Dweller of both woods and water: eastern or red-spotted newt
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…
Exploring Bald Eagle Nests in The Last Green Valley
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…
The American Chestnut Tree: Tragic Past and Hopeful Future
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…
Bluebird numbers on the rise
“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…
Exploring the final resting places of historically interesting people
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…
TLGV Annual Meeting – July 19
You are invited to the 2020 Annual Meeting of The Last Green Valley, Inc. on Sunday, July 19, 2020, 1 – 2 pm, with an optional Guided Walk at 12 pm. The meeting will be held outdoors at Creaser Park, 100 Case Road, Coventry, CT.…
Sunset Member Paddle
Postponed to July 31. Come along for an enjoyable sunset paddle at West Thompson Lake, US Army Corps of Engineers Project area. We’ll gather at 6:30 pm at the boat launch and paddle up towards where the Quinebaug River enters the lake, and then around…
First days of summer bring backyard blooms and bugs
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…
A Rare Snake Sighting: The Northern Black Racer
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…