Category: PEEC Blog

A Naif in the Forest by Darrell Berger Wing Tips to Hiking Boots: Musings of a New, Full-Time Poconos Resident  This is a male praying mantis. I saw him fly, which only males do. The egg sack of the female makes her much larger than the male, and unable to fly.  He is a Chinese…

Naif in the Forest by Darrell Berger Wing Tips to Hiking Boots: Musings of a New, Full-Time Poconos Resident When I was in Mrs. Wilson’s fourth grade class every student made a notebook of pressed autumn leaves. The goal was to have as many colors represented as possible, and to pick the most colorful. I…

A Naif in the Forest by Darrell Berger Wing Tips to Hiking Boots: Musings of a New, Full-Time Poconos Resident  Another member of the fall forest orchestra, the katydid, along with locusts and cicadas, provides the droning percussive sounds that foreshadow winter. This one is about two inches long. We had a staring contest through…

A Naif in the Forest by Darrell Berger Wing Tips to Hiking Boots: Musings of a New, Full-Time Poconos Resident  We have many string beans this year. “String” is an obsolete term. They are now called “green” beans. Apparently contemporary beans are still green but not stringy. We have both yellow and green beans. They…

A Naif in the Forest by Darrell Berger Wing Tips to Hiking Boots: Musings of a New, Full-Time Poconos Resident  By my imprecise measure, this is the 100th chapter of “Naif in the Forest.” Thanks to Jeff Rosalsky, Executive Director of PEEC and Janine Morley, Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator, who support and encourage this…

A Naif in the Forest by Darrell Berger Wing Tips to Hiking Boots: Musings of a New, Full-Time Poconos Resident  There are two large pots in the corner of our back deck behind the Adirondeck chair. For all of spring, summer and most of fall, the leafy succulents therein are about as colorful as broccoli.…

A Naif in the Forest by Darrell Berger Wing Tips to Hiking Boots: Musings of a New, Full-Time Poconos Resident  During this delightful unnamed season between summer and fall we have in our part of the forest, one begins to see a red-capped mushroom that seems to have a gelatinous topping. It looks like a…

A Naif in the Forest by Darrell Berger Wing Tips to Hiking Boots: Musings of a New, Full-Time Poconos Resident  This one of over six thousand species of opiliones, or Daddy Longlegs. They are found everywhere but Antarctica. Since they have only one body segment and only one set of eyes, they are not spiders,…

A Naif in the Forest by Darrell Berger Wing Tips to Hiking Boots: Musings of a New, Full-Time Poconos Resident  This flower is found on a bush near our shed. It is a Common Hibiscus, also known as Althea and as a Korean Rose. In the United Kingdom it is called Rose Mallow. It has…

A Naif in the Forest by Darrell Berger Wing Tips to Hiking Boots: Musings of a New, Full-Time Poconos Resident  Last month I saw tiny grasshoppers that have grown quite larger. Now I am seeing tiny crickets. Will they also grow?  No. These Red-headed Bush Crickets won’t get bigger than this one, about a half…