Snow Birds
Why do some birds in the Hudson Valley opt NOT to fly south for the winter, instead braving the cold and congregating at backyard birdfeeders? First and foremost, they’ve decided it takes less energy to forage locally for food —...
On the Stump
Traces of the earliest trees — and forest — yet to be discovered on Earth were found just outside the Hudson Valley in Gilboa, Schoharie County. From the fossilized stumps, scientists estimate that the trees, in the genus Wattieza, grew...
For the Birds
You may already have heard about this staggering conclusion of a recent study — over the last half century, some 25 percent of birds in North America have vanished. Those hardest hit have been birds that depend on grasslands —...
Nature Prescription
For the last year, doctors on Scotland’s Shetland Islands have been given the OK to treat patients with nature. The idea for these “green prescriptions” — whether going for a walk, beachcombing or birdwatching — takes its cue from the...
African Transplanting
Farmer Nfamara Badjie is trying something that hasn’t been done in the Hudson Valley in more than 180 years — growing rice. While Henry Warner failed in his attempt to establish rice paddies in Constitution Marsh in the 1830s, Badjie...
Bird’s-eye View
In addition to facilitating travel across the Hudson River’s Tappan Zee, the New NY Bridge offers a seasonal home to peregrine falcons. The state Thruway Authority provided a nest box for a couple of the endangered birds to raise their...
Smashing Pumpkins
When helping your kiddoes choose a pumpkin for jack-o’-lantern carving —here’s a list of the valley’s top pumpkin patches—pick up an extra and make this tasty seasonal soup. As the recipe shows, pumpkins are good for more than pies. Here...
Nature’s Pasta
Local farmers markets now contain a bumper crop of spaghetti squash. True to its name, it tastes like pasta—yet it has none of the calories and lots more nutrients. However, also like pasta, it requires some “dressing up” to make...