Forest Hills Connection || News and Life in Our DC Neighborhood
Covering Forest Hills, Van Ness, North Cleveland Park and Wakefield
The excessive rain and humidity of the past month has been rough on trees and roads. But it’s been absolutely perfect for mushrooms. Usually the soaking rains of fall are what coaxes these fungi to sprout in our tree boxes, yards and Rock Creek Park. The park is where I found these fascinating specimens. – […]
by Marlene Berlin A new family has moved into Forest Hills. By the looks of it, they probably made their first appearance in the spring, but I missed it. Introductions were made along the Linnean stream on July 15th. The mother and her three offspring were enjoying a swim. Dad was off gallivanting somewhere, I […]
by Marlene Berlin What would tempt me out on a hot July day that was supposed to reach 99 degrees? Bullfrogs, of course. I heard a couple of bullfrogs on a stroll one recent evening by the Linnean and Broad Branch streams. Then, on a Sunday morning walk along Rock Creek north of Peirce Mill, […]
A sure sign of spring (in one of the un-surest springs we can recall) is the annual herring run. Marjorie Rachlin wrote in 2012 about the annual upstream migration. If the conditions are right, some of them head up Rock Creek to lay their eggs. It would seem that conditions are right. Can you pick […]
by Marlene Berlin When the calendar says mid-April but the temperatures are more early March… well, it’s discouraging. But take heart. Nature knows that a warm-up is right around the corner. We saw early signs in the blossoming trees and blooming daffodils of early March. Early this month, wildflower blooms gave us another hint of […]
by David Cohen Love vibrant color and stunning design? Marvel at the magic of nature? Go crazy over butterflies? Then April 18 is your day! Walk into “hundreds of brilliant live butterflies from North America, Costa Rica, Africa and Asia…” Discover “their amazing metamorphosis, the important role butterflies play in healthy ecosystems, and how to […]
by Marjorie Rachlin It’s time to look for the spring wildflowers in Rock Creek Park. Don’t wait – they don’t last long. They are called “ephemerals” because they bloom for a week or so, set seed quickly, and then the plants die back and vanish. In early April, I look for spring beauties, bluebells and […]
by Marjorie Rachlin March is maddening. Cold on, cold off, and occasionally, a snowstorm zaps us. But right now there are daffodils in bloom, and blossoming cherry trees bedeck our streets. And other signs reassure us that spring is on its way. On my daily walks around the block in Forest Hills or Rock Creek […]
It’s the end of February. The deciduous trees are usually bare by now (if they’re not budding due to the spring-like temps this month). Yet this winter, some trees have been hoarding their dead, dry leaves. Casey Trees said in early December that trees weren’t letting go due to the unseasonable warmth. Rock Creek Conservancy […]
by Marlene Berlin The calendar says it’s mid-February. The weather says it’s spring. And nature is responding by presenting its buds and blooms. Some of these early bloomers are prized because they give gardens a shot as color in February, and in some cases as early as January, as Marjorie Rachlin explained this time last […]
