I recently had the pleasure of meeting four dead people. Actually, they were actors portraying deceased individuals buried at the 200-acre Rockland Cemetery, Sparkill, N.Y., which by the way was a contender for America’s national cemetery in the late nineteenth century. (That honor, of course, went to Arlington near Washington, D.C.)

The free guided half-hour living-history walking tour was a first for this cemetery. It was a test run to see if such a tour generated enough interest and participation to support the scheduling of more. With 20-plus attendees, I’d say it did.

Our group met Florence Thaw (1864-1940), an American painter in New York City who did portraits of socialites. Dressed in a long black fur-trimmed cape and a black fur hat with a red rose pinned to it, Florence described searching into the eyes of the socialites she painted and seeing sadness. She expressed her own sorrow at having given birth to seven children whom she outlived.

We also met a woman portraying the nameless Irish immigrants buried in the cemetery. She described rebelling against her parents’ wishes and going to America for a better life. She worked, married an Irish immigrant, and raised a family. (Nameless graves for Irish immigrants often resulted from the sheer volume of deaths during the Great Famine (1845-1852). Victims died from disease, malnutrition, and poverty shortly after arrival, leaving no money for grave markers and no family to identify them.)

Our group continued along the paved winding path where we met Gen. John C. Fremont (1813-1890) who mapped the Oregon Trail, and Henry Honychurch Gorringe, a U.S. naval officer known for transporting Cleopatra’s Needle, the ancient Egyptian obelisk, from Alexandria to Central Park, New York City, in 1880.

Not Just for Halloween

Living history tours have always been popular around Halloween. Sleepy Hollow Cemetery near me runs fall lantern tours where you can meet titans of industry Andrew Carnegie and William Rockefeller, and Washington Irving, author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, which he set in the Old Dutch Churchyard next to the cemetery. If you’re lucky (or unlucky depending on how scared you get), you may get a visit from the Headless Horseman himself. (He’s the feared supernatural Hessian soldier from the Revolutionary War rumored to have lost his head to a cannonball and to ride nightly searching for it.)

But living history tours are becoming popular year round thanks to the unsung heroes behind many of them: historical societies. These small nonprofits should be supported. Go on their tours, become a member, and volunteer to help maintain the cemetery. And if a cemetery has a nonprofit “friends groups,” check it out because these entities often run events. One friends group I read about partners with a community organization to host a day of tours, yoga, and grave gardening workshops.

A Long History of Cemeteries Used as Parks

These tours are just the latest in a long history of people using cemeteries for outdoorsy activities. In the nineteenth century, many cemeteries were beautifully landscaped spaces that were popular destinations for locals. Visitors held carriage races and hunted. They’d dress up and picnic on the graves of loved ones.

Today, you’re more likely to see runners participating in organized races for charity than galloping horses, and birdwatchers stalking spring migrants than wild game hunters.

Search for living history tours at historic cemeteries near you. Then check out the other outings they offer. Here are a few outings I found:

• Guided birdwatching, plant and tree identification, and winter wildlife tracking walks.

• Self-guided walking tours in the form of a brochure with a map, or an app-based tour you can download to your smartphone. These tours might lead you to the graves of well-known guests, and historical trees (some cemeteries are accredited as arboretums).

• Nighttime outings from bat walks to stargazing to full moon walks.

• Mindfulness outings focused on meditative walks and forest bathing.

• Organized races, such as 5K runs, that raise funds for charities and cemetery maintenance and preservation.

• Volunteer opportunities include raising, leveling, and cleaning grave markers, and tending to the gardens.

A Farewell to Winter

I’ll leave you with a winter day on the Piermont Pier in the Hudson River with Tallman Mountain in the background. It was acquired in 1928 to preserve it from quarrying. That day there were several soaring eagles, and some standing on frozen sections of the river.

Eagles have made an amazing comeback from near-extinction in the 1960s when fewer than 450 nesting pairs existed in the lower 48 states to more than 300,000 individuals today. Today, we celebrate their return with winter eagle festivals.

These all-day celebrations often include spotting scopes manned by expert birders who help attendees zero in on eagles and other raptors, including falcons, harriers, hawks, and owls. They may also include live bird shows spotlight birds of prey, heated tents or buildings filled with educational displays and exhibits, a speakers program, and crafts and games for the kiddos.

By virtue of the fact that these events are often held in green and blue spaces you might otherwise never visit, they’re worth attending even if you don’t spot an eagle (which has happened to me). Beyond being in perhaps new-to-you landscapes, eagle festivals are good at immersing you in them because they often offer expert-led guided walks that allow you to just be in your surroundings.

To give you an idea of just how different eagle festivals can be, I’ve chosen four near me. One was held in January, and the other three are upcoming. Two are on Feb. 7, which has me anxious because I can’t attend both.

No 2 Eagle Festivals Are Exactly Alike. Here are 4.

1. New Jersey Meadowlands Eagle Festival. Jan. 11, 2026, at the Meadowlands Environment Center, Lyndhurst, N.J.

This event run by Bergen County Audubon Society is geared toward families with young kids. But the walks will have even adults looking around with wonder as they traverse elevated boardwalks through the marsh with views of the New York City skyline. It’s even more fantastic considering the area once had active landfills (since remediated), and before that pig farms and, according to lore, mobster burials. Happy birding!

Cost: Free

Location

2. 22nd Annual Teatown Hudson River EagleFest. Sat., Feb. 7, 2026, at Croton Point Park

Croton Point Park is a 508-acre park located on a scenic peninsula with an extensive shoreline along the Hudson River in Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y. Guided walks aren’t offered although there are two loop trails, one 3 miles, and other 2 miles, that go around the peninsula. The organizers have, however, created a map that locates some 18 spotting sites along the Hudson River that allow attendees to do a self-guided driving tour. Five of the sites feature a warming tent or indoor access and an educator with a scope.

This year two different “Eagle Trains” depart in the morning from NYC’s Grand Central Terminal (south of the festival) and from Poughkeepsie (north of the festival). A dedicated car with a guest naturalist on board each train offers passengers expert birding insights before arriving at the festival.

Cost: $40 for adults the day of.

Location

3. 2026 Cumberland County (N.J.) Winter Eagle Festival. Sat., Feb. 7 at Glades Wildlife Refuge

Cumberland County has the largest number of nesting bald eagles in New Jersey. This festival offers five staffed viewing sites along the Delaware River, and stands out for its speaker lineup. Topics include 50 Years of the Cape May (N.J.) Hawkwatch; Salt Marsh Restoration Efforts on the Delaware Bay; Osprey Management and Status; Mud Matters: Marshes for Birds; and Findings from the Wild Bird Research Group.

But the guided walks! Six of them from a sunrise walk to an owl prowl:

• 7am sunrise walk on Turkey Point Road with a rep from the CU Maurice River, the area’s watershed group

• 9am Eagle Trail walk with a naturalist

• 11am Bayshore Center Wetlands walk

• 1pm Maple Ave. walk with a Cape May Bird Observatory rep

• 3pm Bayshore Restoration at Berrytown Road walk with the American Littoral Society

• 5pm Owl Watch at Turkey Point Road with two naturalists

Cost: $10 for adults

Location

4. 11th Annual Eagle Viewing at Boscobel House and Gardens. Sun., Feb. 22, Garrison, N.Y.

Spotting scopes manned by birders are set on the scenic cliffs of Boscobel, a historic house museum with views of the Hudson River. Originally the home of wealthy Loyalists, today it’s a museum with 68 acres of grounds that overlook Constitution Marsh, a 270-acre tidal wetland and Audubon sanctuary, toward the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

There aren’t scheduled walks, but the grounds have a 1-mile woodland trail running through meadows, woodlands, and roaring brooks overlooking the Hudson River. By going off that trail and onto another, you can hike down to the Audubon marsh.

Cost: $14 for adults

Location

On a completely different topic: Did you know wealthy Victorians in Northern Ireland paid plant collectors to travel the world in search of unusual plant and tree species? I didn’t either until I visited several gardens there. I wrote about it for The Historical Traveler based on a press trip I took with the tourism board of Ireland. Here’s the link: Northern Ireland: The Glorious Gardens of Victorian Plant Collectors. After reading it, you’ll never look at your houseplants the same.

