The Outside Story By Olivia Box As spring arrives, so do… bats. Like many other naturalists, I spend lots of time during this season looking for migrating salamanders and blossoming bloodroot. I’ve never thought much about what bats are doing […]
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The varied (and not-so-shrinking) violet
By Laurie D Morrisey One of the first spring wildflowers you’ll see – perhaps even before the last shaded patches of snow disappear – is the violet. This common flower, which blooms from April through June, is widely known and […]
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The nurturing nature of spider moms
By Rachel Mirus This May, while we thank the human moms around us, I’ve been thinking about the many dedicated moms throughout nature, too. Nurturing mothers come in many unexpected shapes and sizes, including a few diminutive examples – like […]
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Animal tails and the tales they tell
By Michael J. Caduto Anyone who has shared a home with a dog or a cat has learned something about the silent language of tails. Wild and domesticated animals may use tails for everything from communication to courtship, balance to […]
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The Outside Story: Tree flowers color the hills
by Olivia Box I love that time in spring when the hills around my house change from gray and brown to shades of yellow, green, and red. The trees have not yet leafed out, so what’s painting the forests these […]
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Warming winters benefit hemlock pests
The Outside Story By Olivia Box One spring-like afternoon this winter, I was skiing near Middlebury, Vermont. The trail followed Otter Creek, weaving through cedar patches, hemlock groves, and past the occasional hardwood. It was one of those days where […]
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Sweet-singing cardinals defend territories
The Outside Story by Susan Shea Thump. Thud. Something was hitting our window! It was a bright red cardinal flying at his reflected image in the glass – which he perceived to be an intruder in his territory. The bird […]
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What to see, hear, and do outdoors: A treasure hunt for early spring
The Outside Story By Elise Tillinghast This is such a disorienting time, when all our lives have been turned upside down and shaken. One of the ways my own family is coping is by spending time outside every day. We […]
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Red-winged blackbirds return
The Outside Story By Meghan McCarthy McPhaul Around the middle of March, I begin to feel that springtime urge to hit the road, to lace up the winter-neglected running shoes and start slogging through some miles. My early-season jogs take […]
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From yips to shrieks, fox talk runs the gamut
The Outside Story by Susie Spikoi Sometimes it pays to be an insomniac. One frigid winter night, I climbed out of my restless bed and slipped outside to stand under a sky littered with stars and take in the complete […]