Curious About … Serviceberry?

For just a short week in early April, the ravines in the Wenatchee Foothills are bursting with serviceberry blossoms. Continue Reading →

Curious About … Arriving Turkey Vultures?

Turkey vultures are arriving to North Central Washington from wintering grounds in Mexico and Central America. Look for groups roosting in tall black cottonwood trees. Continue Reading →

Curious About … Western Meadowlark?

Western meadowlark males have arrived to the Wenatchee Foothills’ shrub-steppe. They use songs and postures to establish breeding territories. Continue Reading →

Join the North Central Washington Hummingbird Project on March Equinox

Over the last decade, many people in North Central Washington have observed increasing numbers of over-wintering Anna’s Hummingbirds. North Central Washington Audubon Society has launched a community science study project to gather data to help answer questions about Anna’s Hummingbird Continue Reading →

Big Sagebrush Haiku

I am thankful for a particular stately sagebrush that I walked by on January snow walks in the Wenatchee Foothills. Each time I arrived, I wondered what lesson this sentinel Continue Reading →

Movie Night Ideas

This week’s bitter cold makes staying inside inviting, especially once the sun dips behind the ridge. Winter is a good time for armchair adventuring from the comfort of your own home. The recent Wenatchee Naturalist eNews included this list of sure-to-please films.
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Admiring Aspen

Most of us come home from an outing in the Wenatchee Watershed with new questions that begin with “Why?” Recently, my “Why” was preceded by “Wow,” in response to seeing the golden beauty of an aspen grove, encountered amidst the rich greens of conifer-clad mountainsides, on a bluebird mid-October day. I wondered, why are some aspen leaves tinged with a pinky-red, yet most are a vivid gold? Continue Reading →

Curious About … Shrub-steppe Lithosols?

I wish we had a more endearing term that “lithosols” to describe Columbia Basin habitats of thin, rocky soils!. Here, the wind deposits has deposited bits of soil in-between a pavement of lichen-encrusted basalt rocks. Each spring, a diverse display of native wildflowers create splashes of color worth exploring. Continue Reading →