Our fairy friends Thimble Hickory and Blossom Dewdrop are back to answer the rest of your questions about North Country nature and the lives of fairies. While they're settled into the warmth of the tropics for winter, they're already excited to return to Canton, NY next fall! 

Each year a group of migrating group of woodland fairies passes through Canton on its way south for the winter. Woodland fairies know all the North Country plants and animals, and this year they invited us to visit their houses and ask questions about North Country nature. If you were walking along the Kip Trail, exploring Heritage Park, or running through the Remington Recreation Trail last month, you may have been lucky enough to spot a fairy house nestled in the trees awaiting curious visitors.

Joel Howie is the owner of Canton Apples, a U-Pick apple orchard located on the corner of Barnes Road and County Road 25. He is originally from Rochester, NY, but moved to Canton in 2002 with his wife, Becky. Joel loves working outside all day long alongside his workers and friends and family who come to help out, and it shows in the quality of his product and the atmosphere on the orchard from the moment you drive up off of County Road 25. We met up with him to learn about being an orchardist in the North Country.

Come fall, we all start to prepare for winter in our own ways. We unearth the sweaters that have been accumulating dust since spring, and pull out our wool hats and mittens.  Some of us chop wood and stack it next to the door, or restock the storm candles in the drawer by the stove. We can food, stocking pantry shelves with jars of red tomatoe sauce, purple sauerkraut, green dilly beans. There is a current running through the air, a rush to beat the cold. But we aren’t the only ones who are getting ready; lots of other North Country natives have their own survival plans.

Migrating birds of all stripes—and wing patches, tail bands, and other markings—are impressive. My hat is off (figuratively only, of course) to all the songbirds, raptors, and waterfowl that fly from their Northern breeding grounds to warmer climes, in some cases thousands of miles, without benefit of Google Maps or a travel agent.

Kayakers from all over the Eastern US and Canada convened at Stone Valley in Colton on Labor Day Weekend for the Raquette Race, part of the Whitewater King of New York Series. The series includes competitions along four Northern New York Rivers: the Raquette, Black, Beaver, and Moose.

It turns out that, in terms of fall foliage, the color of too dry is officially known as “Blah.” This would undoubtedly be the least popular color selection if it was included in a jumbo Crayola crayon pack. Basically, it is a jumble of faded hues with a mottled brown patina. This year’s dry summer could mean that “blah” may feature prominently in Mother Nature’s fall hardwood forest palette.

No campfire is complete without a few s’mores. S’mores hit the proverbial sweet spot of flavor and entertainment – enjoyed around a crackling campfire with family and friends, the challenge of roasting the perfect marshmallow can keep you occupied for hours.

They say that every cloud has a silver lining, but what happens when all you really need is a cloud? The Drought of 2016 (sounds more ominous when I capitalize it like that) has really beat up on gardens and landscapes. You know it’s dry when dandelions begin to shrivel up, which is the case in my yard. The problems wrought by the drought are (mostly) obvious, but is there a silver lining anywhere?

For the past two days, I have had the amazing experience of absorbing all things Nature Up North through a teacher workshop on the St. Lawrence University campus. As a local science teacher, I spend a lot of my summer...yes enjoying a well deserved break from the daily grind...but also reflecting on the past school year. I am always brainstorming ways to make science content in the classroom more tangible and relevant to my students. Through this workshop I have been inspired as to how to achieve this goal.