They may not look like the cuddliest creatures, but opossums are still beloved by many New Yorkers. In May, they...
Look Out For These New York Snakes
Cryptic, mysterious, and too often feared, snakes are among the most misunderstood animals thatshare our planet. New York is home...
Making a Big Effort to Save a Little Turtle
Around late April, bog turtles began to emerge from their muddy hibernacula, or winter shelters, to greet another season in...
Forget Forecasting — Appreciate What Groundhogs Can Actually Rock
Will he or won’t he? That will be the question on everyone’s mind on Feb. 2, Groundhog Day, when Punxsutawney...
Why the Tiny Shrew Will Blow Your Mind
Shrews aren’t just terms out of Shakespeare. In fact, Shakespeare is brand-new compared to actual shrews, animals that have been...
The Cheeky Ways Chipmunks Operate
Next to gray squirrels, their rodent cousins, Eastern chipmunks are probably the most frequently spotted mammal in parks and backyards...
River Otters Play in the Valley Again
Otters aren’t just oceanic creatures — their semi-aquatic mammal cousins, North American river otters, are found all over the continent,...
Vernal Pools: The Valley’s Special Spring Amphibian Habitat
“Fairies” no bigger than a human fingernail, frogs returning to life after a winter suspended in ice, salamanders assembling for...
All About the Hudson Valley’s Red (and Elusive Gray) Fox
This past spring, spotting an elegant lone red fox in Scenic Hudson’s Mount Beacon Park — and seeing a mother...
Why Bobcats Are So Fierce
Extremely shy and secretive, bobcats are one of the hardest mammals to spot in the Hudson Valley. But with bare...
Talking Wild Turkey
Currently flocking in valley cornfields, wild turkeys lead extraordinary lives. We’ve assembled some fun facts about the habits and history...
Eight Ways Skunks Might Surprise You
It turns out skunks do a lot more than create a big stink. Here’s the shocker: They often help humans...
All About the Hudson River’s Feisty (and Tasty) Blue Crab
Blue crabs may not be as synonymous with the Hudson River as they are with Chesapeake Bay — but plenty...
New Valley Research Suggests Biodiversity Actually Cuts Animal-to-Human Disease Spread
In the eyes of many scientists, wherever the wild things are, so are lots of pathogens. It has long been...
Rethinking the Humble Beaver
Beavers figured prominently in North America’s past — they were appreciated by Indigenous people for millennia, and are the main...
Threatened H.V. Amphibians Emerge in Spring’s Vernal Pools
These days, it’s not easy being green — at least if you are a Hudson Valley amphibian. Frogs and salamanders...
Gearing Up For Amphibians’ “Big Night”
If you think amphibians’ winter-survival strategy is impressive — species like spring peepers freeze solid, with no heartbeat for months,...
9 Wild Facts about Porcupines
Arguably, the porcupine — technically, the North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) — is the Hudson Valley’s oddest-looking creature. Everybody knows...
Quiz: Hudson Valley Animal Tracks
When you’re outside exploring this winter or spring, you’re likely to come across various local animals’ prints in the snow...
12 Facts About Fishers
Our trail camera at Shaupeneak Ridge recently captured a rare photo of a fisher. It’s one of the valley’s lesser-known...
Why We’re Nuts About Gray Squirrels
They dart in front of your car, maybe even your bike, then double back — squirrels may seem extra-erratic. But...
