Nature of Delaware Blog

The joy of nest boxes Putting up a nest box is a great way to attract cavity-nesting birds to your property. We have almost 300 nest boxes spread out along the trails throughout the meadows and woods of our sites. A small army of dedicated volunteers heads out each week to monitor these boxes. They…

I have been trying to identify butterflies over the last 30 years, and just when I think I’ve seen all the local species, I get surprised.  Over the last week, I’ve crossed paths with two species I’ve never seen before.  Both of them were in places I find myself almost every day…Ashland Nature Center and…

During the summer of 1999—our first season operating the watercraft rental concession at Fenwick Island State Park—we spent most afternoons trying to gain the trust of three Mallards: two drakes and one hen. After the morning rush, they’d waddle up from the water, quacking and murmuring, each day coming a little closer to the proffered…

Well it is not exactly “now or never” as there is always next spring to see ephemeral wildflowers.  However, if you are like me and you enjoy native wildflowers you will want to get out as soon as possible to see and enjoy some of our most beautiful woodland flowering plants. Spring ephemerals is a…

By Jim White, Delaware Nature Society Senior Fellow for Land and Biodiversity Everyone has their own personal harbinger of spring. To some it is the first Hepatica bloom in a still-leafless woods; to others, the northward migration of the Canada Goose, or the Eastern Bluebird’s beautiful song on a clear day. But to some of…

Last year, in May 2022, three generous young birders got up extremely early to bird at the annual World Series of Birding in Cape May, New Jersey. They chose Delaware Nature Society (DelNature) as their fundraiser recipient! We were very thankful and reached out to see if we could speak with them about it. On…