“Something smells nice right here,” commented my fiance as we hiked over a rock outcrop strewn with sun-warmed, yellowed birch leaves. The sweet aroma of autumn comes when microbes break down …
Murmurs of interest rippled through the classroom as I spread a rectangle of green felt on the floor at the front of the room. The murmurs became questions as I placed two lines of life-sized animal tracks, printed and cut out of white paper, onto the felt.
By K.R. Woollums Summer Naturalist Intern at the Cable Natural History Museum I stood barefoot, my heels and toes sinking in as if the shifting shoreline of Friendly Valley Beach was going to …
Late summer days are a kaleidoscope of vibrant flowers in all colors of the rainbow. Some of the blossoms have their perfect petals neatly arranged while their leaves form regular patterns up their …
The flower head looked odd. Pearly everlasting—with their beautiful flat-topped cluster of white flowers with yellow centers—had finally bloomed. And now the petals would dry out and hold their …
Katherine Woolley is about to start her senior year as an environmental education major at Western Colorado University. When Katherine arrived for her second round as a summer naturalist …
From a distance, the forests of July look like a lush tapestry of green. But when you step into the loosely woven strands and take a closer look, the leaves are etched with feeding trails, dissected …
On a warm day at the end of June, the whole world buzzed with life. Painted turtles slid off sunning logs as we paddled up the channel into Big Bay Lagoon on Madeline Island. Song sparrows whistled …
Dappled light, mosquitoes, and the roar of a chainsaw filled the humid air on a morning in early June. Guided by skilled hands, the blade sliced through pale wood. Lacey green leaves trembled against …
While staying in Boulder Junction to take a Wilderness First Responder course last week, I made time for a bike ride on the Heart of Vilas County Bike Trail. This wonderfully curvy, scenic, paved …
In just the last week or two, new life has exploded in the Northwoods. To my brain, it feels like a burst of fireworks. Instead of embers sparkling in the darkness, there’s been a surge of colorful …
We were supposed to be focused on birds as the group walked along the gravel road north of Grandview, but in the damp air I smelled something. Thick, sweet, and spicy, the scent hung in this one spot …
The birds were quiet, but a tangle of dead trees squeaked and chirped in damp gusts as we hiked back from High Falls in Tettegouche State Park, Minnesota. The falls had been gushing, and climbing the …
On a cool morning in mid-April, two friends and I ambled down a gravel road toward their family cabin. What we’d planned as a quick drive to scout for black ash trees to harvest for basketmaking …
The tannin-stained waters of the Cascade River churned frothily into the cold, blue waters of Lake Superior. Upstream, impressive torrents of spring melt poured through the sculpted canyons as if …
A small strip of open water reflected the blazing sunset sky. Although my partner and I dug our toes into a sand beach at the Day Lake Recreation Area near Clam Lake, Wisconsin, the punky ice with …
Turkey vultures and black vultures circled above the trees. As I expected, I’d spotted my first turkey vulture of the year the day after I wrote the article about them. Then I promptly headed south …
Mesmerized, I paused in the warm, South Carolina sunshine to watch a kettle of turkey vultures circle lazily, their wings tracing the invisible movements of air. From a nearby tree line came the …
The air was cool, but not crisp as a small group of loon researchers gathered in the morning light outside the villas at Devil’s Fork State Park on Lake Jocassee in South Carolina. “There’s a …
Loons bobbed on the early morning ripples as our pontoon boat sped across the open waters of Lake Jocassee, South Carolina. “First loon!” someone exclaimed gleefully, but otherwise we ignored …