For my Druidic studies I have been reading books about my local ecology. I couldn’t resist the crossover with my work with turtles, so my current read is The Ecology, Exploitation, and Conservation of River Turtles by Don and Edward Moll. In there is a section on wetlands. There are four types of wetlands in the Adirondacks: marshes, bogs, fens,…
The valley I live in is known as “the banana belt of the Adirondacks.” The weather is generally milder than that of the mountains which surround us. While they do not at higher elevations, red oaks grow here. The land surrounding my house, however, is devoid of oaks. There are a few down the road and there are large stands…
A recent study conducted in my state found that turtles in wetlands surrounded by busy roads were more likely to be males. This finding only confirmed what I and other turtle rehabilitators already knew – during the late spring, many female turtles are hit by cars during their annual pilgrimage to lay their eggs. A pilgrimage is a journey, usually…
The red eft appeared from under some leaves and walked slowly down the hill towards the woods, seemingly oblivious to my presence. I shifted my gaze from the sapling that had been my meditation focal point to watch the eft. The bright red salamander stood out against the leaf litter, but the squirrels and chipmunks paid him no mind. By…
