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Just Our Nature - news, updates and insights
Our 2026 Community Calendar is Here!
By Dan French on
Blog: Just Our NatureProceeds from calendar sales benefit Nature Up North's community outreach initiatives. Each year, Nature Up North reaches thousands of local residents through guided hikes, paddles, workshops, and K-12 programs. Thanks for your support!
We hope you’ll support our programs and locally-owned businesses by buying a Nature Up North calendar this year. Proceeds from calendar sales directly…
Ask A Fairy: Fall 2025 Answers
By Thimble & Blossom on
Blog: Ask a FairyThimble and Blossom let us know that they loved all of the nature questions you had for them this year, and loved the fairy drawings some folks left behind! Despite the dry conditions this summer, the rain this fall made for a beautiful fall foliage season and made it possible for Thimble and Blossom to stick around into November. They had to head south in search of warmer climates for the winter…
Be Nice to Spiders - For Your Own Good
By Paul J. Hetzler on
Blog: Just Our NatureNote: The photo above is of a marbled orbweaver, a spider not featured in this article. Photo Credits: Troy Parla
Spiders can sometimes be dangerous in weird ways. At a Michigan gas station in 2015, a man tried to kill one with a lighter and torched a pump island, and in 2014, a guy in Seattle burned his house down trying to kill spiders with a blowtorch. But fire isn’t typically why we fear…
The Science of Apples
By Brooklyn Phillips on
Blog: Just Our NatureFall in the North Country doesn’t feel complete without a trip to the orchard and the taste of an apple freshly picked off the tree. Now that the season of apple picking is over, it's a good time to reflect on the months of growth and hard work that have made this year’s season possible. As we know, every fall farms across the country rush to pick their apples at the perfect time. The time when…
The Tale of the Turkey Vulture
By AJ DiFranco on
Blog: Just Our NatureI remember one time while in the North Country, I witnessed a group of turkey vultures gathered in a field off the side of an unknown road in Canton. It was quite a sight, seeing a bunch of those large, magnificent birds all gathered in one spot around what was presumably some sort of carcass. I also recall, both in the North Country and at my home in Pennsylvania, spotting many turkey vultures…
Brilliant Fall Leaves mean Fairies are Here to Stay!
By Dan French on
Blog: Ask a FairyThimble and Blossom are back on North Country Trails this fall! While they're waiting to migrate south for warmer weather each winter, Thimble and Blossom stop over for a couple of months on our trails to enjoy the fall foliage, tuck in the bears for hibernation, and to answer all of your nature questions! They stopped by Nature Up North to tell us how excited they are to see who can find their…
What's taking the Fairies so long?
By Thimble & Blossom on
Blog: Ask a FairyHello North Country Explorers!
It’s us! Thimble and Blossom, and we wanted to let you know why we’ve taken so long to return to our homes on the local trails. As you can imagine, fairy wings don’t do well in dry weather, and the end of this summer has been the driest ever recorded where we live! So far this summer we’ve only had 2 inches of rain, compared to the 19 inches we had last year. What a…
The North Country's Unnoticed Green Machine
By Zakithi Khumalo on
Blog: Just Our NatureWhen most people think of powerful carbon sinks, they may think of the vast Pacific Ocean or the dense Amazon Rainforest, which is all true, but we often miss the true unsung hero of carbon sequestration - the quiet, soggy peatlands. You may be surprised to learn that these carbon storages are right here in the North Country. Peatlands, also known as bogs or mires, are ecological powerhouses that…
Our Better Nature: Plants with a PR Problem
By Paul J. Hetzler on
Blog: Just Our Nature Names are important, as we often form opinions based on what we associate with them. Even if you’ve never watched an episode of the ’60s sit-com Gilligan’s Island, you could probably guess that the character Mary Ann Summers was not a millionaire on the show, and that Thurston Howell III wasn’t the down-home farmer from Kansas. Fiction writers like to play on common beliefs to convey…
The Forgotten History of New York's Firetowers
By Marina Garlick on
Blog: Just Our NatureIt feels like every other week this past summer there is a heat advisory for air quality. With all the smoke rolling across our skies this past summer it leaves us wondering where is it burning? And why isn’t it burning here?
Now this is an interesting question because as many of you may know there are multiple fire towers to the south of St. Lawrence County bordering the edge of the Adirondack…