Tag: Forest

2025 · Our Forest · Our Yard · Winter

First Snow of The Season 2025/2026

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❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃

First, the meteorologists mentioned 3-6 inches of snow for our area. But the weather system stayed further north. We were lucky; we got about an inch.

❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃❄☃

2025 · Our Forest · Throwback Thursday

Our Forest In November 2021 🦌

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Kevin told me two deer were in the forest when I returned home from picking up Sara at school. So, we went down to the upper tree line to check if they were still there. And sure enough, the two young ladies hung out on our property. Deer #1 kept her distance at the other end of the tree line while Deer #2 hid behind a tree. It took us a moment to see her. She was well camouflaged in the forest. Smart girl! After we watched them for a while, we guessed Deer# 2 got spooked and made a leap onto the neighbor’s property, where she was waiting for her sister to come along with her. Soon, they were gone in the underbrush of the forest. Kevin mentioned getting a deer blind. We can watch all kinds of wildlife visiting our property. We still haven’t seen Bruno the Bear yet.

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– 11/01/2021 –

2025 · Autumn · Our Forest · Throwback Thursday

Our Forest In Mid-October 2021

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There are still many emerald-colored trees in the forest. However, the golden colors become vibrant as October continues. I just hope we will get some crimson mixed in as well. Nothing in sight, yet. But I don’t give up hope. It’s still too early to say how the leaves will be at their peak in another week or so.

🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁🍃🍂🍁

– 10/11/2021 –

2025 · Autumn · Connecticut

Hop Brook Lake, Middlebury, Connecticut In October 2025

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Hop Brook Lake extends over three communities in New Haven County, Connecticut. These towns are Middlebury, Naugatuck & Waterbury. A dam was built across Hop Brook in Naugatuck, and the resulting lake is known as Hop Brook Lake.

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The Pollinator Garden

Pollinator gardens contain various native or native cultivars that produce nectar and/or pollen. These gardens enhance pollinator occupancy and contribute to maintaining healthy ecosystems by creating optimal pollination conditions.

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Autumn At The Lake

Hop Brook Lake is situated in the midst of a growing suburban area. This makes the 536 acres of undeveloped public land at the lake especially important to the surrounding community. The land is not only managed for recreation, but also for the benefit of the forest, wildlife, and water resources. The forest is comprised of a diverse array of trees, including white pine, maple, oak, hickory, ash, and dogwood.

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Lakeshore Trail

Wildlife is abundant in the area. Bird watchers will find a diversity of species, including hawks, turkeys, waterfowl, and songbirds. White-tailed deer, beaver, squirrels, chipmunks, and many other animals also make their home at Hop Brook Lake.

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2025 · Our Forest · Our Yard

Our Yard/Forest In Mid-September (2)

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🌳🍃🌲🍁🌳🍃🌲🍁🌳🍃🌲🍁🌳🍃🌲🍁🌳🍃🌲🍁🌳🍃🌲🍁🌳🍃🌲🍁🌳🍃🌲🍁🌳🍃🌲🍁

Since it was warm, I made my way to the trail between our yard and the forest on our property. The trees keep the area much cooler. On my way down, I didn’t see the white-tailed doe in the forest. She got startled and snorted, which startled me, and I almost screamed. But I kept my bearings and realized that I sneaked up on her. We looked at each other. And once she felt safe, she kept eating before she disappeared into the thickest part of the forest. That was interesting. This could have turned out completely differently. Thank goodness, she was far enough away and decided not to approach me. *phew*

🌳🍃🌲🍁🌳🍃🌲🍁🌳🍃🌲🍁🌳🍃🌲🍁🌳🍃🌲🍁🌳🍃🌲🍁🌳🍃🌲🍁🌳🍃🌲🍁🌳🍃🌲🍁

2025 · Autumn · Our Forest · Our Yard

Our Yard/Forest In Early September (1)

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🌳🍃🌲🍁🌳🍃🌲🍁🌳🍃🌲🍁🌳🍃🌲🍁🌳🍃🌲🍁🌳🍃🌲🍁🌳🍃🌲🍁🌳🍃🌲🍁🌳🍃🌲🍁

1) Wild Grape; 2) Wood Aster; 3) Staghorn Sumac; 4) Common Pokeweed;
5) Autumn in our Forest; 6) Staghorn Sumac; 7) Goldenrod;
8) Knotweed/Smartweed

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2025 · Connecticut

Veterans Memorial Park, Watertown, Connecticut In August 2025

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Since it is my birthday and the weather is beautiful, I walked the loop at Veterans Memorial Park. Summer still has a good grip on Nature. But there are signs that Autumn is near. The temperatures are supposed to be in the 70s for the rest of August and into the first week of September.

When I visited the park, I also got a view of one of the six Seward Johnson statues, which are placed all over Watertown. The town is currently hosting an art exhibition of six life-size Seward Johnson sculptures from August to October 2025 as part of the Watertown Foundation’s centennial celebration.

Another new feature is Noodle, the rock snake. Everyone in town can participate by bringing a painted rock and adding it to the tail end. I’m curious how big Noodle will grow over the next years. Maybe I will capture photos every couple of months and see how far it has come.

2025 · Our Forest · Our Yard

Our Yard/Forest In Mid-August (1)

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🌳🍃🌲🌿🌳🍃🌲🌿🌳🍃🌲🌿🌳🍃🌲🌿🌳🍃🌲🌿🌳🍃🌲🌿🌳🍃🌲🌿🌳🍃🌲🌿🌳🍃🌲🌿

1) Bittersweet Nightshade; 2) Silky Dogwood; 3) Sugar Maple;
4) Sunburst; 5) Oak/Sky; 6) Our Forest

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2025 · Travel Tuesday

A Late Summer Hike In Guttenberger Wald ~ 1984

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When I began 5th grade, I had a teacher who loved to hike. So, a lot of times we had school outdoors by hiking to places from Würzburg to Randersacker, to Frankenwarte, and many other outdoor places. Rain or shine, we hiked instead of sitting in a stuffy classroom all year.

One place we went to was the Guttenberger Wald, which is an unincorporated forest near the Reichenberg/Höchberg area in the district of Würzburg, Germany. The Guttenberger Wald has an area of 18.05 km² (4480 acres) and is 362 meters (1188 feet) above sea level. It is a nice and quiet place away from the city.