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

Many of us have a deep fascination and connection with trees that seems imprinted within our genetic code. The first hominids to venture on two legs climbed down from trees yet maintained their arboreal residences. The safety of the upper branches and the readily available…

I think it was my twelfth birthday when I received a butterfly and moth capturing kit. It came with a fine-meshed insect net and other items for euthanizing and mounting specimens in a display frame. With my net in hand, I ventured forth to hunt…

“You may go into the fields or down the lane, but don’t go into Mr. McGregor’s garden. Your Father had an accident there; he was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor.” From “The Tale of Peter Rabbit,” by Beatrix Potter These past two summers…

“Two butterflies spin round and round above the buddleia bush. I watch them disappear over the wild cherry trees, still whirling on an invisible axis like some heavenly body moving through space.” — “Circle of the Seasons: A Journal of a Naturalists Year, August 1,…

During the summer a mysterious, rare and unusual plant can be found in the deep shadows of the forest. Between June and September, pearly white ghost pipe plants appear. Hiding from the sun, they emerge near the base of mature trees and the cool moist…

Regular readers will recall that I have an interest in bats and that interest drove me to volunteer with the Wildlife Division of the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) to help it assess the bat population in the state. There are…

  “Homegrown tomatoes homegrown tomatoes What’d life be without homegrown tomatoes Only two things that money can’t buy That’s true love & homegrown tomatoes” From the song “Homegrown Tomatoes” by Guy Clark For the past couple of years, I’ve had a dwindling relationship with my…

Welcome to July! Summer might have officially started back on June 21, but for me this month is when the summer finally settles in for its all too brief three-month turn on the calendar. To help you get in the July summer season mood, here…

In the last decade there has been a healthy “growing” in the number of farmers’ markets throughout the region. Across the country, throughout New England and here in The Last Green Valley the number and variety of farmers’ markets is a wonderful addition to our…

“Turtles were around before dinosaurs, and they watched them emerge, prosper, and disappear altogether. Without changing their body plan at all, turtles further observed the rise of birds and mammals. They are still here today, waiting to see what happens to us.” — Thomas F.…

In March I wrote about exploring three beaver ponds at my grandparent’s old farm property in New Hampshire. With the late winter ground and water still frozen it was easy for me to explore the edges of each pond, especially the one closest to a…

I’ve written about the success eagles and other raptors have had with rebounding populations here in The Last Green Valley and nationwide. While the successes are to be celebrated, there are still two threats that are not allowing raptors and waterfowl to thrive the way…