New column: Ask a naturalist
Which kinds of trees make which color leaves? Why do we see so many spiderwebs in the fall? When were apples first cultivated in the Hudson Valley? Can woolly bear caterpillars predict the weather?
Nature
Dutchess Fairgrounds host NYS Sheep & Wool Festival
Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 17-20: There will be opportunities to shop for wool, learn different crafts, admire llamas and alpacas on parade and root for your favorite sheepdog.
Bard hosts second annual John Cage Mycology Weekend
Saturday/Sunday, Oct. 19/20: Besides being among the most revolutionary of 20th-century classical composers, John Cage was also an avid amateur mycologist. His interest in mushrooms was literally born out of hunger during the Depression, when he would take the specimens he’d foraged near his home in Carmel, California to the local library to see if they were edible. He spent much of the rest of his life collecting and studying fungi, even supplying upscale New York restaurants such as the Four Seasons with mushrooms he gathered in the local (reachable by subway) wild.
Monarch butterfly release party held in conjunction with the first anniversary of River-to-Ridge trail
Kindergartners gathered last Saturday in New Paltz to say one final goodbye to their monarch butterfly friends, and to wish them well on their long journey to Mexico. The insects had hatched on milkweed saved from mowing along the River-to-Ridge trail, collected as caterpillars and allowed to pupate under the watchful eye of Duzine students.
Longyear Farm Day benefits Woodstock Land Conservancy
Saturday, Oct. 12: Located in the heart of Woodstock for 70 years, Matt, Heather and Kathy Longyear’s farm has hosted a benefit for the Woodstock Land Conservancy for the last five years. This event is a celebration of community for all ages and features opportunities to learn about the farm and the environment while enjoying crafts, kids’ activities and local foods and music.
The NAO now: And the dark side of night
This setup typically lets cold polar air pour into the Northeast, and can set the stage for early snowstorms.
Kristin Kimball to read new memoir Good Husbandry in Rhinebeck
Tuesday, Oct. 22: Kimball left city life behind and, with her new husband from New Paltz, took on the immense job of starting and running a CSA near Lake Champlain, known as Essex Farm. It currently comprises 1,100 acres and is managed with horsedrawn farm machinery rather than tractors, using no chemical pesticides or fertilizers. The goal was to supply its 150 members year-round (up to 200 now) with ingredients for three organic meals a day – not just vegetables, salad greens, herbs and a few fruits, but also grains, flour, beans, eggs, meat, dairy, honey, maple syrup, cut flowers, even soap. Kimball calls it “the world’s first full-diet CSA, as far as we know.”
Garden Open House and Paint Out at Blithewood
Sunday, September 29: Participants are invited to paint, to tour Blithewood Garden and to watch a plein-air painter in action. Coloring books and free refreshments will be provided. Garden tours will be given at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Taking the long view: Catskill Center turns 50
This weekend’s festivities include a Fall Gala, fireworks, exhibitions, fly-fishing demo and the unveiling of Will Lytle’s children’s book.
Climate Solutions Summit to be held at SUNY-New Paltz
Saturday, Sept. 21: The day will include case studies and workshops on topics including renewable energy storage, ground source (geothermal) and air source heat pumps, clean transportation, regenerative agriculture, climate solutions careers, Climate Smart Communities and environmental justice.
