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Old-School Naturalist-

Notes from the fields and forests of upstate New York

By Marlene McTigue

Change is upon us. At 5:15 on Wednesday evening, the first traveler of the season was crossing the road.

Old-School Naturalist

Notes from the Fields and Forests of Upstate New York

By Marlene McTigue

It begins earlier than you think. In fact, it is already underway.

Old-School Naturalist

Notes from the Fields and Forests of Upstate New York

By Marlene McTigue

It all started with Herman.

We have shared our home here in the foothills of the Catskills with many a porcupine over the two decades we’ve lived here.

Here in the foothills of the Catskills, I take my daily walk in the woods with my trusty companion, Odessa, the anxious border collie. Odessa gets the stimuli she needs to find her calm, and I get to step into the woods and think.

There comes a point, if you spend enough time watching the natural world closely, when you realize that not every story is meant to circle back.

Some continue on without you.

As I was walking along the trail in the early spring through the tall forest of oak and pine, I caught my first glimpse. Two mourning cloak butterflies, fluttering around and around each other in the cool air.

Understanding Herman

By Old-School Naturalist

Have you ever experienced the quiet joy of holding out a handful of birdseed and feeling the delicate touch of a chickadee landing on your hand? Moments like these remind us that the creatures around us are more than just animals.

Old-School Naturalist Launches Across Five Regional Newspapers

This spring marks the official launch of Old-School Naturalist, a new nature storytelling column appearing across five regional newspapers.

The column will be published in the Times Journal of Schoharie County, Greenville Pioneer, Ravena News-Herald, Columbia Paper, and Granville Sentinel Times, bringing stories from the fields and forests of upstate New York to readers across the region.