Connecting-with-Nature - What's New

Jun 30, The Best of Backyard Habitat is Now on DVD

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:33:16 GMT

Watch the Best of Backyard Habitat on dvd and learn how to attract animals to your garden.

Jun 19, Best Books and Equipment for Nature Study

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:30:00 GMT

The Best books and equipment on nature for naturalists everywhere.

Jun 19, Summer Begins - June 20th

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:20:29 GMT

June 20th, is the Summer Solstice. The summer season officially begins with the sun at its highest point in the sky.

Jun 10, Plants Database is now live!

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:43:02 GMT

I am very happy to tell you, the new Plants Database is now live on Connecting-with-Nature.net. It is a collection of plants that attract birds, butterflies and other animals to your garden or balcony. A new plant or two will be added each week. I am really excited about this. Donna

Jun 10, Thursday, June 19, 2008 is The Third Annual "Dump the Pump Day"

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:32:23 GMT

"The day is dedicated to raising awareness that riding public transportation helps improve the environment and conserves fuel. It also offers the opportunity for people to beat the high price of gasoline and support public transportation as an important travel option that helps reduce our dependence on foreign oil as well as reducing the amount of harmful greenhouse gases that are emitted into our environment."

Jun 10, Saturday is National Get Outdoors Day

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:29:00 GMT

National Get Outdoors Day is Saturday, June 14, 2008. "National Get Outdoors Day is an outgrowth of the Get Outdoors USA! campaign, which encourages Americans, especially our youth, to seek out healthy, active outdoor lives and embrace our parks, forests, refuges and other public lands and waters." To celebrate I will be at my local Wildflower Reserve learning how to propagate native plants. Go to your state's Natural Resource Department's website to learn more. Follow the link to Pennsylvania's National Get Outdoors Day celebrations.

Jun 10, Considered about eating sustainable seafood?

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:16:03 GMT

I eat very little red meat (I have a weakness for bacon). I eat mostly fish and shellfish. I keep a Seafood Watch guide in my wallet. It's useful when food shopping at the supermarket or in a restaurant. The Monterey Bay Aquarium has provided handy online Seafood Watch Guides for all regions of the U.S. If you would like a handy Seafood Watch guide it is a available as a download-able page, a pocket-sized guide or as a file for your mobile device, follow the link above. These guides give the latest sustainable seafood choices available for different regions of the U.S. It lists those fish and seafood species which are abundant, well managed or fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. The lists tell you what seafood to avoid and which are over fished and or fished or farmed in ways that harm marine life or the environment. If you are traveling to another region, you can print one out for your destination.

May 21, Summer Plants for Attracting Hummingbirds

Wed, 21 May 2008 23:19:05 GMT

This list of summer plants are great for attracting hummingbirds to gardens in eastern North America.

May 5, Spring Blooming Nectar Flowers to Attract Hummingbirds

Mon, 05 May 2008 23:38:00 GMT

Spring blooming nectar flowers will draw early arriving hummingbirds to your garden, habitat or balcony. Here is a list of plants.

Apr 30, Spring Blossoms Photos from Around Philadelphia

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:34:56 GMT

I like taking spring blossom photos around the Philadelphia area. Beautiful flowers are so welcome now.

Apr 20, Lyrids Meteor Shower is April 22nd

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 23:04:45 GMT

April 22nd is the peak day of the Lyrids Meteor Shower. The moon's phase is a waning gibbous and viewing prospects are poor. The large bright moon will reflect too much light to see the meteors (shooting stars) clearly.

Apr 20, Earth Day is Tuesday, April 22

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 23:02:38 GMT

Happy Earth Day! Do you have any special plans? The Earth Day network has news, events and information to help us care for our beautiful planet. I usually attend festivities at my alma mater but the Pennsylvania primary is also Tuesday and I will be waiting in line to vote.