Find me on Instagram.

Mine began with three friends. Out of all the hikes offered in my area (and there were many), we chose one in Nyack, N.Y.—a historic village on the west bank of the Hudson River. It’s also the childhood home of American painter Edward Hopper, whose house in town (built by his grandfather) is today a museum (more on that later).

Despite an ice storm that night that would cancel many first-day hikes in the area, ours was still on as of early New Year’s Day. I briefly expected at least one of my crew to drop out. When that didn’t happen, I began to get ready, which included adding micro-spikes and trekking poles to my pack. Then drove to pickup my companions.

Our hike started at Nyack Beach State Park, which sits at the base of Hook Mountain and runs along the Hudson River. The hike was run by the Palisades Parks Conservancy, and consisted of guided easy, medium, and difficult hikes. Some 350 registrants attended! The easy hike along the river was cancelled due to concern hikers might slip into the river. We joined a guide, and our group hiked up the mountain.

Later, the four of us detached from the group to explore River Hook, a nearby preserve.

Several hours later, the event ended at the park’s parking lot in the Bathhouse, a 1936 Works Progress Administration project built from rock left over when the Palisades Interstate Park Commission purchased and closed five quarries. Inside the Bathhouse was a roaring fire, live jazz, hot cocoa, popcorn, and many hikers.

A First-Day Hike Leads to a City Outing

Back to Edward Hopper. It just so happened that one of the hikers from my first-day hike had gotten us tickets to the Whitney Museum of American Art in NYC for the day after New Year’s Day. On Fridays, timed tickets are free after 5 pm. And since two of our crew weren’t familiar with Hopper’s work, the trip felt like a full-circle adventure whereby we hiked in Hopper’s childhood town and would see his later works at the Whitney.

We met at my house, walked to the train station down the hill, and took the train to Penn Station in NYC. Then we walked a few blocks to the High Line, which is reached by climbing a set of metal stairs. Suddenly, we were transported above the streets to a boardwalk lined with gardens of dried native grasses, perennials, and trees designed by Dutch designer Piet Oudolf, as well as tons of art, including this colossal sculpture of a pigeon, which for reasons I can’t explain is titled Dinosaur.

The High Line deposits you at the Whitney. We grabbed pizza across the street, then spent the next few hours in the museum taking in art, including that of Edward Hopper. Later, we walked in the dark along the High Line to the train station, and were treated to views of a full moon, the Empire State Building and more art, including the one below.

But Wait! There’s More.

My home state of New Jersey had scheduled 32 first-day hikes plus a lighthouse climb up the Twin Lights Historic Site with views of Sandy Hook, a 6-mile-long barrier spit, and part of the Gateway National Recreation Area. Some have been rescheduled, including a guided history hike along the Delaware River in the historic town of Lambertville that due to rain was cancelled a second time.

Three other rescheduled hikes I have my eye on: a history hike in Trenton exploring American Revolution battles there; a hike at Hope Farm, home of Scottish emigrant John Wallace whose house served as George Washington’s headquarters; and a hike at the 2,000-acre Round Valley Recreation Area.

Now that I’m familiar with Hook Mountain, I’ll probably return to hike more trails there. Maybe I’ll combine that with a walk to the town center where I’ll stop by the Edward Hopper Museum and Long Path Outfitters, the outdoor retail store in Nyack. Maybe I’ll grab lunch at one of the many eateries, and contemplate more outings in 2026.

Divide and conquer. Wedged between the stairs and the trough, the bluestar had outgrown its spot. Rather than move the entire plant, which would be impossible for me, I decided to cut it in half. I tried using a spade, then a spade shovel, followed by a hori-hori knife I hammered into the ground and almost couldn’t remove. Then I brought out the ax, and after several blows cut through the woody root. I dug out half the plant with a shovel, and moved it to the side of the driveway beneath an old hollowed out evergreen shrub that I think is a juniper.

Expect the unexpected. I love how when you introduce new native plants to your yard, you oftentimes get seeds or seedlings growing in the pot. Here, a blooming blue lobelia seed must have come in to my yard and did quite well in rocky dry soil next to the generator. I figure if it found its way here and thrived, it deserves a better spot so I moved it next to a pathway. Bonus points: It wasn’t devoured by rabbits, which tells me I can and should plant more.

If one plant species does well in a particular spot, plant more! The threadleaf bluestar turns golden in fall, and for that reason is one of my favorite plants. This one is so hardy it thrives in a dry bed by the driveway. So of course I dug up a few of its babies found in other areas of the yard and added them to the mix.

Admit defeat. Both my neighbor and I grew Shasta daisies at the end of our driveways. Hers could grace the cover of Fine Gardening magazine. Mine were scraggly and mostly dead with a handful of blooms that made the plantings look even more pathetic. Perhaps it was why she recently installed a little fence to separate hers from mine. Ouch! Ok, you don’t have to hit me over the head with a spade. I ripped mine out, and will plant something else. Maybe something native like milkweed that’ll be covered with monarchs in summer.

Test the waters. I figured now’s a good time to plant a swamp rose mallow and a prairie dropseed plant I grew from seed to see if they’ll survive rabbits and deer. So far, they have. Now to decide whether to plant the rest of them, or overwinter them in their pots. Maybe I’ll do a little of both.

Finding resiliency. My witch hazel tree had been smothered most of the summer by towering Joe pye weed and New York ironweed. I was worried it might not survive. It did, and even surprised me with these lovely blooms.

Make note of what not to plant next fall. I thought mums were not on deer menus. I was wrong. They eat the flowers. Even my Halloween ghost finds it spooky.

This Book Club Invited Local Experts, and ‘Magic’ Happened

It’s pretty wild that a town would have a bookstore dedicated to nature books. It’s even more amazing that it would host a vibrant book club. It’s absolutely insane that the store, along with the town’s active environmental commission, would hold an event at the town’s community center featuring local experts discussing various aspects of the current book club pick.

But there I was at the end of July at the Madison (NJ) Community Arts Center in a packed room listening to four local conservation experts discuss Leigh Ann Henion’s Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens, and Other Marvels of the Dark. In the book, the author invites readers to leave their well-lit homes and step outside at night. You don’t have to go far to find wildlife, she says.

Instead of inviting the author to speak, Hailey Brock, owner of The Nature of Reading Bookshop, invited four local experts. Night Magic: A Community Conversation About Dark Skies, Wildlife, and Health, as the event was dubbed, featured experts discussing various parts of Henion’s book as they pertain to New Jersey. The speakers included:

• Christine Hepburn, of Friends of the Drew Forest, who spoke on salamanders and amphibians;

• Stephen Mariconda, the N.J. delegate for DarkSky International, on the human health impacts of light pollution;

• Deb Ellis, leader of the Essex County chapter of the Native Plant Society of New Jersey, on moths and fireflies;

• Ginger Van Ryzin, naturalist at the Great Swamp Watershed Association, on owls and bats.

What could’ve been your typical speaking event with the author discussing her book turned into a locally focused, interactive event that got the audience psyched to consider nature at night. Nature-themed book clubs take note.

Upcoming Outings

Looking for outings? Here’s a sampling of some late summer/early fall ones you’ll likely find near you.

• Hawk watches are up and running. Aside from being a social way to spend part of your day learning about raptors, you’ll be at a perfect vantage point to view the changing autumnal colors.

• Plant walks. Late-season blooms and berry-filled shrubs and trees are the stars of late summer/early fall plant walks, and a nice option before the leaves start turning.

• Organized bike rides. Look for inexpensive, easy rides offered by parks, friends groups, nature conservancies, rail trail groups, and towns/cities (which often close off streets for the ride).

• Fall birding festivals. In addition to walks, many festivals feature alternative ways to bird, including by kayak, bike, rail biking, and trolley (shout out to New Jersey Audubon’s festival in Cape May, N.J.)

• Native plant garden and meadow tours. These keep expanding to include related topics. I recently went on one that included a landscape architect’s green roof; a homeowner whose focus is organic lawn care; and an electric landscaping business owner who told me that quiet robotic lawnmowers are just a couple years away from being widely available.

