Mark Nale
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Nature’s Ways: Rhododendron Is Nature’s Winter Thermometer
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Rhododendron leaves hang curled and seemingly lifeless on a frigid winter morning. As temperatures rise into the 20s, rhododendron’s leathery evergreen leaves uncurl to greet the morning sun. When temperatures […]
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Nature’s Ways: White-Throated Sparrow, a Winter Visitor from the North
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“Oh sweet Canada, Canada, Canada” is the mnemonic often associated with the easily-recognized song of the white-throated sparrow, a common winter resident of Pennsylvania and states to our south. Flocks […]
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Nature’s Ways: Witch-Hazel — the Last Pa. Native Plant to Flower Each Year
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One doesn’t typically expect to see plants flowering outdoors at the time of year — except maybe potted mums. The last native Pennsylvania plant to flower each year is the […]
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Make the Most of Your 14-Day Rifle Deer Season
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The long-awaited firearms deer season begins in just over a week. This season has the highest hunter participation of any Pennsylvania hunting season. However, increased archery deer harvests in recent […]
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Nature’s Ways: Red Squirrel — Common in Cone-Bearing Forests
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A machine-gun-like chatter echoing through the mixed hemlock, beech and maple forest is the scolding that a deer hunter gets when he enters the territory of a feisty red squirrel. […]
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Nature’s Ways: Butter-and-Eggs Brighten Fall Days
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The brightly-colored butter-and-eggs loves late September and early October weather. This beautiful wildflower is around all summer, but seems to get a second life in mid-September. Butter-and-eggs, as its common […]
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Nature’s Ways: Indian Pipe — an Interesting Non-Green Flowering Plant
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Even a casual woodland walker will quickly notice the odd-looking white plants poking up through the leaf litter at this time of year. Their bleached color often leads people to […]
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Nature’s Ways: Eastern Phoebe — the Under-Bridge Dweller
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After a long winter, I always look forward to the day when I can step outside and hear the loud and familiar “FEE-bee” call of the eastern phoebe. This spring […]
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Nature’s Ways: The Often Overlooked Trout-Lily
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“Trout Time” it is, with anglers lining local streams, but it is also time for an often overlooked wildflower — the trout-lily. Trout-lily is a small yellow wildflower that is […]
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Nature’s Ways: One of Everyone’s Favorites — the Eastern Bluebird
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Small flocks of brilliant blue and orange birds will soon be redecorating the shrubs and sumac thickets in open areas of Centre County. The eastern bluebird is a “temperate migrant” […]