Apr 15, Hummingbird Migration Dates

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 01:01:07 GMT

These hummingbird migration dates will help you to know when to put out your nectar feeders.

Apr 15, Hummingbird Nectar Recipe

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:48:27 GMT

This hummingbird nectar recipe is easy to make. It attracts hummers to your backyard.

Apr 15, Hummingbirds

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:35:08 GMT

Hmingbirds are unique birds. And it not hard to attract them your garden.

Apr 14, National Environmental Education Week

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:53:38 GMT

National Environmental Education Week (EE Week) is the largest organized environmental education event in the United States. It increases the educational impact of Earth Day by creating a full week of educational preparation, learning, and activities in K-12 classrooms, nature centers, zoos, museums, and aquariums. (from the website) This is a good source of nature activities for teachers, homeschooolers and moms and dads who enjoy teaching their children about the natural world. The week runs from April 13th through the 18th.

Apr 10, Hummingbird Migration

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:02:25 GMT

Hummingbird migration takes place in the spring and fall in North America. Understanding it helps us to attract the birds to our gardens.

Apr 10, Hummingbird Migration Map

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:22:35 GMT

If you are a hummingbird watcher, www.hummingbird.net provides a map filled in by volunteers. Volunteers input when hummingbirds are first sighted around North America. This can be useful when deciding when to put out your nectar feeders.

Mar 19, Spring Begins Marcvh 20th

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:07:57 GMT

Spring begins in the northern hemisphere at 1:28 am est. Check out the Nature in Spring page to gear up for a season of birth and renewal.

Feb 9, Animal Signs

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 15:11:28 GMT

This list of animal signs can be used with children or as nature journal prompts

Feb 9, Winter Scavenger Hunt

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 14:55:25 GMT

This winter scavenger hunt is fun for children and adults. It can also be used as nature journal prompts.

Feb 4, How to Attract Birds to Your Yard

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:11:49 GMT

To attract birds to your garden is pretty easy. And you don't need too much special equipment.

Feb 4, Set Out Your Birdhouses!

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:57:56 GMT

The breeding season seems to have begun here in the Delaware Valley. It is a good idea to set up your birdhouses before March 1. Birds looking for nesting sites, just might chose your move in condition nest box. Remember to check out the building nest structures pdf.

Jan 31, A Nature in Winter Book List

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 01:21:24 GMT

Winter is mysterious. These books provide informtion on winter ecology, so your nature study continues.

Jan 30, Monthly Nature Calendar for 2008

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 18:16:56 GMT

Special dates for 2008

Jan 30, Animal Field Guides

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:35:15 GMT

Animal field guides provide basic information on many of the animals we see in our neighborhoods.

Jan 30, Foxes

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:32:28 GMT

Foxes are agile animals. They live close to us even though we rarely see them.

Jan 30, Red Fox

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:31:22 GMT

The red fox often lives in the cemetries, rail yards and woods of our neighborhoods.

Jan 30, Gray Fox

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:30:18 GMT

The gray fox ranges thtoughout North America.

Jan 23, Nature Journaling with Kids

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 20:08:59 GMT

Nature journaling with kids is fun and easy with a little planning. Here are some ideas to help.

Jan 20, The Amateur Naturalist

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 17:21:10 GMT

Being an amateur naturalist is simply learning to not just see but observe. Begin here.

Jan 20, Keeping a nature journal

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 15:55:22 GMT

Heres how to get started keeping a nature journal. Read on to learn the basics along with a full page of nature journal prompts.

Jan 16, Delaware Valley Nature Workshops

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:46:15 GMT

There are many Delaware Valley nature workhops around. Here is a list for great places to check out.

Jan 16, Nature Workshop Resources

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:22:53 GMT

Taking a nature workshop can help your understanding of nature and ecology grow by leaps and bounds. Here are some places to take workshops.

Jan 15, Grinnell Format for Keeping a Nature Journal

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 03:16:55 GMT

Use the Grinnell Format to improve your nature journal note-taking.