• Porchfests. These free, neighborhood-based music festivals on residents’ front porches, allow you to stroll or bike from house to house to enjoy diverse musical acts. I’ve heard of these events but never attended one—until now. My town is throwing one this month. The first half of the day is on the porches on the east side of town. The second half moves to the west side and takes place on the lawn of a church, and features food trucks.

• I post other outings on Instagram @thegreatlocaloutdoors. Follow me.

When It Rains, It Pours

It’s not as easy as simply dressing for the weather anymore especially when it comes to rain. After all, you can’t dress for floods.

Now when it rains, it becomes a matter of how extreme. Are we talking drizzles or torrential downpour? Will driving to an outing mean navigating flooded roads, driving with the hazards on, or pulling off to the side of the highway until the downpour subsides?

More events aren’t just being cancelled once. They’re being completey eliminated. The Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey canceled its outdoor performances this year due to financial pressures caused by extreme weather. It lost over a quarter of its performances in the past two seasons due to excessive heat and rain.

A full-moon bike ride on a rail trail I’d registered for was cancelled last week due to rain and rescheduled for the next day. But trails were so washed out that the event was cancelled again. It might be rescheduled. But the organizers aren’t really sure.

I drove home from a native plant garden tour last week in a torrent of rain. The 40-minute drive was a series of downpours then sunshine repeated over and over.

On the other hand, don’t let a little rain dampen an outing. A self-guided walking garden tour I attended with a group of friends on a rainy day in Lambertville, N.J., went on. We simply re-organized our day around the rain by eating early and popping into coffee shops, brought umbrellas and wore rain jackets.

What I’m Working On, and Past Articles

• Native plants continue to be a popular topic among editors. I’m working on articles about urban gardening, plant rescues, and native plant flower-arranging competitions.

• I went on a press trip in spring to Northern Ireland where I toured historic homes and gardens. Apparently, unique microclimates in this area allowed wealthy plant-collecting Victorians to fill their landscapes with plants and trees from around the world. I saw my first redwood at one of the gardens! I’m currently writing a piece for a history travel newsletter.

• I sent out my Great Local Outdoors book proposal to another publisher, but planning to self-publish anyway. First up is working on my cover.

• For Birds & Blooms magazine, I wrote about what to do if you find a fawn in your yard, and understory birds.

• My editor at New Jersey Monthly magazine asked me to write an update on the state of butterflies in the Garden States. Here’s the article.

That’s it. Enjoy the weather!

Beautify That Brown Patch Beneath Your Bird Feeders

The illustration above is from my article in the June/July 2025 issue of Birds & Blooms magazine. The idea for the piece grew from the contrast between the colorful, lively birds at my feeders and the sterile brown spot below them. So I pitched my editor at the magazine an article on how to garden in that tricky area.

In the article, I advise using the brown spot as a template for where not to plant. You can leave it alone, or cover it with pavers or smooth medium-sized landscaping stones. That way it can be kept clean with a rake, broom or wet/dry vac.

Then you plant around that spot, leaving an opening wide enough to access the feeders. I suggest low-growing perennial native flowers, grasses and ferns such as cardinal flower, dwarf hairy beardtongue, columbine, and phlox. These plants won’t get high enough for squirrels to use as a launch pad to your feeders. Place the shortest plants near the opening, and continue around the area with plants that will grow taller, with the tallest ones in the back.

Here’s the link to the full article, Surround Bird Feeders with Plants.

A County Fair’s Native Plant Flower Arranging Competition

There are more than 3,000 county fairs in the U.S., and I’d never been to one until I attended the 2025 Monmouth County Fair, in Freehold, N.J., in July.

The Monmouth fair featured all the things one would expect from a county fair: 4-H youth clubs showing small animals, horses and livestock; sheep herding demos; rides; food vendors; live music; touch-a-truck; and lots of municipal service tables with info on elections, health, libraries, veterans services, and workforce development. But the draw for me was the home and garden tent.

After a long relaxing walk from my car through fields, and past show rings and the county park systems’ table (where I snagged brochures for some new-to-me trails), I found the home and garden tent. Inside were displays of prize-winning vegetables, flowers, nature photos, and baked goods. Members of the Central Jersey Beekeepers Association sold honey, and master gardeners advised on composting, rain gardens, and plants. There were demos of woodturning by the Atlantic Shore Woodturners Association, and pottery by the Creative Arts Center. And then there was the Native Plant Society of New Jersey, which was holding its second annual native plant flower arranging competition.

As a freelance writer, my first thought after reading about the event was that it would make for a great article. I mean, how many native plant flower arranging competitions have you heard of? And with native plants becoming so popular, I figured why not pitch it? After a little bit of research, I found a publication that would be a perfect fit for such an article. Off went the pitch, and pretty soon afterward, the editor accepted it. Then I contacted the county’s staff photographer, and she agreed to take some photos.

A little background on Monmouth’s competition: The first year of the flower-arranging event featured five participants who were wrangled off the fairgrounds. This year’s competition saw 16 people pre-register for the 7 p.m. event. On the day of the competition, thunderstorms canceled it, and it was rescheduled til the next day. Still, some seven participants showed up to participate.

The article I’ll write won’t be out til spring. But I wanted to share how the competition was run in the hopes that native plant clubs and nurseries will consider holding this type of event. It engages members and customers, and raises awareness that native plants are as equally beautiful as cultivars.

In a nutshell, here’s how the competition was held:

The Monmouth County Fair’s Native Plant Flower Arranging Competition:

• Participants brought their own vases or chose from a fairly large selection.

• With one hour to complete their arrangements, each participant could initially choose two stems from four large buckets of cuttings, then three stems, then as many as they wanted.

• Using hand pruners provided, they clipped and arranged their creations.

• Three master gardeners judged based on originality, construction and appearance.

• First, second and third place ribbons were awarded with the remaining competitors receiving an honorable mention ribbon.

Understand that the cuttings were gathered some 20 hours earlier, so they were not exactly at their peak. Still, the finished bouquets were beautiful, and my photo doesn’t do them justice.

Weird, Wonderful Upcoming Outings

It’s never too early to sign up for outings. Here are a few of the ones I’m either keeping an eye on or signing up for. Chances are similar ones are held in your area.

• Community gardens are at their peak, and many groups are using them as a backdrop for outdoorsy events. I’m eyeing a Pictionary Party at one. I’m also seeing a fireside drum circle, a 70s dance night, and a flea market, as well as yoga and an opportunity to join the local corn hole league. What are your community gardens up to?

• It’s butterfly watching season. Look for outings offered by butterfly, birding and native plant clubs. I have two upcoming ones on my calendar, including one that’s a potluck picnic.

• I signed up for an August purple martin sunset cruise on the Maurice River in south Jersey that I’ve already had to cancel due to a schedule conflict. But alas, I found a September tree swallow sunset cruise on the lower Connecticut River to watch a giant communal roost during their fall migration. Here, birds come from miles away, creating a ballet of synchronized flight before settling down for the night. While I’m at it, I may also sign up for their lighthouse cruise in October.

• I signed up for a September full moon bike ride from 7pm to 9pm on the Lawrence Hopewell Trail in New Jersey. And if biking’s not your thing, it offers a full moon walk away from the bike riders. There will also be music.

Happy Belated Fourth of July

As we close out July, I hope everyone had a fun July Fourth. I was lucky enough to spend it on the beach in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J. With the sounds of screaming kids on amusement rides on the boardwalk coming from one side and the sight of anchored boats bobbing in the Atlantic Ocean on the other, fireworks could be seen being set off by various towns all along the shore.

It was when I realized that the White Turtlehead (Chelone glabra) native perennial I’d planted in my backyard was as likely to attract turtles as it was its host butterfly, Baltimore Checkerspot, that I knew I wanted to write an article on how gardeners can plant the right host plants for their local butterfly populations.

Turtlehead is the primary “host” plant for the Baltimore Checkerspot, meaning females lay their eggs on it, and their caterpillars feed on it exclusively. What I failed to realize was that unless there were already populations of that butterfly species in my area, I wouldn’t attract them to my yard. So I pitched the idea to my Washington Post editor.

