We went here to see the fall foliage. The leaves were beautiful and really added to the views on the lake. There were a lot of frogs and quite a few snakes. Most of the snakes were less than a foot (including a green snake!) but they were all too fast to take pictures of. At one point you literally have to climb over a beaver dam so be careful. Very nice day hike.

I spent this Sunday afternoon visiting the cascades along Tooley Pond Road before hiking the Tooley Pond Mountain loop. The afternoon was gray, but the brightly colored leaves along the banks of the Grasse River more than made up for it. No surprise that this is a popular place for "leaf peepers"! Seems to be a popular place for wildlife too - a black bear rambled across the road in front of me and another visitor mentioned seeing one in the area the day before.

We found a wealth of pitcher plants (Sarracenia purpurea) on a recent hike to Moon Lake, in the Wolf Lake state forest in Hermon. I don't know that they are particularly rare, but I have seen more of them this summer than any other time. These were on a bog like point and there were quite a few "patches" to be seen.

We were greeted by a shower of bright reds and golds at Lampson Falls today on a Nature Up North hike with St. Lawrence families for Family Weekend. The group also spotted a few downy woodpeckers above the falls. Despite overcast weather, it was a beautiful afternoon!

A nice brisk 32 degree temperature started the morning. We hiked some of the west river trail, bear run trail and cathedral rocks trail. We ended on the ladies half mile and the river road. Beautiful forests and not to many people on the trails were we where. (the parking lot was at capacity by 7:30 and probably a hundred cars on the roadside noon). Great views of Giant Mt and many other lower peaks.

More than 25 students and community members came out to the St. Lawrence Sustainability Site on Saturday Sep. 30th to spend the afternoon discovering the various flora, fauna and fungi present on the 33.5 acre farm. The afternoon's back-to-back naturalist walks included a wild edible plant walk with Paul Hetzler (Cornell Cooperative Extension), a fungi expedition with Claire Burkum (SLU), a hunt for reptiles and amphibians (herps) with Tom Langen (Clarkson), and a bird walk with ornithologist Susan Wilson (SLU).

Tons of Painted Ladies! Once I got closer a variety of bees (some of which my be types of flies?) At least 6 distinct buzzing insects. And one Monarch.

During a nature walk on the Kip Trail one of the girl scouts from the Nikentsiaki Service Unit in Canton-deKalb spotted this little garter snake slithering across the trail. This one is an Eastern garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis), a subspecies of the common garter - or garden - snake.