The Nature Corner column provides information about a variety of local plants and animals that can be found in Angle Fly Preserve and elsewhere around the town of Somers. Nature Corner articles, authored by Lauretta Jones, also appear regularly in the Somers Record, a weekly newspaper focusing on local news from Somers and neighboring communities.
This week, I want to introduce you to another native evergreen, one that is just as graceful and often grows side by side with white pines: Tsuga canadensis, the Eastern Hemlock. Although hemlocks are also very tall, their details offer … Continue reading
Pinus stobus – the scientific name of our native White Pine has a pleasing lilt. In pre-colonial days this majestic tree grew across large portions of Eastern North America, reigning as the tallest tree in the forest. It was reputed … Continue reading
Blink and you may have missed it, but for a few short days our woods were full of snow. Snow reveals many things that are otherwise hidden, offering hikers fresh experiences along the snowy trails. Animals leave traces of their … Continue reading
Whenever I find myself beaten down by the long, gray days of winter I walk through the woods looking for the first signs of spring. What I seek are the purple tips of Eastern Skunk Cabbage blossoms (Symplocarpus foetidus) melting … Continue reading
Moss is one of the most beautiful of green plants. Although mosses seem very different from garden flowers, they are all chlorophyl-containing organisms and make their own food. Perhaps because moss is tiny and mingles with mushrooms, we may think … Continue reading
When the lovely distraction of summer’s green or autumn’s fire-colored leaves is gone, a walk through the woods brings overlooked sights to our attention. This year, high up in many trees, you may spot long gashes where the gold-colored inner … Continue reading
Spring is the season of impatient expectation while summer brings all we’d been longing for. Although Autumn may stir up bittersweet nostalgia, it also holds a queue of festivities that soften our journey to year’s end. The sweet distraction of … Continue reading
We are fortunate in Somers to live surrounded by the natural world while also enjoying the benefits of human-made artifacts and conveniences. The slivers of woods woven between our homes cannot hold the richness of larger tracts of open space; … Continue reading
Venture into your backyard or onto the trails of Angle Fly and you will undoubtedly notice evidence of one of nature’s most important processes: the recycling of organic material into simpler forms of matter. This process provides an answer to … Continue reading
At a casual glance, it seems that there is not much color in the Somers winter landscape. Once the last brilliant autumn leaf has fallen, nature’s palette consists primarily of subtle variations of gray, brown, and black. But a keen … Continue reading
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