I have been an environmentalist since I was a teenager. And since college, I have been teaching and sharing about the natural world. I recognized that it is my life’s work. After college, when I went to work for an environmental center in New York State, I had already formed the opinion against hunters. I…
The Summer Solstice, June 21st, marks the longest day of the year. Additionally, this holiday celebrates the Sacred Marriage between the Goddess and God. The following invocation of the Summer Queen and Summer King was designed as part of a larger interfaith ceremony, comprised of many components from other faiths to create a rich celebratory…
If you watch the river long enough, you will see faces in the stone. Old faces. New faces. Faces that tell us of our past and faces that tell us of our future. Faces that tell us of possibilities. What do you see when you look beneath the surface? The river is constantly changing –…
I am forever scoping out my sites; my little special spots; seeing how the seasonal flora is progressing. This April I found a new spot while scouting for a wild edibles program. It’s a rich, moist, upland site and I was overjoyed to find signs of trout lily – a spring ephemeral. When I returned…
Spring is the promise of release; of cleansing; of birth waters bearing down on the valley, washing winter into the Atlantic, heralding new life and new beginnings. Early spring’s message can feel like a paradox. Warm sunny days followed by a snowstorm. Icy rain biting at raw skin followed by a warm breeze that can…
Spring is the promise of release; of cleansing; of birth waters bearing down on the valley, washing winter into the Atlantic, heralding new life and new beginnings. Early spring’s message can feel like a paradox. Warm sunny days followed by a snow storm. Icy rain biting at raw skin followed by a warm breeze that…
Even amid the snow still on the ground, you can hearken to the signs of Spring. Flocks of male Red-winged Blackbirds are back in the wetlands singing and setting up hearth and home for their ladies soon to return. Even in the chill air, you can smell the sweetness that tells the tale of Sugar Maples…
Last summer I was noticing quite a few rabbits around our home. They seemed to be breeding, well, like bunnies. And they ate all our strawberries and then our Brussels sprouts! There has got to be checks and balances. Who would balance this equation? Meet Bobbi. Bobbi is a bobcat (Felis rufus) who moved in…
Sublimation is a sign of Spring; that Ostara is approaching. Snow-melt ascending. But this year, the mists have come weeks earlier. As have the Red-winged Blackbird – another herald of Spring. I look out upon the wetlands and ask, “what will we do?” “Adapt” is the only reply I receive. A steady drip drip drip heralds…
Hearken to Avalon 