Bird lovers throughout the Hudson Valley are watching for one of our area’s most beloved seasonal residents: the ruby-throated hummingbird....

The robin is the oneThat interrupts the mornWith hurried, few, express reportsWhen March is scarcely on. Virtually nobody signals the...

Northern cardinals have become a familiar and welcome sight to New Yorkers, particularly here in the Hudson Valley. The iconic...

There’s something especially heartbreaking about coming across an injured bird — a creature meant to soar that is suddenly suffering,...

As the weather cools off, crows flock to Poughkeepsie by the thousands to join a communal roost, a ritual that’s...

Few things in life draw the sort of deep-sigh feeling of awe as the sight of a majestic eagle soaring...

You might see a seagull over the Hudson River and think it’s amazing that these birds have come 50 or...

BEEMPP! BOOM!!  and again  BEEEMPP! BOOOM! On a warm June evening, I would take the kids down to Coxsackie to wait....

If you stand outside at about 9:30 p.m. and listen quietly, you might hear the distinctive “wheet” calls of the...

Near Coeymans, N.Y., there is a floodplain that flanks the Hudson and extends out to a well-kept property that a...

Conserving land — cultivating it expressly for nature — is a standard practice today. But decades ago, it was an unheard-of...

The photogenic sprawl of trees in their vibrant fall colors is arguably one of the Hudson Valley’s most defining features,...

The Hudson Valley is famous for its fall foliage, best seen across rolling hills, apple orchards, and riverside mountains. Everyone...

Among local trees that have captured the imagination, it’s hard to top the Balmville Tree. Walk, bike, or drive past...

On a fall Friday morning, a pickup truck arrived at Mawignack Preserve in Catskill with a long-anticipated cargo: 28 trees....

The annual changing-leaf display along the Hudson River always boosts flagging spirits — and who couldn’t use a little pick-me-up...

Since the 1940s, farmers and landscapers alike have used synthetic pesticides that are sprayed on plants and crops. But in...

Many of us dream of having a butterfly haven in our own backyard, but creating a utopia for these enchanting...

The next time you see a honeybee buzzing around a flower or a shrub or an apple tree, you can...

by Dalvin Aboagye Step outside your home on a nice night and take a look around. What do you see?...

Enjoying outdoor exercise helps boost our immune system and relieve stress, which has never been more important. But while a...

As human activity over the centuries has drastically altered the American landscape, the makeup of wildlife in the country has...

Despite their spooky rep, there’s much more to bats than Dracula and Halloween decorations. Around the world, bats serve as...

Frogs may be the most familiar and observable amphibians in the Hudson Valley. Unlike their secretive cousins the salamanders, frogs...

They may not look like the cuddliest creatures, but opossums are still beloved by many New Yorkers. In May, they...

Cryptic, mysterious, and too often feared, snakes are among the most misunderstood animals that share our planet. New York is...

Around late April, bog turtles began to emerge from their muddy hibernacula, or winter shelters, to greet another season in...

Will he or won’t he? That will be the question on everyone’s mind on Feb. 2, Groundhog Day, when Punxsutawney...

Shrews aren’t just terms out of Shakespeare. In fact, Shakespeare is brand-new compared to actual shrews, animals that have been...

Next to gray squirrels, their rodent cousins, Eastern chipmunks are probably the most frequently spotted mammal in parks and backyards...

When it comes to invasive species that have affected the Hudson River, water chestnuts are one of the most common....

Invasive plants wreak great havoc in the Hudson Valley, crowding out native species that birds and other animals depend on...

The next time you’re hiking in the Lower Hudson Valley, be on the lookout for two of the region’s newest...

For generations, the canopies provided by the Eastern hemlock trees have been integral to the Empire State’s forest ecosystems. Although...

The spotted lanternfly is one beautiful bug. With its wings outspread, an adult resembles an abstract painting, sporting geometric splotches...

“When I first started working here, I didn’t realize this could be such a beautiful view,” says Scenic Hudson Parks...

Trees, shrubs and wildflowers contribute so much beauty to the Hudson Valley — and joy to our lives — but...

Scenic Hudson Land Stewardship Coordinator Dan Smith photographed an ice skate being “eaten” by a tree on one of our...

The Scenic Hudson team uses cameras to help monitor our parks — but sometimes, wildlife makes a guest appearance. What...

The Scenic Hudson team uses cameras to help monitor our parks — but sometimes, wildlife makes a guest appearance. What...

The Scenic Hudson team uses cameras to help monitor our parks — but sometimes, wildlife makes a guest appearance. What...

The Scenic Hudson team uses cameras to help monitor our parks — but sometimes, wildlife makes a guest appearance. What...

The Scenic Hudson team uses cameras to help monitor our parks — but sometimes, wildlife makes a guest appearance. What...

Only every decade or so does the U.S. Department of Agriculture release the latest edition of the Plant Hardiness Zone...

Generous forests and elegant mountains might command your attention when you’re enjoying the Hudson Valley outdoors. But if you shift...

When you hold a seed in your hand, “once upon a time” might not be the first words that pop...

Centuries-old apple varieties that were almost pushed out by industrialization have started to get popular again in the Hudson Valley...

The poor, acidic, and shallow soil on top of the Shawangunk Ridge was never ideal for farming — but it...

With all the emphasis on native plants these days, you’d be forgiven for shaking your head when stumbling across a...

The Valley may not host showy fields of tulips or bluebonnets. Yet for the hikers, painters, students, explorers, photographers and...

Like many, Millbrook resident Liselotte Vince earned her green thumb as a kid years ago, when beauty was the big...

A decade ago, Bryan Meador was an art student in New York City alienated by too much concrete. He felt...

Sure, NYC offers world-caliber collections of wildlife like the Bronx Zoo — but the Hudson Valley is home to two...

The warm sunshine is here, and it’s time to hit those sizzling trails in the Hudson Valley — but how...

Sheep and goats are classic Hudson Valley grazers, and in the past few years, a handful of regional farmers have...

Once upon a time, I adopted the best trail buddy a gal could dream of. Roxy is a 50-pound mutt...

As Kathy Stevens sits in the shade contemplating the Catskill Animal Sanctuary’s next move, she loses her train of thought...