After hearing crickets from her, I followed up a couple weeks later. I re-sent the original pitch, and noted that a new study on declining populations of butterflies reported in the journal Science was making headlines that day and receiving lots of comments in The Washington Post, and The New York Times. Within the hour, I’d gotten the green light to write a piece on what gardeners can do to help their local butterfly populations. (Apparently, she’d missed my initial pitch, so for every freelance writer out there, follow up on your pitches!!!)

The result is Butterflies Are in Trouble. Your Garden Can Help. (Fingers crossed it’s not behind a paywall. The paywall often disappears a couple weeks after home and garden articles have run, so if this link fails to open the article, I apologize. But maybe try again later.)

Run, Don’t Dawdle, to Spring Nature Walks

Spring may take its time arriving. But guided spring walks don’t wait around for people to register for them. By the time they’re announced, they’re often filled soon after. That’s why if registration is required, it pays to register the minute you read about them.

Spring walks might focus on:

-Tree identification, including spring flowering trees

-Plant identification, including spring ephemerals

-Mushroom identification

-Bird migration, which is great for spotting non-resident birds passing through

-Medicinal and edible plants

Some walks might include journaling where you sketch and write about the plants you’ve seen.

Spring walks are typically free or request a small donation, and are offered by native plant groups, as well as staff or volunteers at nature preserves, parks, and arboretums. The walks are slow, meditative, and educational—something all of us could use these days.

Solo Birding with a Wizard of an App

When my weekend plans fell through, I decided to do a little solo birding. I’d seen on Facebook that a pine warbler had been spotted at a nearby urban park. So I set out with my binoculars and the Merlin app downloaded to my phone.

The free app was developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and recognizes birds by their calls. Since I have a tin ear, it’s become my birding companion. Even if you just download it and stick your phone out a window, you’ll be amazed at what’s out there.

Using the app, I easily found the pine warbler. I also spotted a bird I’d never seen before—a brown creeper. Bonus was several golden-crowned kinglets catching insects.

I Leave You with This…

I volunteer as programs chair for the Celery Farm Nature Preserve, a 107-acre preserve in northern NJ. It’s very brown in early spring as you can see from the view from one of the raised platforms. Lake Appert’s to the left, and to the right with the teeny-tiny flags, our new native plant garden protected by deer fencing.

Jockey Hollow is a 1,200-acre site that was the winter encampment for the Continental Army during the “Hard Winter” (1779-80) of the Revolutionary War. It’s believed to have been the harshest winter in recorded history.

Gen. George Washington chose the 1,400-acre Wick farm there as an encampment site because it was covered by forest. During the winter of 1779-80, the army chopped down over 600 acres of his trees (and more on neighbors’ properties) to build cabins and burn wood for heat and cooking. Today, you can tour the fully furnished 1750 Wick house, and meet re-enactors.

But as I left the visitors center, and drove out of the lot to the park’s entrance, I saw about 20 activists protesting the Trump administration’s planned dismissal of roughly 1,000 National Park Service employees. They carried signs “Honk If U Love Parks,” “Protect Our Public Lands from Profit Hungry Oligarchs” and “Save Our Park Rangers.” I didn’t get a photo because I was busy blasting my horn.

Maybe it’s time to keep sign-sized pieces of cardboard and a heavy-duty marker in your car in case you see a protest and want to join. After all, did Washington and his troops, along with the Wick family that provided shelter to them, stick it out all winter so that this sacred historic site should be left to have hours of operation cut, and trails unmarked and strewn with trash? I think not.

Now More Than Ever We Need Outdoorsy Books

Since I wasn’t buying anything last Friday, I was thrilled when I got these on a buy-nothing social media page. Today more than ever field guides to your local outdoors offer outings to look forward to, and a distraction from the attacks on our natural blue and green spaces. Visit a local bookstore, and pick one up for you and maybe one for a friend, too.

#1 Volunteer

Remove invasives at your local nature preserve by signing up for a shift with other volunteers, plant a pollinator garden in your town with the environmental commission or a chapter of a native plant club, or join a park cleanup. The nature preserve near me started with a handful of volunteers and quickly grew their ranks to more than 70. Why? It’s actually a lot of fun.

#2 Connect with a hiking group.

There are so many small local hiking groups that you’re sure to find one that suits you. Maybe you’re looking for a senior group, or a women-only group, or one that does easy hikes, or more difficult ones. You’ll find it.

#3 Go on a full-moon hike

These easy hikes have become so popular that you need to register before they fill up. You’ll find hikes that cover the history of the landscape you’re venturing on, as well as hikes to local destinations, including one I did recently—a hike to a distillery where we enjoyed a cocktail and BYOFood.

#4 Go birding with a local club

If you’re not a birder, these clubs will often teach you (they run beginner birder outings). They’ll also often loan you a pair of binoculars. My local Audubon chapter runs several outings every week to various parks and preserves in the area, including the state botanical garden. They even let you attend for free. If the birding bug bites, you can join. You don’t even have to wait til spring, birders go out all year.

#5 Honor wildlife and yourself at a nature preserve

Fun fact: Nature preserves exist to provide a safe haven for plants, trees, and wildlife. They’re not there so you can ride your bike on the trails, throw reveal parties, or walk your dog. As a result, they’re a perfect place to take a quiet reflective walk, sit on a bench and journal, or watch wildlife.

#6 Take an evening walk

End the day with a stroll. Maybe invite your neighbor.

As a writer who focuses on local outings, I wanted to give my perspective on four key findings from the report in the hope that you’ll use them to get outside:

Finding #1: More Americans are participating in outdoor recreation. “At a 57.1% participation rate, a larger share of all Americans participate in outdoor recreation than see a movie in a theater (43%), possess at least an associate degree (52.5%), or eat breakfast daily (35%),” according to the report. “Outdoor recreation can shoot for participation rates as high as the percentage who follow professional and/or college sports (62%), are on social media (68%), or drink coffee every day (73%).”

More people want to get outside. You can see it in the popularity of local outings run at parks, nature preserves, public gardens, arboretums, farms, and other outdoor spaces. If it’s green or blue, we want to walk, hike, kayak, and bike in it. That’s why, too, these seemingly simple short organized outings require registration and fill up so fast.

Take a recent outing I came across. Duke Farms is a 2,700-acre former estate turned environmental stewardship center. It recently listed on its events page a Dec. 20 event called Orchids After Dark. Participants walk from the orientation center to its historic greenhouse where they go inside to view the orchids. The guide discusses the plants’ diversity of color and form, and evolutionary stories. As I contemplated whether or not to register, the event sold out.

Finding #2: While more Americans are participating in outdoor recreation, they’re doing it less frequently.

Time and cost are big constraints to getting outside. It seems that today, people who are willing to make the time to get outside want activities that are fun, laid back, and less costly as opposed to those that require a high degree of expertise and specialized gear.

Finding #3: For the first time, more than half of American women are participating in outdoor recreation.

I see it everywhere. More women on local birding field trips, the popularity of women’s hiking groups, and women’s outdoor weekends designed to help women develop outdoor skills. I’ve gone from seeing articles such as Why Aren’t More Women Outdoors? published five years ago, to Wild Women: The Rise of All-Female Outdoor Activity Groups.

A friend and I recently went on a full-moon hike to a distillery. Organized by Kittatinny Valley State Park and led by one of its naturalists, our group set off at 4:30 p.m. beneath a bright sky and walked along the park’s Sussex Branch rail trail to Milk Street Distillery where we enjoyed a cocktail and BYO food before heading back in the dark beneath a full beaver supermoon. Not only were there more women than men on that outing, I met a woman who came alone. Over cocktails with names such as Let’s Get Saucy, The Autumn Reaper, and Poison Apple, she said she had some time to kill before meeting up with friends later, and decided to attend the outing. Funny enough, my friend was initially unsure she would be able to make the outing, and so I too would’ve gone solo. Check out the hike on my Instagram, The Great Local Outdoors:

Finding #4: The participation rates for Americans aged 55-64 increased. But the biggest increase came from Americans aged 65+.

You see this trend in the growth of casual low-risk activities such as walking, easy hiking, and birding. Older Americans might be unable to ski downhill or thru-hike. But they still want to get outside, and casual activities fit the bill.

Finding #5: The growth of “casual” outdoor recreation participants. “The typical participant in this new casual group might hike or fish while they’re camping over a weekend, then go for a few bike rides with friends over the course of a year,” according to the report. “We know they are not out there perfecting turns on their skis, through-hiking the PCT (Pacific Coast Trail), or setting the fastest time running the Grand Canyon rim to rim.”

