×

Outdoor

Fireflies are lighting up summer skies. But still on the decline

NEW YORK (AP) — Fireflies are lighting up summer evenings across the U.S. Northeast, putting on dazzling shows in backyards and city parks. There's no official count, but experts say a particularly wet spring may have created the ideal conditions for young fireflies to grow into adults to ...

Flocks, herds, swarms and more

A flock of geese, a school of fish, a swarm of bugs… all three of these things have something in common. They are all groupings of animals and the names we use for them. Some of the more common grouping names are flocks, herds, and packs. Those are terms we often use for the animals that ...

Cutting through the mud of dirt

Most people don’t think about it until it becomes a necessity or a problem, but dirt and soil are important parts of all of our lives. I know when I’m talking to someone with a vested interest in soil. I can see it in the expression on their face every time I refer to it as dirt, when the ...

Bugs are sure to light up night

It’s the last day of June and I’m standing under the overhang on my back deck protected from the last drips of a rainstorm. It’s past nine o’clock but not quite dark yet. But the yard is starting to light up, one or two flashes at a time. It’s lightning bug season. These flashing, ...

Finding your way back to the trail

If you have never felt lost in the woods, the first time you look up and realize that you are not one hundred percent certain you know how to get back on track can be unnerving. Honestly, even if you have felt lost in the woods before, however temporarily, it is still unsettling. You just have ...

Wild flowers come in all shapes and sizes

The colorful transition between spring and summer includes the return of green foliage, baby geese wandering in fields, reconnecting with warm sunshine, and the blossoming of many wildflowers that call New York their home. The wild world of flowers can bring the idea that nature is not just a ...