November is upon us and with it comes Kids Corner, filled with games, songs, crafts, stories, and even puppet shows! The excitement and unabashed curiosity of the young children in attendance is a constant delight, and makes me appreciate the exceptional beauty of simple things—a bit of construction paper and tape is soon transformed into…
The Naturalist Notebook
Welcome to the Shaver’s Creek blog! The entries here are posted by staff, interns, and volunteers, and aim to keep you informed about the programs, updates, and natural history happenings here at the Creek. Enjoy!
We welcome you to Outdoor School, we’re really glad you’re here… We’ll send the air reverberating with a mighty cheer! This cheer welcomes a caravan of buses every week of the spring and fall seasons to Outdoor School for a magical week of exploring and learning. Outdoor School is an environmental education program that serves…
Go play outside! The beauty that surrounds us in the fall is so magnificent. As you take time on your commute to and from work or school, or in your explorations of the woods, notice the palette of colors evident in the fall flowers. This time of year is decorated with the oranges and golds…
The wind is pushing at our backs, while sunshine ladles itself liberally onto skin, trees, and the cornfields below. The three of us sit on top of a mountain ridge, resting on a bench. We’re looking for birds. It’s quiet, and we gaze north. A large vista stretches out below us, with semis looking like…
If you’re like me, then you’re on the lookout for the annual migration of Monarchs through your area. Easily the most well-known of butterflies in our part of the world, the Monarch is famous for its beauty and the long trek it takes from Canada and the northern United States to its wintering…
With nets over their shoulders, guide books in pockets, and jars for observation in hand, the Shaver’s Creek staff set out to find the butterflies. Every year, groups all over the nation search for butterflies in a national butterfly count that is compiled by the North American Butterfly Association. Shaver’s Creek staff identified and kept…
Summer certainly has many forms of beauty, but none captures us more than that of ornately patterned butterflies. Without a doubt, butterfly and pollinator gardening is one of the fastest growing fads in landscaping. Unfortunately, when looking for plants to attract butterflies to our gardens, we often overlook very beneficial native plants in favor of…
Memorial Day weekend this year marked a time for Shaver’s Creek staff to honor those who served our country, and also one of its most notable teachers, Joan Turns. Friday, May 23rd was Joan’s final day of overseeing school programming—no small cause for celebration, considering she has over 700 programs under her belt since she joined…
As we move ever faster towards the dog days of summer, unexpected beauty is beginning to crowd the air above the water at Shaver’s Creek. Yes, Dragonfly flight season is in full swing and some of the largest and showiest of our species are beginning to emerge in search of mates—and their mosquito prey. I…
A record number of participants made the 2013 Birding Cup a fantastic event! 105 birders represented 23 different teams, bound together in a 24-hour competition to find the most birds. Even though a number of species hadn’t returned from migration yet, in total, birders discovered 169 species! The Birding Cup is Shaver’s Creek’s annual fundraiser.…