Jan 15, Catalog the specimens you collect

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 03:03:23 GMT

Keeping a catalog of the specimens you collect is a good why to expand your nature knowledge.

Jan 15, Using a Species Account

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 02:51:51 GMT

A species account is helpful in learning about plants and animals. A good companion to a nature journal.

Jan 15, Using a Field Notebook

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 02:40:40 GMT

A field notebook holds your observations for your nature journal.

Jan 15, A Field Journal Using the Grinnell System

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 02:31:22 GMT

The Field Journal is a important to keeping good nature notes for your nature journal.

Jan 15, The Grinnell System for Keeping Nature Journals

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 02:10:49 GMT

The Grinnell System is the one professional field naturalists use. It is improve your knowledge about nature.

Jan 15, Abandoned Nests

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 00:31:46 GMT

Looking for abandoned nests is a good winter nature activity. Here is how to spot them.

Jan 8, International Year of Planet Earth 2007-2009

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 17:49:33 GMT

The year 2008 has been designated The International Year of Planet Earth by the United Nations. "The International Year of Planet Earth aims to capture peoples imagination with the exciting knowledge we possess about our planet, and to see that knowledge used to make the Earth a safer, healthier and wealthier place for our children and grandchildren International Year of Planet Earth 2007-2009" (from IYPE website) It is a joint effort by UNESCO and the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS). Earth scientists are concerned that the information we have about our planet is being under utilized. The website cites the tsunami in the Indian Ocean in December 2004 and how it could have been avoid with a tsunami warning system. A system is now being in installed but could have been used early to save over 230,000 humans who died the 26 December 2004. There will activities to rise awareness of the depth of earth knowledge scientist have, and how this knowledge can help us to make a better world. Earth is not only the planet we live on it is the only planet we know that sustain our lives and the lives of other complex organisms. We really have no where else to go. The International Year of the Planet presents and opportunity for teachers and home schoolers to attend programs and do things on their own. Learn more about the International Year of Planet Earth at http://www.yearofplanetearth.org/

Jan 3, January Nature Calendar

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 17:09:05 GMT

January Nature Calendar Mercury is visible in the SW sky near the end of the month Venus is a very bright early morning object all month. Jupiter is low in the SE sky before sunrise. Saturn rises a couple hours after sunset, and is up in the sky most of the night. January 8 New Moon January 15 Waxing Quarter Moon (grows larger) January 22 Full Moon January 30 Waning Quarter Moon (grows smaller)

Jan 1, Floating Plastic Garage

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:35:37 GMT

I originally thought floating islands of trash twice the size the state of Texas was a urban legend. Apparently, I was wrong. The blog, The Daily Galaxy News from Planet Earth & Beyond, reports that it is indeed true. This is truly sad and embarrassing. No wonder aliens remain in the shadows and avoid formal introductions.

Dec 31, Providing Places to Raise Young

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 03:33:39 GMT

Animals nedd places to raise young. You can provide them and attract birds, butterflies and other animals to your backyard.

Dec 31, Cover Provides Protection to Animals

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 03:15:18 GMT

Cover is what animals need to stay live. Here is how to provide it in your backyard.

Dec 31, Water Will Bring Many Animals to Your Backyard Habitat

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 03:00:21 GMT

Water is the easiest and most inexpensive way to attract bird, butterflies and othe animals.

Dec 25, Winter Activities can be carried on outdoors or beside a roaring fire.

Tue, 25 Dec 2007 14:18:20 GMT

Winter activities can relieve cabin fever. Here are a list of nature activites to do in winter.

Dec 21, Correction Winter Solstice

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 17:44:22 GMT

Correction
The winter solstice occurs on December 22, 2007.

Dec 21, Nature in Winter is a season of quiet, hidden mysteries

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:41:35 GMT

Nature in winter is still and peaceful. But much is going on. Here is a sneak peak at winter happenings.