by Marlene Berlin This frog, hanging out in Linnean Park stream by the footbridge, gave me a start. The reason? For a moment I was certain I saw a big toothy grin. The appearance of teeth here was a trick of the water and light. But it got me wondering: Do frogs have teeth? Here’s […]
Backyard Nature: A hiker’s pain is the squirrels’ gain as slippery acorns drop in large numbers
by Marlene Berlin Autumn in Rock Creek Park is a paradox. You want to lift your gaze to behold the unfolding beauty of autumn. But if you don’t watch your step, you could slip on an abundance of acorns. Have you hiked on a trail virtually carpeted in acorns? It is like trying to walk […]
Backyard Nature: Slime mold brings people together
by Marlene Berlin On my many hikes in Rock Creek Park, I often get to meet wonderful and interesting people who teach me wonderful and interesting things. That’s what happened one day in July. I happened upon a trio of hikers who had stepped off the trail a bit. They were examining something – yellow […]
Backyard Nature: This pollinator-friendly plant is still blooming
by Marlene Berlin Along the Soapstone Trail by the Linnean outfall are blooming plants that have been visited all summer by happily buzzing bees as well as butterflies and birds. It is a native plant called the partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata). The partridge pea is a legume species, native to most of the eastern United […]
Backyard Nature: A hotspot for the amphibian set is missing some voices
by Marlene Berlin If you ever wish to commune with bullfrogs (and who doesn’t?), one of the best local spots is Lily Pad Pond at Tregaron Conservancy between Cleveland Park and Woodley Park. Or so I thought. The pond was hopping when I first sought it out in July 2018. And one day in early […]
You’re Invited: Pokey’s 30th birthday party
Happy 30th birthday of one of our favorite millennials: Pokey the Eastern box turtle. Pokey is also a 30-year resident of the Rock Creek Nature Center (5200 Glover Road NW) are celebrating Pokey’s birthday on Saturday, August 9th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with special exhibits and activities – and the story of Pokey’s […]
Backyard Nature: At least the fungi are having fun
The weather is hot. It has been so very damp. And it’s no one’s idea of a good time, unless you are part of the mushroom family. Mushrooms are sprouting and thriving in our wet and oven-like weather, and can been seen in large numbers and varieties along the Rock Creek Park trails. In July […]
Backyard Nature: A new and unwelcome bug
by Marlene Berlin In late June, I spotted a bug I had never seen before. I was hiking in Rock Creek Park on the Western Ridge Trail. The insect was red, with white dots on its wings. It flew away before I could get a photo. But hiking in Soapstone a few days later, I […]
Stream and stormwater updates: Broad Branch’s bad report card, Linnean trail work, and the late arrival of some of our favorite seasonal neighbors
Broad Branch stream health Alicia Ritzenhaler, environmental protection specialist at the DC Department of Energy and the Environment, says the stream has a new water quality sensor. The data it collects is used to score the stream’s health. DOEE’s Stream Condition Index assigns A-F letter grades, and the Broad Branch report card not looking good. […]
Backyard Nature: 🎶Doe, a Deer, a Female Deer🎶
by David Jonathan Cohen Text and photos © 2025 Perhaps the darkest moment in animated movies is the death of Bambi’s mother. Perhaps the brightest moment in movie musicals is the song “Do-Re-Mi” in The Sound of Music. And then there’s our backyard. In the late afternoon on June 2, I watched a fawn wobble […]