W hen you go  out and about  in the local forests to enjoy some much-needed warmer days  in the next few weeks , you might  encounter  a surprising sight — a mourning cloak butterfly.   This fair-sized butterfly (about the size of a monarch), always catches hikers off guard because butterflies are the insects least expected to be seen as we climb out of the cold of our long winter. After all, aren’t they insects of the summer  months,  appearing weeks after they entered the world as caterpillars?   Mourning cloaks are different. They hibernate  (or, more accurately ,  enter a similar state known as torpor)  and can survive our  harshest of  winters as adults, even when the  temps  drop below zero. Other species of Lepidoptera over winter  in cocoons  or as  eggs. To survive Jack Frost, mourning cloaks will search out brush piles,  sheds and outbuildings,  hide on the undersides of ea...

  Spring is a magical time to visit the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. For a 3-month period birdwatchers literally come from all over the world to view migrations. First, it’s the waterfowl. Then, it’s the shorebirds. Last come the warblers. Many of those birders set-up at the various parking areas, using spotting scopes and binoculars to observe the marshes and ponds. I encourage them while there to stretch their legs for a bit and traverse some of the refuge’s trails. One of them, the Swallow Hollow trail, has always been a favorite of families, joggers, and schools due to its flat, dry trails and unique boardwalk. Those characteristics make nature accessible for all – and there’s plenty of it there. The 1.3 mile trail traverses through a mixed bag of habitats, all of which offer some fine viewing of plants and wildlife and arguably one of the better warbler migration stops on public land in all of Western New York. As you start your hike at the parking lot and head to your...

As we come out of this long, brutal winter you’ll look for the slightest signs of spring to get you through. You might keep your eyes to the skies for migrating birds or you’ll look to the ground for the first glimpse of plant life. When it comes to the latter, one of the very first flowers to grace our presence every year is a plant that is otherwise taken for granted or looked at with disdain by gardeners as a weed – the purple dead nettle. The purple dead nettle is not actually a nettle. It is a member of the mint family. It has the tell-tale characteristic of mints, which is a square stem. It lacks, though, the fragrance that most people expect from mints. It gets the name dead nettle because this mint has numerous small hairs like nettles, but, unlike nettles, they won’t stick in your skin and make you itch like mad – so, it was considered “dead” by early taxonomists. The plant is incredibly common and can be found almost anywhere disturbed by mankind – fields, edges of parking lo...

  Valentine’s Day is just a week and a half away. No doubt, you’ve been thinking about how to spend some time with your loved one. While you are booking that dinner date, make sure you also book some time that weekend with something else you love – birds.   Birds on the Niagara An extraordinary annual event is taking place along the Niagara River from February 12 th to the 16 th . Birds on the Niagara is North America’s only winter birding festival. It features a variety of activities such as guided walks, spotting stations, social events and art workshops, all of which can be researched at bird-niagara.org The keynote event is a presentation by Corina Newsome called “Flock and Forage: Loving by Nature.” Corina is one of the most recognizable and dynamic individuals in the conservation movement, as an ornithologist, communicator, and co-founder of Black Birders Week. She’ll be speaking about the connection between community and conservation and how birds, science, and peopl...