Springfield Trail

As we consider our stewardship of the ST and the incredible extent of contiguous circuit trails, let us always keep this top-of-mind: "Hikers can find tuliptree and American beech dominating this remnant old-growth forest stand. Together with boxelder, red maple, sugar maple, bitternut hickory and green ash, a rich understory exists including witchhazel, spicebush and bladdernut, and a lush growth of mostly spring-flowering herbaceous plants. Spring showcases wild ginger, blue cohosh, spring beauty, Dutchman’s breeches, yellow trout lily, Virginia waterleaf, dwarf ginseng, mayapple, skunk-cabbage, bellwort, downy yellow violet, and common blue violet. Sixteen of the tuliptrees are giants, with trunks up to 5 ft. 7.7 in. (172 cm) in diameter and heights over 100 feet (30 m)." Thank you Becky Robert.

"Why is it odd for 4-year-olds to spend the bulk of their time outside? When did America decide that preschool should be boring routines performed within classroom walls?"

It’s well-known that getting outdoors in nature can be good for people’s health and well-being, but until now we’ve not been able to say how much is enough, White said. Two hours a week is hopefully a realistic target for many people, especially given that it can be spread over an entire week to get the benefit.

Thank you Ben Yagoda and The Swarthmorean. We look forward to joining you on a walk and the first round of spring water is on the house.

"Hiking is a wonderful way to immerse yourself in the outdoors. Transported by your own two feet and carrying only what you need for the day on your back, you can discover the beauty of nature at whatever pace you’re comfortable with. And, with a little planning and preparation, it’s an activity that almost anyone can do."

Tree resolved along Whiskey Run near the end of mall parking deck towards the Paper Mill trolley station.

'You don't have to be limited to what your parents or neighborhood say you need to be.'

"Encouraging children to get outside whatever background they’re from doesn’t have to be as difficult as changing the founding principles of a school, spending money hiring a coach and driving an hour out of the city, or organising an away weekend. Sears says that one way to help children get more access to nature is to challenge assumptions about where nature is. If we could start to re-imagine our canal banks, little patches of green space and the edges of our cities, and see them for their wild value we might start to overcome these barriers...

Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean. John Muir

"But where these frogs sit out the winter was just the beginning of this story. Frogs are ectothermic (they rely on the heat of their environment for their body heat) and would seem quite vulnerable to freezing solid in the very cold winters of Western Pennsylvania even if they were underground or underwater. How could they survive this extreme thermal trauma?"