The River Reporter

A River Runs Through It

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A Tiger Swallowtail mines minerals from a damp dirt road near Milanville. This is a peak season for "Tigers," who require soil minerals to supplement flower nectar. more

7/22/19

Looking for a Home

A newly hatched Snapping Turtle, the size of my palm, heads for nearby Calkins Creek. A mother turtle deposited its egg (with dozens of others) in a dirt nest she covered with sandy soil … more

7/3/19

A "Northern Pearly Eye"

In flight these little butterflies with 2" wingspans seem dull as household moths. But let one perch on a sunlight trail and bare an under-wing!

A River Runs Through It | 6/10/19

Late Spring

Late May has been filled with maple seeds that whirl like tiny helicopters. This Silver Maple sprout - removed from a mulched Azalea bed - has been replanted. more

A River Runs Through It | 5/29/19

At the Window

Our "Checkerspot" visitor is tiny enough to land on a fingernail. And at any window box we can encourage similar "pollinators." more

A River Runs Through It | 5/22/19

Basking Log

For turtles there's no needier spot. Sunlight warms them; produces Vitamin D; and, by drying, a shell can exterminate leeches and algae. more

A River Runs Through It | 5/16/19

Spring Chrysalis

This little "lump," suspended by silk, is molding a tiny, orange-winged butterfly. Adults, known as "Checkerspots," are common along streams but … more

A River Runs Through It | 5/9/19

What's this?

Little "Comma" butterflies that hibernate here, are among the first to appear each spring. Orange on top, their folded wings mimic pieces of bark - with small, silver … more

A River Runs Through It | 5/1/19

Six-spotted Tiger Beetles

On a spring walk, especially on a sunny, woodland trail, keep a look-out for one. These ground beetles, about as long as my thumb nail, are voracious predators of small … more

A River Runs Through It | 4/24/19

Who's Who?

A Black Vulture (left) and a Turkey Vulture (right) take a break while feeding on a deer carcass. "Turkeys" are old hands in Narrowsburg, , but Black Vultures are moving north and to … more

A River Runs Through It | 4/17/19

Solitary Forager

This "Great Egret" was exploring a Maryland pond on March 28, 2019 - near a busy rural road I was traveling. Heron-sized, they've been extending their range into … more

A River Runs Through It | 4/10/19

Wood Ducks return

A gaudy male and his mate explore a local pond. Some Wood Ducks, which overwinter as far south as Mexico, will stick around to breed in our own wooded swamps. more

A River Runs Through It | 4/3/19

First Wildflowers

On a boggy knoll near Milanville each of these Skunk Cabbage plants began producing flowers in mid-March. The purple hoods are modified leaves that make cavities for petal-less flowers - … more

A River Runs Through It | 3/27/19

March Tapestry

After a week of stunning bright clouds, our sun crossed the equator on March 20, at 5:58 p.m. - for its Vernal Equinox. Burnished by fresh wind, March clouds at Tyler Hill sail above a … more

A River Runs Through It | 3/20/19

Surprise Guest

“Little Wing,” as Damascus second graders call him, hatched at my place on March 11. His chrysalis, near my thumb, had been “home” for six months. “Little … more

A River Runs Through It | 3/13/19

Mexican Monarchs head north

A single monarch migrant reached Baton Rouge LA on February 28. In July, descendants will visit Narrowsburg. The scene was painted from a girlhood memory by my friend Bessie Nickens, at age 90. Her … more

A River Runs Through It | 3/6/19

Mergansers Are Back

Three females (left) and a male (below right) relax in the Delaware River near Cochecton on 2/21. This icy gravel bar is popular with Geese and Merganser migrants. The first … more

A River Runs Through It | 2/27/19

Valentines Day, 2019

"Maples in winter have a listening look, Gray branch, gray bole, Still are the bird songs, quiet is the brook, / Awakening will come overnight... … more

A River Runs Through It | 2/20/19

Timeless Milanville Bridge

Sometimes a rural bridge fits so well it seems timeless as the river—as befits our 1902 Milanville bridge, viewed from a local farm, … more

A River Runs Through It | 2/13/19

Winter diadem

“Diadem” is a traditional word for “jeweled crown”—sculpted here by splashing water, Arctic air and hydrogen atoms bonding into points and curlicues. … more

A River Runs Through It | 2/6/19

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Currently viewing stories posted within the past year.
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