw dozens of migrating Monarchs. So large when flying, I have [...]
Goldenrod Soldier Beetle
I took several pictures of this fellow while doing my Day Camp Counselor gig, but had no time during the week to look him up. Today I searched the internet for “goldenrod beetle” in hopes of finding something relevant. Turns out, he’s called Goldenrod Soldier Beetle, also known as the Pennsylvania Leather-wing (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus). While [...]
Modeling Appropriate Behavior
I’m a day camp counselor this week. I have a small group of 5 children. One of my duties is to “model appropriate behavior.” To that end, I like to gently handle critters we find in the field, and observe them carefully. Sometimes I end up learning things I never knew before! For example, take [...]
Sample Post
Just messing around to see if the computer is working properly. Had a nasty virus. The nice folks at Norton took control and fixed things… all the way from India! Ain’t technology marvelous?
A Gorge-ous Day
It is hard to convey the beauty of Chautauqua Gorge on a summer day. It really must be experienced first hand… But, of course, I shall try with my photos and words. We arrived at around 9:30am and the light was greenish gold. There were forests above us, and below us: Straight overhead, the sky [...]
Beaver Meadow
The heat had been oppressive for a good long time making poor old Winter Woman mighty miserable… and producing way too many, too big cucumbers in the garden. We designated Saturday as as Relish-Making Day (part 2). I put on a sun dress and sandals in hopes of staying cool during the preparations, cooking, and [...]
Guest Post
Well, friends, here is the final post in the Squirrel Saga, and an announcment! My friend finally has his own blog. Check it out: http://woodpeckerwrites.wordpress.com Squirrel Wars – Part III Well, friends, I have run headlong into Occam’s Razor. For those of you not familiar with it, it’s a scientific theory which states that in [...]
Green Home Chautauqua
Please click on over to Audubon’s newest website: Green Home Chautauqua! The idea behind it is to provide folks in the Western New York region the resources they need to do green renovations. Right now, it is mostly a template and we are looking for help filling in the content… so, if you know contractors [...]
Giant Hogweed
Usually, the phone calls sent to the Education Department involve birds. We call out, “Stupid bird question on line one.” Of course, the questions are rarely stupid and we actually enjoy the break in our day… a chance to help someone with a Real Puzzle or Problem. A couple of weeks ago, it wasn’t a [...]
Guest Post
I’ve been encouraging a friend to start a blog. He refuses. But sometimes he sends me little stories. I asked if I could post this one on my blog as a guest post. He said yes, but picked a pen name… You’ll have to guess who it is. (But I won’t confirm your answers.) Squirrel [...]
Roadside Weeds
I love flower gardens. But I’m not much of a gardener. Unless I can eat it, I’m not likely to tend it. So I enjoy flowers wherever I can find them. During this season of the year, I find my eye traveling to the habitat referred to in my wildflower field guides as waste places [...]
Surprise!
Imagine my surprise when I discovered I’m a cover girl! In case you are new to my blog, here are links to the 2009 hike from which that photo came: Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4
Thank You Fieldtrip 2010
The site of the Great Blue Heron Music Festival in Sherman, NY has recently become the site for another heron venture: the Green Heron Growers. This was the destination of our 2010 Thank You Fieldtrip for Audubon education volunteers. Julie Rockcastle was our gracious hostess and gave us a tour of the agriculture operation in [...]
After the Rain…
It rained this morning. As the clouds thinned, the light became perfect for photography, so I headed down to Audubon to see if the adorable Yellow Warblers were out by the overlook again (and to practice using my 100-400mm lens). They were… taking inchworm after inchworm to a nest that was hidden from view. I [...]
Friday at ANP
For the last few years, I have been the designated driver… that is, the person who drives the Audubon van loaded with stuff down to the Allegany Nature Pilgrimage. It’s not a bad gig. Once we get the van unloaded in the early morning, I am free to explore the park and take in a [...]
Osmundaceae
Google “osmunda” and the online dictionaries will tell you that the word refers to a genus of ferns. Cobb’s A Field Guide to the Ferns mentions that the name came from Osmunder, the Saxon god of war (os=god, mund=protector). In other sources, I found that Osmund, the Waterman, once hid his family in a stand [...]