Forest Hills Connection || News and Life in Our DC Neighborhood
Covering Forest Hills, Van Ness, North Cleveland Park and Wakefield
by Marjorie Rachlin Your backyard or local park is the stage for a magical light show each summer night. It’s firefly time. And I’ve been sitting on my back porch after sunset, watching the lights go on and off. As it gets darker, the yellow flashes appear up in the trees, over the garden, and […]
by Marlene Berlin This spring, I was getting numerous reports of rabbit sightings, with some neighbors complaining that the visitors were nibbling on stuff they shouldn’t. And I had my own cotton-tailed visitor, but this one seemed to behave itself, attacking no plants other than my grass. But I have not seen my bunny lately. […]
by Ken Sands Every spring in our region, snakes emerge from their hibernation dens looking for food and water and to mate. And while snakes are not abundant in Rock Creek Park, they are present in sufficient quantities to be spotted regularly by particularly lucky (or unlucky) hikers. According to the National Park Service website […]
by Marlene Berlin One day in late April I stopped by the lily pond at the Tregaron Conservancy to see how the bullfrogs are doing. I found the frogs – each guarding a water plant, and one out of the water that appeared to be guarding the whole pond. It did not budge as I […]
by Marjorie Rachlin April is a month of changes. Plants and animals begin to wake up. We become optimistic. And as we move into late spring and the temperature swings level out, we see and hear more as more plants burst forth with pollen and seeds, insects pollinate and spread seeds, and animals mate and […]
by Marlene Berlin Now that it’s warmer, live outdoor concerts are happening every night at the Linnean and Broad Branch streams. The spring peepers and American toads were chirping away last Wednesday evening. I spotted many toads mating at the Broad Branch but it was too dark to capture any photos. But on my way […]
by Marlene Berlin Many of us might prefer to see our local streams in their spring and summer blankets of green, or in the winter, blanketed in snow. But there is beauty to be found there even now. It’s been fairly mild, but in late December it was cold enough to see ice in the […]
We often see chickadees at our feeders in the cold of winter, taking sunflower seeds and flying off with them. They somehow make it through the frigid 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 […]
by Marjorie Rachlin Seeds, suet, action! There’s been a hungry clientele at my bird feeder, particularly since it got cold. During the winter, I can expect to see about 14 different species chowing down, and possibly a rare new one. To a bird, a feeder is a restaurant with a menu and varied seating arrangements. […]
The next time you walk through or by a leaf-covered area such as tree boxes, yards and Rock Creek Park, stop for a moment and listen. If your ears are not encumbered by earbuds, you might hear a tinkling sound. It is the tinkling ground cricket, and you can listen to a sample here. Rachel […]