This finding follows Finding #4. More people want to get outdoors. But they’re not looking to go on a mountaineering adventure. They do things like hike in local parks, bike ride on organized outings, and go birding. Note, too, that the groups running these outings are filled with members and volunteers glad to lend you equipment and teach you the necessary skills.

I think that for these people, it’s less about becoming expert in a particular activity by practicing it several times a week, and buying the latest gear. It’s more about getting outside in nature and having fun. Sure, along the way, you develop and fine-tune your outdoor skills, and slowly immerse yourself in a specific activity. But you’re open to several activities, and do it for the enjoyment and to spend time outside.

I’m Writing a Book About These ‘Casual’ Participants

I’ve seen over the past few years an increasing demand for casual outdoor recreation. It’s local, social, and dirt-cheap, and I’m working on a book on where to find these outings regardless of where you live. It’s tentatively titled The Great Local Outdoors: A Field Guide to an Outdoorsy Close-to-Home Life for Casual Outdoorists, Budding Conservationists, and Social Butterflies. (I know, it’s a lengthy title, but it’s a work in progress.)

Interestingly, when I started writing it a couple years ago, no publisher was interested in it. Fortunately, today you don’t need a publisher to put out a book. So I plan to self-publish it. My plan is to release it next year. Still, with the topic becoming more relevant, would a publisher be interested.

If You Like the Local Outdoors, You’re in Luck

If you’re one of those casual outdoorists looking to get out more, the local outdoors is filled with outings— mushroom forays, running outings, plein air painting at public gardens, bike rides along rail trails, volunteer cleanups along waterways followed by a bonfire and s’mores with a talk by a biologist on the returning marine life, backyard native plant garden tours hosted by a town’s environmental commission, and the list goes on.

Search for nearby parks and preserves, sign up for their newsletters, and register for their outings before they fill up (and they will).

If you’re a freelance writer looking to expand into outdoor recreation, consider covering local outings for local media outlets. I broke in at New Jersey Monthly magazine where the editor accepted my pitch on full-moon hikes throughout the state. The result: 7 Eye-Opening Full-Moon Hikes.

I’ll leave you with this photo of an 1873 railroad station in Piermont, N.Y., I hiked to along a rail trail with some friends. The Piermont Historical Society opens it on certain Sundays. On this particular Sunday, it was decked out for the holidays.

The nonprofit Delaware Riverkeeper Network consists of members and volunteers who advocate for the Delaware River Watershed that comprises Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and New York. It advocates for the watershed’s quality, monitors the water, does restoration work, and educates the public. The Network has been referred to as the lawyer for the river.

The ride reinforced my belief that we should support the work of environmental nonprofits in our areas by registering and paying the usually nominal fee for their outings. As a writer, it also reinforced the idea that you don’t have to travel far to find deep, rich story ideas. In this case, the ride led to meeting the Network’s senior scientist who took me to the river post-ride to show me an aquatic plant not seen in the Delaware River since the late 1800s that signals the river’s health is on the upswing.

Two Levels of Difficulty

Cyclists could choose from a fast-paced early ride or an 11 a.m. casual-paced ride. I chose the latter, and actually worried that I’d find myself well ahead of the group. I was wrong to worry. In fact, I pretty much fell to the back of the group from the beginning. For much of the ride, I couldn’t even see another rider as evident from the video I filmed while riding.

The ride began by gathering around a staffer who gave us instructions, as well as a rundown of what the group does. Then we headed off.

Fortunately, the ride’s leader, Erik Silldorff, restoration director and senior scientist for the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, stopped the group occasionally so stragglers like me could catch up.

After 9 miles, we reached the artsy, historic downtown of Frenchtown (founded in 1867) where we enjoyed drinks, protein bars, and apples courtesy of the riverkeeper. As I hurriedly devoured a bar before the group started back to our starting point, I talked to Erik, who filled me in on the return of a rare and imperiled aquatic native plant last seen in the Lower Delaware River in the 1870s, and thought to have gone extinct due to industrial pollution. Its discovery meant that efforts to clean the river were working.

It’s not unusual to get ideas for articles from outings. But then you return home, and the idea gets pushed to the side until you find the time to research it. Here, I conveyed interest in learning more, and was then invited to accompany Erik after the ride to check out the bedrock further up the river to see the plant for myself.

Down By the River

The plant is Podostemum ceratophyllum, aka riverweed. It uses suction cups and a substance it secretes to secure itself on boulders and rocks in fast-flowing water. It’s a flowering plant with seeds but no petals, and has been found in rivers and waterfalls from Georgia to Canada. Its presence signals improved water quality as the plant is sensitive to runoff from development, agriculture, and sewage treatment plants. It’s thought the plant represents the return of missing habitat favored by snails, insects, turtles and fish.

I followed Erik in my car a few miles north of Bulls Island Recreation Area, then pulled down a dead-end street by a ball field and parked in a small gravel lot. Erik donned a giant backpack containing a wetsuit in case he found a large patch of Podostemum further out in the river and wanted to explore it. We walked to the trail along the river until he found an opening with a path leading down to the river. Clutching branches and trying to avoid poison ivy, we descended to the river’s bedrock.

It took just a few minutes before Erik found a patch of Podostemum close enough to the water’s edge that I could touch it. I plunged my hand into the river and ran it along the plant. It felt like a bristly plastic scouring pad. Unlike moss or algae, it’s not slippery.

Soon Erik was wading out further in search of Podostemum populations.

Before I left, he asked if I’d like to participate in a snorkeling expedition on the river this summer in search of Podostemum. That would give me plenty of time to do research, come up with a story angle, and pitch it to editors. I was all in.

You probably have a riverkeeper group in your area. Check it out. Donate. Participate in its outings. Aside from bike rides, riverkeepers run volunteer science surveys, river cleanups, kayaking trips, and nature walks. It a great way to immerse yourself in your local environment, and learn about the health of your local waterways, as well as the efforts to protect them.

But I did manage to go on two tours: one run by the Lambertville Historical Society, the other the Madison (N.J.) Environmental Commission—not exactly groups that come to mind when one looks for outdoorsy events. If you’re looking for local, social, dirt-cheap ways to get outside, then check out these types of groups near you.

Historic House Tour

I’m not big on house tours. But when five privately owned homes built in the 1800s open their doors for a day, I’m all in. Extra points when the homes are in an artsy, antique-y town with tons of restaurants, are all within walking distance of one another, near a canal path (D&R Canal), and the entire town’s outfitted for Halloween. Such was the Lambertville Historical Society’s historic house tour last week.

By the way, one house tour had us exiting through the backyard and onto the canal path, which you could take to the next house on the tour. Along the way, I came across some musicians on the back porch of a house.

Native Plant Garden Tour

The Madison Environmental Commission ran a native plant garden tour, and 200 people showed up. One yard had several vendors—a nature bookstore, native plant nursery, local landscape architects, the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, and a local conservation group fighting a nearby development. Free plants and trees were handed out, and my friend and I visited the farmers market, and had dinner at 200-year-old tavern.

Check out historical societies and environmental commissions near you, and sign up for their newsletters. You never know what you might find.

My Audubon Magazine article

A while back, I wrote an article about a program that trained dogs to sniff out invasive insects. During my research, as I watched the dogs find insects hidden in the woods, I met Dr. Linda Rohleder, director of land stewardship at the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference where she built its Invasives Strike Force volunteer program.

When she left the trail conference a couple years ago, she started a nonprofit to help restore forest understory in the lower Hudson Valley and northern New Jersey. Our understories have been decimated by deer overbrowse and invasive plants to the point where we have little left. Wild Woods Restoration Project seeks to change that by using volunteers to collect seed, grow plants, and install them in parks and preserves.

It also rescues native plants from sites scheduled for development. I went on one such rescue, digging up maple viburnum and other plants that would go into nearby woods.

So when an editor at Audubon Magazine sent out a pitch call for articles, I pitched this group. The result is this piece that is running in its fall issue, as well as online—This Hudson Valley Group Puts a Homegrown Spin on Restoring Native Forests. I hope you enjoy reading it.

