Monthly Archives: February 2015

Signs of Spring #1: Monarchs Waking up in Michoacán!

I have wanted to start the Signs of Spring but have not “seen” very many hints that this long, cold winter was ready to give way to warmer, greener days. There are a few birds singing when I take my … Continue reading

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Signs of Winter 12: Blight Resistant American Chestnut Trees! (go, Stumpies!!!)

Last week I wrote about the emerald ash borer and its devastating assault on our eastern forests. In that essay I mentioned the America chestnut and the terrible blight that attacked it over one hundred years ago. American chestnuts were … Continue reading

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Signs of Winter #11: Winter Walk on the Nature Trail

Last week Deborah and I finished our Friday classes and office hours by noon and then planned to spend a couple of hours out on the campus Nature Trail. It was still quite cold (about 20 degrees) with a strong … Continue reading

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Signs of Winter 10: Cardinals! (and some House Cat Day Results!)

Back in early December in response to the Signs of Winter #4 blog about dark-eyed juncos, Irene Wolf, a teaching colleague at Penn State, asked about the cardinals she was seeing in Cheswick. It was hard to believe, she wrote, … Continue reading

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