Forest Hills Connection || News and Life in Our DC Neighborhood
Covering Forest Hills, Van Ness, North Cleveland Park and Wakefield
by Marjorie Rachlin Do you ever wonder what those birds in your backyard are doing? Do your children ask, “What’s that bird?” There’s an easy way to find out. Just install a few simple attractions like a bird bath, a hummingbird feeder or a wren house. I have all these “amenities” in my Forest Hills […]
by Marlene Berlin It is time to visit Broad Branch Stream to see the tadpoles. When they are young, it is difficult to identify their species. Two species I have heard, the spring peepers and American toad (which made a debut performance during the Forest Hills Connection Broad Branch Stream tour in April), look similar […]
by Marjorie Rachlin Sneezing? Itchy throat? Runny nose? The oak trees of Forest Hills and greater DC are shedding their pollen. Their yellow dust is everywhere, and allergies are kicking up. Oak trees belong to a group of trees that have male flowers and female flowers on the same tree. The female flowers are so […]
by Marlene Berlin Every day brings changes as spring bursts forth. Leaves, flowers and blossoms are popping out. There is lots to see and hear in and around Rock Creek Park. Soapstone Creek is enveloped in the pale green of the winged euonymous, more commonly known as burning bush. Bill Yeaman of the National Park […]
Their cotton candy pink petals frame the Jefferson Memorial beautifully. But the cherry trees around the DC tidal basin aren’t the only ones putting on a show this time of year. Casey Tree has updated its interactive map of flowering trees all over the District. Zoom in to get a neighborhood by neighborhood, street by […]
by Marlene Berlin Goldfinches are gold in color, right? Not during the fall and winter months, when the males’ plumage fades to match the dull brown brown of the females. One of the surest signs of spring is the return of that bright yellow glint of color to my birdfeeder. But it doesn’t happen all […]
by Marjorie Rachlin What is that pile of junk and brush in my garden? It’s a winter hotel – a place for insects and small critters like toads and garden snakes to find shelter. They need a place to keep out the winter cold and protection against predators. Many butterflies, bees, beetles, ladybugs and other […]
In the summer and early fall, sudden downpours would send us running for cover. Now, we risk being bombarded by acorns. The Washington Post confirms Washington’s white oak trees are producing a bumper crop, the likes of which we see only every few years… like in 2012, when Marjorie Rachlin wrote about the dining habits […]
by Marlene Berlin In the fall, as acorns rain down on our heads and mushrooms abound, another rather strange plant pops up: the beech drop. Beech drops don’t get their sustenance from chlorophyll. They are parasites that develop a structure called a haustorium. It grows into the beech roots to siphon off nutrients. For pollination, […]
by Marjorie Rachlin photos by Larry Meade, North Virginia Bird Club Have you noticed the dragonflies lately? Swooping over your front yard? Dodging the cars in the Politics and Prose parking lot? Patrolling in a loop-the-loop over your garden? Where’s the water? Dragonflies always live near water, right? Actually, they will use any large open […]