Now’s a great time to get outside ahead of leaf-peeping season. Check out native plant events and field trips offered by your local native plant chapters, societies, and clubs. In my small state of New Jersey, there are 1,400 members across 15 chapters of the Native Plant Society of New Jersey. And don’t forget to check out your local municipality and friends groups representing nature preserves. These groups are also running native plant events.

Here are some events in my area. They’re more than likely similar to events in your locality. I hope it spurs you to check out these groups in your area. Chances are pretty good they’re running similar things.

• I’m going on a self-guided garden tour this weekend of native plant gardens in Madison. For $10, I get a map that lets me visit nine gardens. My ticket includes access to a native plant sale with Toadshade Wildflower Farm. There’ll be booths with landscape designers, The Nature of Reading Bookshop, Great Swamp Watershed Association, Xerces Society of Invertebrate Conservation, and Friends of the Drew Forest. Did I mention it costs $10? This event is being held by the Madison Environment Commission, which raises the question: What’s your town or city government doing in this area?

• My local chapter of the Native Plant Society of New Jersey is holding a meet-up at a member’s front yard garden on Saturday. Informal, educational, and a good way to meet members of this group, this event also promises iced tea and cookies, so there’s that.

• I volunteer at a local nature preserve. This weekend, we’re holding an open house at our new native plant garden. Visitors are welcome to check it out, and bring gardening gloves to help plant some native plants, too. A friends group of another nature preserve is running a “walk and talk” tour on the trails to educate people about their efforts to remove invasive plants. What’s going on at your local green spaces?

• There’re lots of fall plant sales this time of year. The groups that run them also tend to add field trips and other events such as guided nature walks and speakers. One native shrub sale and fall festival includes native plants for sale (of course), as well as a hands-on pruning workshop (bring your pruners!), and guided nature walks.

• A guided meadow restoration walk at a 1,600-acre park will highlight the types of plants grown in meadows and how periodic burns improve meadow health. This one is co-run by a native plant chapter and the local environment commission.

• A weekend retreat in Cape May, N.J., is the first of its kind being offered by the N.J. Native Plant Society. It’s shaping up to be so popular that I think you’ll be seeing more of these longer events in the future. Rooms were made available at the recently opened Cape May Point Science Center, built in 1889 at the most southern point of the state where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Delaware Bay. It sold out in less than an hour. The spillover will reserve rooms at nearby hotels and B&Bs. The retreat is mostly unscheduled, but does include tours of native plant gardens, and nightly speakers along with a wine and cheese reception. During the day, you can join monarch tagging at the Cape May Observatory where from the observation deck you can also watch raptors migrate. Or you can walk the trails at The Nature Conservancy’s South Cape May Meadows.

Keep in mind that many of the outings mentioned here often require registration, and they fill up fast—really fast. But it’s worth taking the time to research and register.

Every fall, raptors migrate south by the dozens, hundreds, and sometimes thousands, and hawkwatchers are hot on their tails.

Given that these birds of prey conserve energy by gliding on thermals (as opposed to flapping their wings), you have time to observe them as they seemingly float high in the sky. It’s a spectacle worth observing even if you’re not a birder. But it also draws you in, and quickly becomes an outing you want to experience several times during the season.

To get the most out of this phenomenon, visit a hawkwatch. A hawkwatch is a site lying along primary migration routes like mountain ridges and coastlines where volunteers count hawks, ospreys, eagles (bald and golden), northern harriers, American kestrels, peregrine falcons, merlins, and other raptors. These sites attract birders, non-birders, and photographers, and are typically manned by a counter who keeps track of the numbers and species of raptors flying by. Those numbers are submitted to the Hawk Migration Association of North America, which collects data from more than 200 sites.

Counters might record the species and numbers on a dry erase board for everyone to see (see photo below). They also hand out raptor silhouette flyers to help i.d. the birds, advise you of the best weather conditions for spotting the most birds so you can plan your visits, and explain in real-time what’s happening in the sky.

I visited five hawkwatches in my state for an article I wrote for New Jersey Monthly magazine. Each one was unique and welcoming, and I’m guessing that applies to all hawkwatches. One was on a raised platform in birding hotspot Cape May, another atop a ridge in urban Montclair, and still another in a parking lot next to Merrill Creek Reservoir where counters brought their own portable chairs, and handed out loaner binoculars and spice cookies. The one I return to year after year is the Palisade Interstate Park’s State Line Lookout—a round circular overlook 520 feet above the Palisades Cliffs that was built from Palisade stone in 1937 by the Works Progress Administration. Volunteers cover the watch from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. September through mid-November.

How to get started at a hawkwatch:

• First, find a hawkwatch near you. Go to the Hawk Migration Association of North America’s (HMANA) site selection map, and tap your state. Then tap the site closest to you for directions and information regarding accessibility, restrooms, and count season dates.

• Check out HMANA’s New to Hawk Watching? section for information on what to bring, as well as other important info.

• Pre-pack a daypack. Some hawkwatches are in a parking lot and have restrooms while others require an uphill hike and offer no restrooms, so plan accordingly. But always bring water, a snack and, if you have them, binoculars. You’ll want to go more than once during the season so having a pre-packed bag will give you one less excuse not to go.

• Once you zero in on a watch site, check if it maintains a website or social media presence. It’ll give you a good idea of what’s happening there on a day-to-day basis. You’ll (virtually) meet the people there, see the sightings, and get a feel for the site’s vibe.

• Consider volunteering as a counter. It’s safe to say that hawkwatches always need volunteers. Ask the counter about signing up for a shift. Who knows? Maybe they’ll take you under their wings.

Revving Up for the American Revolution’s Celebration

July 4, 2026, marks America’s 250th birthday. But why wait almost two years to get the party started? Certainly, historical societies and the nonprofits that raise money and awareness of American Revolution sites aren’t waiting. They’ve already started celebrating with festivals, guided history walking tours, bike rides, and runs at historic sites.

In August, I joined 30 others on a tour at Princeton Battlefield State Park. It was led by historian David Price, author of the upcoming book Winning the Ten Crucial Days: The Keys to Victory in George Washington’s Legendary Winter Campaign (Brookline Books, early 2025). The Battle of Princeton on Jan. 3, 1777, marked a turning point in the war as Gen. George Washington’s Continental army defeated British forces, and ended the ten crucial winter days of 1776-1777, from Washington’s crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas Eve to the Battle of Princeton.

Like many state-operated historic sites, Princeton Battlefield State Park is assisted by a nonprofit, which in this case is the Princeton Battlefield Society. These nonprofits raise money, help maintain the site, and run events. Check out their websites, and start signing up for events. These outings fill up fast. Don’t expect to show up and get on a tour. At the tour mentioned above, the guides were continually turning away park visitors wanting to join the tour but hadn’t registered. In all, 60 people had registered for the tour, which were split into two groups.

In many cases, too, states are pumping money into their Revolutionary sites in the hopes of turning them into heritage tourism destinations attracting visitors from around the world. In addition to a new visitor’s center, Princeton Battlefield will be restored to its 1777 appearance. Plans include replacing invasive plants with native species, and restoring an apple orchard where Continental army soldiers skirmished with British troops, as well as a path known as Sawmill Trace that soldiers marched on to battle. The idea is to recreate the scene Washington himself saw and traversed.

If you live near American Revolutionary War sites, grab your tri-cornered hat (or not), and take advantage of these outdoorsy offerings.

More Outsidey Stuff

I interviewed a wetland ecologist about marsh birds for Birds & Blooms magazine. In Meet the Marsh Birds That Live Among the Reeds, I zero in on seven of these birds, and how best to find them.

I’m writing a nonfiction book called The Great Local Outdoors. It’s like a field guide to your local outdoors. In it, I include the many ways local government and nonprofits are getting us into our nearby green and blue spaces. I’m currently revising the cover, and cutting my 70,000-word manuscript down to about 60,000 words or less. Cutting copy comes easy to me. As a former editor at The New York Times Syndicate, I routinely cut magazine articles of many thousands of words down to some 1,500 words.

