The Naturalist Notebook

Some form of parasitic insect injected an irritant into the stem or leaf of a local plant that reacted by forming a gall, a ball-like structure within which the insect eggs or larvae will live throughout winter.  We found this gall on a weekend hike in State College, with itty-bitty larvae tucked inside.  It is…

No matter how old you are, looking up at the stars at night always seems to put things in perspective.  How many stars are out there?  What do those planets look like through a telescope? What if I’m just a tiny speck inside a giant vacuum…? Well, if you like stars, planets, and existential questions, (or…

Here at Farm Show many of the Shaver’s Creek staff past and present have come together for a week long affair to teach about Pennsylvania’s native creatures. Farm Show is a week long annual event in Harrisburg celebrating the state’s agriculture, diversity and culture. Families, farmers and many more gather to watch livestock competitions, enjoy…

Cassi “Twister” Reimer’s discovery of TerraCycle’s “how to make a fancy bow out of food wrappers” has inspired three things, to date.  A lively craft session, full of Middleswarth and Utz and Toll House cookie wrappers, documented in a previous post, was the first.  Second was an appearance on Central PA Live, where the process…

You might imagine that we have a multitude of photos archived here at Shaver’s Creek – after all, we’ve been around for over 35 years, offer many diverse programs, and there’s a lot of history in this place even before Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center was created. So, in 2012, we’re celebrating by posting a new…

Be it a field guide, sweatshirt, or pouch of minerals, the bookstore/gift shop at Shaver’s Creek has a plethora of items that make terrific gifts for family and friends. And this Thursday, December 22, from 11am – 4pm, we are celebrating our visitors with our second annual Winter Solstice Sale!  Some of the sale discounts…

Suet, suet, fat and seedsPad his keel, that’s what he needsDinky Downy hang on tightJust keep eating into the night! Project Feederwatch 2011 is in full swing, and here at Shaver’s Creek, it’s not uncommon for a staff member to set up their work for the day in front of our lower classroom window, where…

With even less coercing, Rutabaga was talked into yet another creative holiday craft! With slight patience, we created beautiful fancy bows out of non-recyclable chip bags and you can too!   Terracycle is a national recycling system for previously non-recyclable or hard-to-recycle waste. Anyone can sign up for these programs, called the Brigades, and start…

It was with a tiny bit of hesitation that I agreed to make a wreath. It is with no hesitation that I can now say, an hour later, wrangling a 15 foot grapevine into a compact circle, tying Spruce and Pine needles around it, and adorning the thing with additional herbal accessories is really quite…

Here it is again, friends.  Arriving as planned.  Winter is coming, it has inched its way in, starting with a few overnight frosts and cold rains.  The daylight hours grow scarce, the sun gets a little weaker.  Old leaves sink a little further into the ground.  The hiking trails around Shaver’s Creek have become lovely…