A Walk in the Woods

After last week’s snowfall, warmer and more humid air moved in and fogged things up a bit. However, the colder, drier air returned for the…

Love it or hate it, there’s more snow on the way according to forecasters. One pondered what exactly is in store for the region when…

Mother Nature delivered a slick surprise early Sunday morning in the form of some black ice and other frozen surfaces. It was also discovered that…

A variety of weather was experienced last week in the region. From frost to fog, the weather pattern was active. Earlier in the week, snow…

This week’s weather brought several visitors to the bird feeders. Most noticeable of these included many pine siskins. They dominated the thistle feeder pretty much…

A search to name the type of frost formation found on the neighbor’s pond only turned up more confusion. It would seem as if everyone…

Extreme cold weather has gripped the region and will remain for the foreseeable future or at least as long as the extended forecasts hold. The…

As the snow falls and the temperatures cool, more and more winter birds are filtering into the region. Jeffrey Hall, of Franklin, a member of…

Whether or not folks like snow depends on their point of view. A new fallen fluffy snow that outlines bare tree branches and coats what…

Earlier last week, there was some open water on the neighbor’s pond. However, colder weather has currently encased the pond in ice. The moon was visible during…

This weekend’s full moon seemed to light up the night. Those who thought it seemed a little brighter wouldn’t just be seeing things. Author Gordon…

Out of the blue, skies cleared for a few days in the region. And if the weather forecast holds, today and Wednesday will show off…

Recent cold snaps left a skift of ice on the neighbor’s pond. A cold front over the weekend dumped nearly an inch of snow on…

Red squirrels and other critters were busy preparing for the coming cold. The hemlock tree was full this weekend of birds and squirrels working to…

As the area’s autumn display winds down, there were still a few magnificent maples helping to brighten the dreary days. (There are still lots of…

A cold and rainy weekend dulled autumn’s final colors just a little bit. The weather may have even shortened the season a little by bringing…

Trees around the area showed their true colors this weekend in a brilliant display that seemed to just erupt up overnight. The Pennsylvania Department of…

One never truly realizes the wealth of insects this region has to offer until they go to track down a positive identity for one. Thus…

An afternoon trip to Benezette had this blogger worried that the trip would be a bust. Arriving in the early afternoon, it seemed that the elk…

With their bright colors and tall prowess, it’s easy to see why sunflowers have found their place in the sun. After a little searching it turns…

A visit from one or possibly more painted lady butterflies to the tithonia plant prompted an internet search to find out more about the colorful…

As the summer days wane, some of the butterflies appear a little worse for the wear with faded colors and tattered wings. But they continue…

The search for butterflies this past holiday weekend took this blogger into the neighbor’s field full of wildflowers. After this weekend’s dreary start, Labor Day…

This week brought a very cooperative ruby-throated hummingbird who stuck around for several photo opportunities. It would appear that the speedy bird is a juvenile male ruby-throated…

The late summer wildflowers are starting to show their true colors. Those brightening up the fields and woodlands include ironweed, goldenrod and Joe-Pye weed. Some…

While some hummingbirds fight over the feeder, the Mexican sunflowers, or tithonia, are quite popular with the bees and butterflies. In fact, several bothersome bumblebees…

Recent sightings of red-spotted purple butterflies brought to mind the saying that things can “be two sides of the same coin.” The saying means that…

What may look like a tiny hummingbird feeding on residents’ flowers may in fact be a moth. These moths are commonly called hummingbird, sphinx or…

Rain, rain … wash the humidity away. While the region gets a break from the high humidity for a few days, the damp weather has helped the…

A recent visit to Heart’s Content in the Allegheny National Forest near Tidioute resulted in seeing some flora not usually seen in this blogger’s neck…

Relying on one’s eyes only in the woods could lead to the failure to observe some of nature’s neatest surprises. While walking beside the neighbor’s…

Buzzing around the neighbor’s pond are literally dozens of kinds of dragonflies and damselflies. These amazing insects can be difficult to identify especially from photographs….

It seems that this year – as with others in recent memory – there is no shortage of chipmunks. People can learn more about these…

What does the foxglove say? Well, not much in terms of sound production. However, with showy blooms on stems that may reach up to 6…

It seems that in the forest, the evidence of young wildlife is everywhere. While this photographer didn’t capture any youngsters, the signs abounded. Several birds…

  To quote a Facebook friend, hummingbirds are nature’s flying jewels. With a little bit of sunshine, that statement proves to be very true. Under…

Surprise and sometimes fear is often the reaction of those who happen along these animals with scales. According to the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, there…

While the region is bathed in spring green, birds and flowers provide a change in color in spots. A pair of scarlet tanagers showed up…

The past few days have seen the return of the rose-breasted grosbeaks, the baltimore orioles and the resident ruby-throated hummingbird to their respective feeders. As high as…

  Between the raindrops there were some periods of blue sky and sunshine this past week. However, most of these periods happened while this picture…

Last week brought beautiful butterflies, terrific tulips and perfectly pretty posies. When the rain finally stopped, the sun came out and nature showed off her true…