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 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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
We have been seeing chickadees at our feeders this winter, taking sunflower seeds and flying off with them. They somehow made it through the frigid early January temperatures. But how? This interesting article by Mike Wilpers, a member of Friends of Sligo Creek, explains their strategies – including a phenomenal memory that helps chickadees find […]
