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

Welcome to the last week of summer. Sorry, but someone had to break it to you. The Autumnal Equinox in our Northern Hemisphere is Sept. 23 at exactly 3:50 a.m. in Eastern Connecticut. On that day, the sunrise and sunset are 12 hours apart. The…

“Since the glaciers last retreated and since humans began to build and settle down, there have been but two versions of the world: the world made of wood and the world made with coal and oil. One lasted twelve to fifteen millennia; the other has…

Two weeks ago, my colleague took her youngest child to college thereby joining the “empty nest” club. My youngest left the nest more than 15 years ago, but I still remember the jumbled feelings of hope and pride mixed with a tinge of sadness. For…

It was during a Walktober event led by State Archaeologist Nicholas Bellantoni that I first learned about General Nathaniel Lyon of Eastford. Bellantoni took us along the Natchaug Trail in the Natchaug Forest to Nathaniel Lyon Memorial Park and the remains of Lyon’s birthplace home…

A few weeks ago, I discovered a large, bright green caterpillar in the yard. It was the size of my thumb with small dark spots and several hairy spines on its back. The caterpillar was inching through recently mowed grass and I tried to entice…

This is the time of year when the invasive plant Japanese knotweed is blooming in large clusters of greenish-white flowers. This perennial plant blooms in August and September and is quite visible along sunny roadsides in long swaths of green from 3 to 10 feet…

“Truly, out of the darkness, where forever the stems of our little northern ferns are hid, the frond reaches up an eager hand for the blessed sunlight.” From “An Almanac for Moderns,” by Donald Culross Peattie A summertime walk in the woods reveals large patches…

When was the last time you visited one of our many state parks and state forests? August is here, summer is moving quickly through the warm season, so now is the perfect time to plan a visit. Here in Connecticut the opportunities are boundless, especially…

I think we have a family of crows nesting in our neighborhood. Perhaps they have a nest in the thick woods between our house and the highway, or it might be in the trees south of our back field. We see them frequently throughout the…

What do 18 farms within six towns in The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor all have in common? Each has been protected from development by the Connecticut Farmland Trust. The town of Lebanon alone has 12 protected farms, more than any other town in…

We have several hickory trees in our neighborhood, but the one I appreciate the most stands by the stone wall bordering the back pasture. At least 60 feet tall in the open air, the tree benefits from little competition for sunlight. Its rounded crown is…

“Fireflies create a magic that transcends time and space. Their resplendent displays change ordinary landscapes into places ethereal and otherworldly.” — Sara Lewis, “Silent Sparks: The Wonderous World of Fireflies” Do you remember the first time you saw fireflies? I vividly recall one warm summer…