What's Your Nature?

Become a Nature Up North explorer to share your encounters with wild things and wild places in New York's North Country. Post your wildlife sightings, landscape shots, photos from your outings, and even your organization's events!

Just Our Nature

Nature Up North program blog

Leprechaun Trees

Haw berries. Photo: FreeUsePhotos, Flickr Creative Commons.

Leprechaun Trees

My earliest memory of St. Patrick’s Day is how angry it made my mother, who holds dual Irish-American citizenship and strongly identifies with her Celtic roots. It was not the day itself which got her Irish up, so to speak, but rather the way it was depicted in popular American culture: Green-beer drink specials at the bars and St. Patrick’s Day sales in every store, all endorsed by grinning, green-clad, marginally sober leprechauns.

By

Large Predators: Who Lives in Northern New York and Who Once Did?

Black bear photographed outside Parishville, NY (submitted to natureupnorth.org by Carla Jean LaFave)

Large Predators: Who Lives in Northern New York and Who Once Did?

What comes to mind when you think of a large predator? Maybe a powerful lion? Or a burly bear? Did you know that the Adirondacks and all of New York State were once home to a variety of top predators, including cougars, wolves, wolverines, lynx and black bears? Out of these five species, only one is still present here today… maybe you’ve seen it. That’s right, the only remaining top predator in New York State is the black bear (Ursus americanus).

By

The Bell Pepper Story: Too Much Clapping, Not Enough Applause

Photo: Red Bell Pepper, Flickr Creative Commons (Theo Crazzolara)

The Bell Pepper Story: Too Much Clapping, Not Enough Applause

April 1, 2019 marks the 90th anniversary of the development of the modern sweet pepper, also known as the bell pepper. Native to Central America, as well as to Mexico and northern South America, there is evidence that numerous types of peppers (Capsicum annuum) have been cultivated by native peoples for at least 6,500 years.

By

SAD in the Winter: Get Outside and Feel Better

SAD in the Winter: Get Outside and Feel Better

In the midst of a North Country winter, you might be experiencing the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder. You may have low motivation and be tempted to withdraw from social interaction... it might feel like your own personal hibernation. Some people dismiss this as simply “the winter blues”. It might be, but it also may be more than that. Shorter winter days in the North Country result in a decrease in daylight, and low temperatures often keep us confined to the indoors.  

By

Apply to be a Summer Intern!

Apply to be a Summer Intern!

Want to spend the summer in the North Country hiking, meeting new people, and learning about environmental education? We're hiring!

Nature Up North summer naturalist interns are talented, driven undergraduate students with interest in place-based outdoor education. Interns spend the summer developing leadership skills, leading outdoor programs and workshops, and becoming better environmental educators. The Nature Up North Summer Naturalist internship is a full-time 40 hr/week position and includes campus housing and a stipend.  

By

Wild Eats: Tea Time

Homemade tea from eastern white pine needles. Photo: Isabella de Buy Wenniger

Wild Eats: Tea Time

Have you ever wandered through the woods, looked at all the plants surrounding you, and wondered, “are any of these edible?” Good news: there are many species of edible plants found in the wild all around us! With a little knowledge of how to identify and prepare wild edibles, local forests become a bountiful place to explore.

By

Consider a Gift to Nature Up North

Huckleberry Lake. Photo by Bill Hill.

Consider a Gift to Nature Up North

Dear friends and neighbors,

It's that time of year again; the snow is flying, the geese have (mostly) left.  Must be time to consider making a contribution to support Nature Up North!  We'd be delighted and appreciative if you made a donation to help environmental education here in the North Country. 

Specifically, your gift will help to support activities such as:

By

Happy Biology

Photo: Flickr Creative Commons, Ehpien

Happy Biology

Happiness may be elusive, but it sure has spawned a lot of aphorisms. Folk-wisdom indicates one can be happy as a pig in poop—or in mud, which makes me wonder if those two hogs are equally content, and if they had other options. It also suggests you can be pleased as a pig in a peach orchard, which would make sense unless harvest season was over. Additionally, one might feel happy as a pup with two tails, a monkey with a peanut machine, or a clam at high tide.

By
Subscribe to Just Our Nature