I volunteer as the programs chair for the 107-acre Celery Farm Nature Preserve, Allendale, N.J. Our programs are free and open to the public. Our Sept. 27 (8 p.m.) program is a zoom webinar with Healther Wolf, author of Finds More Birds: 111 Surprising Ways to Spot Birds Wherever You Are. Heather blogs her fantastic photos at brooklynbridgebirds.com. You’ll need to register, and the link for that can be found at fykenature.org. The link will be there no later than Sept. 6, maybe earlier.

Keep an eye out for these types of outings in September, and register for them early:

• River festivals. The best ones offer guided paddles and trail walks in addition to music and food.

• Evening birding eco-cruises. In fall, small boats take folks out to witness purple martins and tree swallows congregating sometimes by the thousands at sunset swooping and diving as they dine before roosting for the night. Once again I waited too long and the purple martin outing on the Maurice River in southern N.J. sold out. I was able, however, to snag a spot on a Connecticut Audubon cruise focusing on tree swallows.

• Organized bike rides. Look for rides that are car-free, meaning you’re either riding on trails or on streets closed to traffic. The Philly Bike Ride on Oct. 19 looks great, as does one I’ve already registered for: a full-moon 6-mile bike ride on the Lawrence Hopewell Trail (N.J.) with a DJ, glow-in-the-dark juggling show, and s’mores around a campfire. The event raises money to maintain and complete the trail.

  What are you doing outdoors this month?

Nestled in historic Bucks County, Pa., Fordhook Farm dates back to 1888, and is the home of Burpee Seed Company, which breeds and trials plants on its 69 acres. Once a year in late July, it opens its grounds for free to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Last year, the event attracted several hundred visitors. This year, by 2 p.m., more than 5,000 visitors had arrived.

Sunny and not a drop of humidity to be had, the day featured food trucks, live music, speakers, and self-guided tours through some 16 gardens. Among the gardens you could tour: a kitchen garden; a pollinator garden; an arboretum with more than 138 rare and unusual tree specimens; and a former creek bed now gushing with bright annuals and perennials.

I was especially interested in the stumpery garden, a 2-acre woodland shade garden made from parts of dead trees, including moss-covered stumps arranged like sculptures, and surrounded by ferns, shrubs, and trees. Jerry Fritz, of Jerry Fritz Garden Design, Ottsville, Pa., installed the garden last year. At this year’s open house, he spoke about the garden from (appropriately enough) atop a large stump inside the garden. (See photo above.)

Last year, I interviewed Jerry for a gardening article I wrote for The Washington Post—5 Reasons to Keep Some Dead Wood in Your Garden. As a freelance writer, I interview so many people whom I never meet in person that it was fun getting to see Jerry in person, and hearing his advice for the many folk in the crowd eager to build their own stumpery gardens. You can get some ideas from the article. Essentially, he suggests looking for stumps in the woods, but advises getting permission from the landowner before removing a stump. He also noted that when it comes to selecting a stump, “The deader the better.”

Local Farms Offer an Array of Outdoor Adventures

Fordhook Farm’s once-a-year event is a definite bucket-list item. But you don’t have to wait that long to take advantage of open days on a farm near you thanks to the popularity of agritourism, which blends agriculture and tourism. Here, small farms diversify their incomes by creating experiences. These events not only entertain us, but remind us of the importance of preserving farmland in our communities for future generations. You’ll find many opportunities to visit your local farms in August. Here are a few of them:

Evenings on the farm. Sunset’s golden hour is a perfect time to sit back and enjoy live music, food trucks, and local beverages along with stunning views of the fields. These popular weekend events might also include lawn games, picnic spaces, and extended farm stand hours. A farm near me features prepared food, artists, crafters, and music on Fridays til 8 p.m. along with the opportunity to stock up on items from its store.

Farm-to-table dinners. Imagine if you will sitting next to a field or orchard, or inside a large charming barn with the doors wide open, on a long communal table set with a tablecloth, pretty dishes, and fresh-cut flowers where you’re served a seasonal, sustainable meal prepared by a guest chef using ingredients sourced from the farm. Sure, it’s not inexpensive. But these dinners support local farms, and are a great way to celebrate an important milestone or event.

Pick-your-own flowers. Thanks to the slow-flower movement, which supports local, sustainably grown flowers, more flower farms have popped up in surprising places, including urban lots, backyards, and small sections of farmland leased by the flower grower. Here, you’ll find experiences such as tours, gardening classes, floral design workshops, and “sip n clips” that pair flower arranging with beverage sipping.

Lavender farms have become particularly good at drawing visitors and keeping them there for the day even after they’ve picked their bouquets. At these farms, you might find goat yoga, groomed trails, and picnic areas. Many by me also have fields of late-blooming lavender that flower in October.

Culinary skills workshops. With so much fresh produce available this month, look for farm-run workshops on improving your culinary skills. One farm runs workshops on how to preserve the harvest, and use homegrown herbs in dishes. You’ll also find these types of classes at farmers markets (see below).

Self-guided tours. Look for farms that allow you to stroll through the landscape at your own pace using maps supplied by the farm. At one historic farm, you can wander the heirloom garden, apple orchard, and cornfields along the river, then unwind on the dairy bar’s terrace with freshly made ice cream. Another farm created a sustainability trail with QR codes attached to guideposts dotting the grounds. Scan a code, and an audio narration pops up along with photos or videos, including members of the original farming family talking about farm life in the day.

Guided tours. Led by the people who really know the farm, you can learn about its history, or the crops they grow. I recently toured a farm that grows native plants for seed (see photo below). I also toured a farm with the owners who explained how they turned it from a conventionally farmed GMO corn and soy bean field to a regenerative and organic farm.

Astronomy. Many farms with dark skies and minimal to no light pollution have introduced star-gazing experiences. One farm invites local astronomers to set up telescopes and present talks about the night sky. Another farm sets aside a field for camping and stargazing.

Local, Social, Dirt-Cheap Outings in September

By September, the crowds are thinning, temps are hopefully a little lower, and the bugs are starting to chill. I mention this because you should start planning now as September outings fill up fast. I recently jumped at the chance to sign up for a September weekend of native-plant garden tours and talks at the Cape May Point Science Center. Before the day ended, it was already filled.

The outdoors is crawling with bugs this time of year, along with guided walks led by knowledgeable bug-loving folk, including entomologists, amateur experts, and science teachers to name just a few. These walks offer great opportunities to identify insects common to your area, and learn about the important role they play in your local outdoors. (I’ve included photos of insects I’ve taken on walks and tried to identify them as best I can.)

Butterfly walks. Who doesn’t love butterflies? Sure, you can attract them to your home with the right plants. But a guided walk through new-to-you gardens with a guide who can i.d. the winged wonders is so worth it.

Caterpillar walks. This is the first year I’ve seen walks devoted specifically to caterpillars. One walk features an entomologist-led outing in field and shrub habitat looking for monarch caterpillars, black swallowtail caterpillars, and woolly bear caterpillars. This is the type of walk where it pays to bring a hand lens or loupe. I wrote about loupes and other close-focus optics in an article I’ve linked to below.

Dragonfly and damselfly walks. As temperatures heat up, look for these walks offered near lakes and other bodies of water.

Firefly walks. Here, you’ll find evening outings where you simply plop yourself in a chair and watch the firefly show. But some outings keep you on the move. One nature club runs a half-mile, self-guided trail. You start at dusk around 8 p.m. when you’ll see one particular species, then as it gets darker, you’ll see another species in the tree tops.

Moth nights. It’s not yet up there with the Fourth of July, but National Moth Week, which runs July 20-28 this year, has really grown in popularity. And if you’ve never spent an evening standing with a group of nature nerds and maybe even a moth expert around an illuminated white sheet strung between two trees, then you’re in for a treat. Some set out sweet banana and beer bait to attract moths, while others rely just on the bright light to attract them. You’ll see moths land on the sheet, and then it’s time to i.d. them. There are approximately 160,000 species of moths so having an expert on hand is super helpful. A moth night I attended one year featured a showing of the 2001 film Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack.

If you’re interested in viewing insects up close, check out this article I wrote for Birds & Blooms magazine, Close-Focus Optics and Monoculars for Nature Lovers.

