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!
Porcupine out off the elements and a Red Squirrel
Saw some fresh tracks going to this shelter and the porcupine did not find it necessary to turn around and show me just a tail.
SLU Sustainability Farm Maple Sugaring Open House
Join us for an afternoon touring the maple sugaring operation at the St. Lawrence Sustainability Site! We'll spend some time helping sap, chatting about maple sugaring traditions, and stop by the farmhouse for hot cocoa. Then, we'll walk next door to Cornell Cooperative Extension's sugar shack, where you'll get to see (and taste!) maple sap being boiled down into the syrup we know and love. At the event, Nature Up North will share information about how you can help collect data this spring on the impact of climate change on sugar maple trees in the North Country!
Subnivian Zone Exposed
On this day, February 21st, we went to Lampson falls to observe animal tracks, and other evidence of life left behind in the snow. Lampson falls is a forest trail that follows along a river, and this particular photo was taken next to the shore of the river, in almost a wetland based habitat from water overflow. Mind you, in February, there is still supposed to be a decent amount of snow coverage. Today it was very humid, and rained heavily for many hours, exposing many tunnels in the snow that had once been covered.
First geese returning
I saw geese returning for the first time this season early this morning, in a group of 20-30. Seems early, but with recent weather they should find plenty of open water.
Invasive Species Awareness Week
In Grade 3, a brilliant joke made the rounds. We’d hold up a sheet of blank white paper and announce it was a polar bear in a snowstorm. Genius is relative for kids. But the first time I drove into a whiteout made me realize how accurate that “art” project was. Anything can hide behind a veneer of snow.
Blue skies at Stone Valley, porcupine spotted
After a morning of freezing rain, the blue skies in the afternoon were a great incentive to get out. This was the first time taking my dog out to the trails at Stone Valley, and she enjoyed exploring the east side of the river. She even found a porcupine - luckily safely tucked away in his den! Trail conditions were very icy, I was glad to have crampons with me and would recommend them to anyone who goes out.
Subnivian Zone Exposed(Animal Photo)
On this day we went to Lampson falls to observe animal tracks and other evidence of life left behind in the snow. Lampson falls is a forest trail that follows along the Grasse River, and this photo was taken next to the shore of the river in almost a wetland based habitat from water overflow. Mind you, in February, there is still supposed to be a decent amount of snow coverage. Today it was very humid, and rained heavily for many hours, exposing many tunnels in the snow that had once been covered. This is called a subnivian zone, the place between the top of a snow bank and the ground.
Lampson Falls - Snowshoes save the day!
This icy trip to Lampson Falls turned into a memorable first snowshoeing experience for these two young women in the international student program at St. Lawrence - one from Sweden and the other from Finland. Both did an incredible job staying on their feet. Snowshoes or crampons highly recommended to anyone looking to visit the falls, the recent thaw/freeze cycle has made for slippery conditions!
Loon Eggs on nest
Taking Hebron Yam on his first kayak excursion and we came upon this loons nest with 2 very large eggs of which only one loon survived. I suspect a snapping turtle or predatory bird had the other.
Tree Frog - Peeper (?)
This little frog, less that 1.5" long was hiding on top of a Raspberry leaf.