Follow the Trail with Bill Reid,
The Last Green Valley's Chief Ranger

“Nature seems partial to the burdock. What extra pains she seems to have taken to perpetuate this worse than useless plant! Every man’s hand is against it, and nearly every animal has reason to detest it. Against their wills they are engaged in sowing its […]

After a dry spell we finally had two days with a combination of passing showers, an evening of steady rain and then heavy downpours by the bucket-full for 10 to 20 minutes or so. The following day was sunny and very warm, so I took […]

For several years now I have hiked a little used trail that winds along the banks of a tributary to the Quinebaug River. The river twists through a heavy canopy of trees and can be 30 or more feet from bank to bank. Every year […]

On a late June morning I met up with about 25 people at the parking area of the Wyndham Land Trust’s Bull Hill Project in Thompson and Woodstock. We weren’t there just to hike to the top of Bull Hill for the view, rather we […]

“When Nature made the bluebird she wished to propitiate both the sky and the earth, so she gave him the color of the one on his back and the hue of the other on his breast, and ordained that his appearance in the spring should […]

The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor was home to many fascinating people. Some are well known throughout the state and country for their roles in government, business and the military. Others are known to us for their writing, art and activism. There are others […]

The first day of summer 2020 saw temperatures reaching the high-80s. A perfect, hot, lazy Saturday to stay home, tend to outdoor chores and enjoy the emerging signs of the season. Sunup to sundown found me doing some form of yard and garden work with […]

Last week I was out walking the boundary line of our back pasture. I had our dog, Russell, with me, and we were along the edge of the field where brush and small saplings have sprouted in an area of about six feet  or more […]

The older I get the less birthdays mean to me. All I wish for is a quiet day, a meal with my wife and a few friends and time for contemplation. The kids and siblings will call, and I will sing along as my sister […]

If you are a regular reader of this column you know I’ve been visiting land trust properties in The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor this spring. I’ve shared some of my finds already. Today I want to tell you about two properties owned by […]

“The habits of this famed bird differ so materially from those of almost all others of its tribe that an accurate description of them cannot fail to be interesting to the student of nature.”   John James Audubon I’ll never forget the first time I saw […]

For the past several weeks I have been exploring land trust properties throughout The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor. I’ve shared some of those experiences in previous columns. Today I want to share with you two Avalonia Land Conservancy preserves. Founded in 1968, Avalonia’s […]