Water Loving Dogs At Whippoorwill Corners - Part 3

I was hiking with the dogs along Plumb Brook, in the Whippoorwill Corners State Forest (see also Parts 1 and 2, posted previously), but the time came for us to turn back toward the trail head:

I saw a dirt lane climbing up a steep hill and thought it might take us back where we wanted to go, so we tried it. It was marked as a horse path and probably did go where I wanted, but I didn't want to risk it. So we walked back down the hill and took the same trail we'd come in on:

The extra sunlight on the top of the hill produced a bumper crop of Orange Hawkweed, a beautiful, distinctive wildflower:

 

Soon we were back on the rocky brookside trail, where I remembered once again that going up rocky places is usually easier than going down:

Plumb Brook was now on our left as we made our way back on the trail:

Look, Dad, another place to cool off. Can we go in the water here?

Indeed they did. It was a fine stream for keeping dogs cool and watered on a hot day:


Back on the trail again. There were a few mosquitoes, but not too many:

 I found this clam shell near the water, likely the remnants of a raccoon's dinner and evidence that freshwater mussels live in the brook:

The little dogs wanted to rock-hop out to some rapids, and I didn't stop them. Both Seamus and I were tired and too unsteady on our feet to try it:

In a stretch of quieter water, Daphne got herself so drenched that she looked, as my mother used to say, "like a drowned rat:"

There was a stretch of quiet, shallow water just before the trail head, so we stopped once again for the dogs to explore the cool water of Plumb Brook. Then we all piled into the car and headed for home, arriving before the real heat wave began:

Nicandri Nature Center - Part 1

The nature center in Massena, New York opened this past spring and when I first visited there, I called it the Robert Moses (State Park) Nature Center. It does seem to be on state park land or at least adjacent to it, but the official name is Nicandri Nature Center:

There are trained interpretive naturalists on duty to take school kids on guided tours or to shoot the breeze with an old geezer like me who once studied these things but had to earn his living elsewhere. Pollywogs, weeds and wildlife have been my passion since I was a small boy, trying to catch minnows in the local creek. This gigantic, wrap-around aquarium is the first thing a visitor sees:

On an island inside the big aquarium were four frogs, probably Green Frogs (though I didn't ask). The naturalist told me that some of the big Channel Catfish had been trying to eat them, so they stayed up where it was safe and waited for the staff to feed them crickets:

The aquarium was filled with Bullhead, Perch, Channel Catfish, Sunfish, Bluegills, etc. There was a Map Turtle and probably other animals as well, but the beaver, bear and heron were stuffed:

Who needs wetlands? We all do, and the St. Lawrence River wetlands are an ideal place to study them:

Another giant aquarium in another room contained other species. In this photo are a Bullfrog tadpole (on the log) and two Sturgeons (resting on the gravel). There were eels and other species as well. The Mudpuppy was a rubber model which sat on a shelf outside the aquarium:

In the big aquarium were several Longnose Gars, the first I'd ever seen in real life:

And a display case with five species of local freshwater clams:

One entire wall was filled with a wildlife diorama which contained taxidermy mammals and birds:

I remembered the pied deer from my last visit because it was so unusual:

A black bear. I was told that the small bear skin at its feet was for school children to handle so they could keep their hands off of the full bear. Pictures with the bear, however, are encouraged:

Behind the wavy glass were scenes as could be found in wild settings all through the area. There was more for me to see, though, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

New Nature Center in Massena, New York - Part 1

I heard that a brand new nature center had opened over the weekend in the Robert Moses State Park, just northeast of Massena, NY on the St. Lawrence Seaway. I drove to it on Monday morning to have a look. The exterior was impressive, and crews were still working on the landscaping:

The interior was even more impressive, with a large aquarium front and center. If I remember correctly, I was told that it holds 2000 gallons of water:

There was a display at the top of the aquarium which showed how a muskrat lodge would look:

And down below, several Eastern Painted Turtles were swimming:

A few Green Frogs watched me from the weeds. I was told that they had gotten rather tame because the staff threw food to them. A friendly naturalist took me around, explaining things as we went:

Behind the big aquarium were a stuffed bear and beaver:

And lots of native fish swam in the waters below:

These were Yellow Perch:

Who needs wetlands? Every living thing on earth. This was, after all, right between the St. Lawrence and Grasse Rivers, with marshes and ponds and rivulets everywhere:

I was familiar with fresh water clams, but had no idea there were five species. I also learned that we have freshwater jellyfish (non-stinging), common to Adirondack lakes. They are clear, and about the size of a penny. They are a non-native species, introduced accidentally from China:

This aquarium had fish, turtles and crayfish:

 And most of the fish in it were Creek Chub. But I was just getting started and had much more to see. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow: