01Sep 2023 by catbird No Comments
Hunt for Animal Tracks

Hunt for Animal Tracks

Hike Ideas, Midwinter, Play, Winter, Winter Solstice
Whether you have snow or mud, winter is a great time to hunt for animal tracks. The lack of underbrush makes them much easier to spot. Younger friends will likley just be excited to find and identify some tracks, but older friends might enjoy tracking the paths the prints take and trying to reconstruct what the animal might have been doing and or where it is living. We spent literally hours following those raccoon tracks around the forest and mapped out what we hypothesized was a whole community of raccoons. They went to the water, they went to different trees that appeared to have dwellings in them, it was pretty fascinating. Another fun step would be to draw and illustration or write a story about what you found, in our…
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23Jul 2023 by catbird 3 Comments
Wild Mushroom Hike

Wild Mushroom Hike

First Harvest, Foraging, Hike Ideas, Recipes, Summer
We absolutely always enjoy searching for mushrooms while hiking, in fact I have promised my children badges for all the different types of mushrooms they've spotted on multiple occasions (and still not delivered...) but perhaps my favorite time to go is at the end of July right before First Harvest. This is when we (knock on wood) always find delicious chanterelles. I like added chanterelles to the list of things we harvest this time of year! Whether or not you want to forage mushrooms to harvest and eat, this is a fun hike to take with kids. (And I find they are often superior at spotting mushrooms!) Bring a magnifying glass, a mesh bag if you plan to collect anything and a guidebook. A nature journal is also a great…
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04Jun 2023 by catbird 2 Comments
Summer Wild Berry Foraging Hike

Summer Wild Berry Foraging Hike

Foraging, Hike Ideas, Play, Summer Portfolio, Summer Solstice
This is probably my kids favorite kind of hike... built in snacks! In fact, we love foraging for wineberries along hiking trails so much that I named my business Wineberry Wood Press. There are tons and tons of different types of berries that grow wild all summer, find a good field guide or a knowledgable forager in your area and get a sense of what is available when and or course what is safe. Wineberries and blackcaps are a particular favorite of ours, but there are so many others! bring a basket and collect berries to make a treat later, or do what we usually do and just eat and walk. Either way it will stave of the frequent protestations of "I'm hungry!" strawberries wineberries mulberry & honeysuckle tart wild…
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14Apr 2023 by catbird No Comments
Plogging Hike

Plogging Hike

Earth Day, Hike Ideas, Learning, Play, Recycled Materials
I swear all of my Earth Day posts aren't going to have funny words in them... but here's another one! Plogging is a combination of jogging and picking up litter, it was originally coined in Sweden (merging the Swedish verbs plocka upp (pick up) and jogga (jog). In our case its really more hiking than jogging, but I 'm not sure piking has the same ring to it. Sadly this is a tremendously easy hike to do-- there is litter nearly everywhere we hike. The only trick is to remember to bring a bag to collect litter in, and possibly some gloves so no one is touching trash directly. I didn't used to be squeamish about it, but covid and the proliferation of discarded face masks in public parks has…
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25Feb 2023 by catbird 3 Comments
Spring Ephemerals Hike

Spring Ephemerals Hike

Foraging, Hike Ideas, Nature Journaling, Spring Equinox, Spring Portfolio
Spring ephemerals are one of the most exciting treasures to hunt for in the early spring. They are short lived woodland flowers that live their entire lives in the early spring before the trees leaf out. They sprout, bloom and set seed all between snowmelt and when the forest canopy shades them out. Their dainty appearance and short life may make them appear delicate, but these plants are tough. Spring ephemerals have all kinds of interesting adaptations and collaborations with other members of their communities to help them survive in such a harsh environment. Because soil temperatures are low this time of year, water and nutrient uptake is more challenging. Many spring ephemerals have developed relationships with mycorrhiza in order to get the water and nutrients they need. Their environment is…
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19Apr 2022 by catbird 1 Comment
Vernal Pools & Spring Pond Dipping

Vernal Pools & Spring Pond Dipping

Hike Ideas, Nature Collection, Nature Journaling, Play, Spring Equinox, Spring Portfolio
One of the most exciting signs of spring in my house is the hunt for tadpoles and the woodland jewels known as vernal pools. Vernal pools are ephemeral woodland ponds that only appear in the spring. They are usually full in the early spring as snow and ice melt, and dry completely (or at least mostly) by late summer or early fall. These pools serve a critical role in the lives of wildlife- frogs and salamanders lay their eggs in vernal ponds because they are free of fish who would eat them. (Fish can’t live in a body of water that isn’t constant) Many organisms with an aquatic stage in their life cycle have evolved to require the temporary but fish-free water of vernal pools. In the Northeast United States…
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