English Ivy, a Deadly Invasive, is a Winter Target for Removal from Local Parks

Text and photos by Nancy Cleeland Like rust, English ivy never sleeps. It escapes yards and creeps down embankments and over rocks and up trees all year long. Planted by colonists in the 1700s and still sold in garden centers as a carefree ground cover, this ivy smothers the ground with dense mats and drapesContinue reading “English Ivy, a Deadly Invasive, is a Winter Target for Removal from Local Parks”

How Animals Survive in Winter

Text by Colleen O’Hara. Photos by Ken Rosenthal Have you ever wondered how a duck can tolerate swimming in icy water? Or what happens to wood frogs when the temperature drops and the cold winds blow? Animals have a variety of ways to survive the cold winter months when food sources are scarce and theContinue reading “How Animals Survive in Winter”

Bat Festival at Gulf Branch Nature Center

By Carolyn Semedo-Strauss I grew up in a big, old house in a very small town. With a cranberry bog on one side, a forest on the other, a swamp to the rear and a cemetery across the street, we had all of the makings of spooky stories, creatively crafted by an abundance of olderContinue reading “Bat Festival at Gulf Branch Nature Center”

Ms. Owl Poses for ARMN at Gulf Branch Nature Center

  It isn’t all service and no fun:  A small group of ARMN has met a few times informally to practice sketching.  The charismatic Ms. Owl at Gulf Branch Nature Center makes a perfect and natural model. One of the artists, Cathy Broad, says, “The barred owl posed very nicely, after some curiosity at human attention.”  Below are Cathy’s lovely sketches of Ms.Continue reading “Ms. Owl Poses for ARMN at Gulf Branch Nature Center”