Magazine Series

“In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too), those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.” – Charles Darwin The portrait…

Few things have affected our relationship with the outdoors as much as the surge in blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis, often referred to as deer ticks) over the past few decades. Like many…

At the height of May’s morel season, I approach a standing dead elm, its loosened gray bark peeling back like partially husked corn. My morel eyes are a point of pride, and somehow it…

In the last installment, we conducted a leak check on a chainsaw that had damage to the top end of the engine (piston, rings, and cylinder). Before replacing those components, a leak-down…

Worldwide, biodiversity is in crisis. Species are disappearing at an estimated 100 to 1,000 times the historical rate, driven primarily by habitat destruction and climate change. According to…

During a trip with Saint Michael’s College students to Bunratty Castle in Ireland, our guide explained that medieval castle defenders poured scalding liquids on invaders through a…

In early June 2023, I was driving down the Taconic Parkway through New York’s Hudson Valley when I noticed an abrupt change to the roadside scenery. The lush forest canopy that had been…

Named for the string of lakes where the Connecticut River begins its 400-mile flow from northern New Hampshire, the Connecticut Lakes Headwaters region has long been prized for its thick…

A red maple tree in the backyard stretched well above the two-story house where I grew up. It was not an easy tree to climb, but it was the best one. I would jump up to grab the lowest branch…

Many of us associate bees with gardens or fields of wildflowers and are familiar with the common eastern and golden northern bumble bees we see there. However, forests also provide critical…