Sunset Beavers and Bats Walk

The growing list of new-to-me guided wildlife walks offered today never ceases to amaze, and I spend a lot of time researching these outings as a freelancer covering easy outdoor recreation. The newest one I came across is a guided sunset beavers and bats walk offered by one of my state parks. Here’s the description: “Come take an easy walk to watch the sun set from an overlook and then around a portion of Lake Marcia in search of feeding bats and beavers while darkness settles over the park.” Like many evening and later night walks, no flashlights are allowed because the night sky provides plenty of light—and if you’ve ever been blinded by someone’s headlamp, you’ll be thankful for this policy.

Farms Offer Evening Pick-Your-Owns

June had so many hot days that some farmers decided to extend their pick-your-own hours. A lavender farm near me allows visitors to pick their own for two hours starting at 6:30 p.m. You can even bring a picnic supper during the farm’s golden hours. Another farm offers peach and blueberry picking til 7 p.m. on Fridays. It also threw an Evening on the Farm night from 6-9 p.m. where visitors enjoyed live music, farm-fresh food, local beer and wine, and pick-your-own peaches and blackberries. What are your local farms doing to beat the heat?

Look for the types of guided walks described in this issue of Probably Outside being offered by botanical gardens, state and county parks, arboretums, nature centers and preserves, native plant clubs, land trusts, birding clubs, friends groups associated with parks, and entomological societies. Sign up for their newsletters. Then register if required because these outings fill up fast.

Are you responsible for getting locals and visitors into your green spaces? If so, allow me to promote your outdoor spaces and downtowns to nature nerds and budding conservationists via content for your newsletter or blog.

I did manage to get to the beach. I also visited a farm in Connecticut that grows native plants for seed used in restoration projects. (There’s a shortage of native seed due to high demand.) A dozen or so of us stood among rows of sneezeweed, white wood aster, Joy Pye weed, and blue wood aster as the farmer discussed the trials and tribulations of growing natives. “We’re on the edge of an emerging industry based on science that’s also emerging,” she said. Here’s a great article on the coalition, which includes this farmer, called the Northeast Seed Network, which is working to produce seed.

I also did some volunteer work at the new wildflower garden at my local nature preserve. Volunteers ripped out invasive species, fenced in the area, and filled it with natives. Volunteering is a great way to get outside and improve your local environment.

This time of year there are so many outings to choose from. Add them to your calendar even if you know you can’t make them all. If you need to register for them, let the group know early on if you can’t make it. Outings fill up fast, and there’s typically a wait list.

Native Plant Experts Sprouting Up at Garden Centers. June 17-23 is Pollinator Week, and native plant folk are taking it very seriously, as they should. More native plant groups are taking their message to independent garden centers. Specifically, they’re working with garden center owners to run outdoor events and set up tables where they answer customer questions about native plants. So far, I’ve seen a native plant group giving a talk on butterflies, and another running a pollinator event featuring talks by a botanist, author of a book on butterflies, and a native plant garden designer. These are great opportunities to learn how to introduce natives to your garden. You can find out about these events by signing up for your local independent garden center’s newsletter, or joining your local native plant group.

Themed Strolls, Walks and Hikes. I’m seeing lots of guided walks featuring themes that will leave you physically and mentally refreshed. The guides are often well-versed in the theme. Some themed walks I’ve come across cover:

-Forest ecology

-Wildflowers

-Endangered species

-Lichen and moss

-Geology and landscape

-History

I also recently came across so-called four-season walks. Here a land trust set up a series of four walks for each season to showcase native plants, and how they change throughout the year.

Look for themed walks offered by nature preserves, land trusts, and state, county and town parks.

Get Into High Gear. Check out the outings offered by your local outdoor gear retail stores. These small businesses turn up the creative juices to help customers get outside. I’m signed up for a three-hour intro event billed as “undernight camping.” The event is designed to teach participants to pitch a tent, make a fire, and use camping gear. We’ll also learn to cook up some camp food, including (of course) s’mores. The owners of the gear store recently purchased a nearby farm, so we’ll also get a tour and learn about the types of products grown there. The cost? $15.

Like many local gear stores, this one takes advantage of its nearby green and blue spaces, renting bikes to ride on car-free paths in the nearby state park, and tubes and kayaks for taking on the Delaware River. Check out your outdoor gear store, and support them.

Probably Outside isn’t just for those who want to spend more time outside.

Probably Outside is also for those who work in the outdoor space, creating programs, field trips, and outings for their visitors and customers. Feel free to share this post, and by all means subscribe. Thanks!

Share Probably Outside

I joined a small local urban bird club about a year ago for the annual membership fee of $25. For months, I’d been too busy to attend its meetings or field trips. Then I saw it had planned an outing on a privately owned farm run by a couple who had moved to a rural part of the state and turned a 40-acre property from a GMO-grown soybeans farm to an organic heritage grain farm. One of the owners is an avid birder.

Eight members showed up on a stunning spring morning. After introductions, we set out, strolling past a pond with a couple of striking-green frogs, and a nest box that the owner opened to reveal young bluebirds inside (see below). We walked along a meadow and through forest, then past a stream with native brown trout that was being restored thanks to a federal grant. We saw a red-eyed vireo; a blue-gray gnatcatcher mobbing a male cowbird; an eastern bluebird feeding its young; four Baltimore orioles; a rose-breasted grosbeak; and a pair of yellow-throated vireos building a nest.

But we saw so much more thanks to some experts in our group, including a past president of a native plant club who identified native and non-native plants, and a former president of a butterfly club who pointed out a tulip-tree moth and a red-spotted purple butterfly. At a trail leading to the stream, one of the owners pointed out the remnants of a former railroad that ran through the property and delivered peaches from orchards to the main freight line in the late 1800s.

At the end of the three-hour tour, the owners suggested we drive to a field a mile up the road for a chance to see bobolink. Five of us did so, and were treated to dozens of these birds (lifers for me) emerging from the high grass before dropping back down—a sight made all the more special by the appearance overhead of an adult bald eagle. Below is the field, but of course no bobolink offered to grace my footage.

Outings to private properties are a perk of membership in local conservation groups. They are worth their weight in gold, or at the very least the annual membership fee. Our small group got way more than a bird walk. Thanks to the owners and the experts on the trip, we learned about land and water restoration; native plants; butterflies and moths, and the history of the land.

You don’t have to be an avid birder to join a local bird club. Just show interest and show up. Some clubs, such as my local Audubon chapter, welcome nonmembers to its local outings and will even loan you a pair of binoculars. Members will point out the birds. You focus on finding the birds. And who knows? Maybe you’ll find a whole lot more.

Make Plans for the Summer Solstice

The summer solstice for the Northern Hemisphere occurs on June 20, and marks the official start of astronomical summer and the longest day of the year. Look (and register) for guided walks, live music, and a host of outdoorsy events, some with a hefty dose of woo-woo, others straightforward outdoor activities such as paddling and hiking. Near me, I found a paddle and picnic at a park, a campfire and night hike at a nature center, and a bonfire at a historic farm where you’re encouraged to play a drum, wear a mask, and dance beneath the stars. You’ll probably have to register for solstice events because they’ll likely fill up fast.

Join a Hydrangea Walk

First came the tulips, then lilacs, followed by rhododendron and mountain laurel. Now the hydrangeas are budding. Aside from admiring these plants during their bloom times in small settings, consider joining guided walks to view them en masse.

Depending where you live, hydrangeas may start blooming in May and continue through July. Look for guided walks at botanic gardens, historic houses, and arboretums. Some even run early evening strolls.

Look, too, for festivals. Some towns hold their own, including the Penny McHenry Hydrangea Festival in Douglasville, Ga., and the Duxbury (Mass.) Hydrangea Festival and Garden Tour. The Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival July 5-14 may be worth planning to attend. If not, beach towns with Victorian architecture (I’m looking at you, Cape May, N.J.) are often chock full of hydrangeas.

Paddle Your Way Through the Warm Months

An Outdoor Industry Association study found kayaking had one of the highest growth rates across all outdoor categories. It’s not surprising given that it’s fairly easy to kayak, and rentals are offered at so many local bodies of water, including reservoirs, rivers, lakes and bays.

If it’s your first time out, look for guided daytime paddles. For a little added adventure, consider moonlit paddles.

Thanks for reading. I hope to send out another June newsletter with new ideas for outings. Until then, get outside!