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!
Love Your Mother 5th Annual Earth Day 7K
The first 50 participants to register will receive a free T-Shirt! (registration form here)
The 5th annual Earth Day 7K is going virtual! Net proceeds will benefit the North Country COVID-19 response!
Nature Up North and the St. Lawrence Land Trust invite you to join us for the 5th annual Earth Day 7K Trail Run & Walk! The virtual race will take place from April 22nd to May 22nd.
How to Participate:
8th Annual Earth Day 7k Recap!
The flags have been picked up, the apples have been eaten, and photos have finally been rounded up, but we're still thrilled with the turnout and fun had at this year's 8th Annual Earth Day 7k! With almost 70 registrants and over $1500 raised, the North Country community demonstrated what generosity, grit, and passion look like this past Sunday, April 21st, 2024.
Is it a car? Is it a boat?
A local repair shop was testing out their restored 1950’s/60’s German car/boat combo in the little river. Photos were taken from the SLU boat house on the little river.
Gray Fox
I have been seeing gray foxes from time to time, but always in poor lighting situations and never near enough to capture a photo to verify my sighting. This changed last Saturday. From my kitchen window I spotted this gray fox and her mate crossing our property. I was able to capture a few photos through the glass. This is the best one. She almost looks angelic.
Love Birds
I watched this wood duck pair circling overhead. They finally landed and in perfect sunshine. I have been seeing them in this tree over the last couple of weeks and we have three duck boxes that are occupied. This pair appears to be nesting in a natural cavity in the tree. A great argument to leave standing dead and dying trees as they provide habitat and nesting opportunities for our native bird species.
Black and Grey: The current and lost predators of the North Country
One of the defining characteristics of the North Country is its connection to the natural world. If it weren't, Nature Up North wouldn't exist, and that is a timeline truly too dark to imagine. The animals that inhabit the North Country play a huge role in defining the region's character. From the iconic white-tail deer, whose presence has earned them a place on the St. Lawrence County seal, to the mighty but rarely seen eastern black bear whose image is plastered across the region, wildlife is truly an inseparable part of our home.
From Tree to Topping: The Journey of Maple Syrup to Your Pancakes
Picture yourself wandering through a forest in early spring, the air crisp with the promise of warmer days ahead. Amidst the trees, something magical is happening – the sap is flowing, marking the beginning of the sweet journey from tree to topping. Join me to uncover the delightful process of making maple syrup, from forest to breakfast table.
Spring Water Monitoring
Warm spring weather made for comfortable testing in waders under the SUNY Canton bridge.
Why Springs Smells So Good
As the soil warms up in April and May and green plants spring forth once again, a delicate aroma hangs in the air, apart from any floral scent wafting on the breeze. It’s earthy and fresh, and I find it almost intoxicating. It turns out that spring’s special perfume has some fun and quirky root causes.
Eye Candy, Cough Syrup, and Early Flowers
After so many months of winter whiteness, it’s a relief to watch the snow recede at last. We’re always grateful for the spring melt, even though the loss of snow cover gives way to a mostly brown world: brown grass, sand everywhere along the roads, and brown needles under the pines. Not to mention the brown leaves we missed last fall, and maybe the dog poop that had built up, mercifully hidden under the snow. The few sepia-toned weeks after the white stuff disappears, but before trees and grass wake up, can be visually bleak.