Nature of Delaware Blog

Ian Stewart & Lori Athey Now that spring is here many Delawareans are enjoying the colorful wildflowers blooming in their backyard, local parks and road sides. Unfortunately, the great majority of those currently flowering are alien weeds which were either deliberately or accidentally introduced by Europeans. These plants found themselves in a new environment with…

By Matt Bailey, Delaware Nature Society Volunteer: It is the depths of winter.  What better time to wrap your hands around a warm mug of your favorite comfort drink?  If you live in the US, that hot drink is statistically most likely to be coffee.  The warmth (and steam) wafting from your mug might put…

Ian Stewart These are the opening words of the poem ‘To a mouse’, written by the legendary haggis-eating Scottish poet Robert Burns in 1785 (which also contains the famous line oft-paraphrased as ‘The best-laid schemes of mice and men go often askew’). Although this is an apt description of mice it is also used to…

By Joe Sebastiani, Ashland Nature Center Manager Delaware Nature Society graduated fourteen “Certified Naturalists” in December, awarding those who successfully completed the year-long Naturalist Certification Series and the associated field journal.  In the past 12 years, over 300 people have taken this class which focuses on gaining a foundation for the study of nature in…

By Jim White: Senior Fellow for Land and Biodiversity It’s not every day that a new species of animal is found in Delaware. In fact, it is very rare indeed. However, in the summer or 2015 Adam Mitchel, a PhD candidate at the University of Delaware did just that. While collecting insects in a meadow…

Ian Stewart Happy New Year everyone! If you’re looking for an interesting New Year’s Resolution to get you outdoors, why not seek out and learn about a different tree every month? This is exactly the time of year to spot one of Delaware’s most distinctive trees – the Osage orange. The Osage orange (Maclura pomifera)…