The first adventuresome blossoms of the tiny yellow dandelion mimic we call coltsfoot come up in March, and a April settles in, masses will appear along the banks of gravel roads.
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Thom Smith snowshoes in the back country
Thinking back 16 years, Scott Jervas who worked with me managing the Berkshire Museum aquarium, had an unlikely winter pastime — searching for long-closed ski areas returning to forest.
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Gentle snowshoe treks in the Central Berkshires
When temperatures hover around 25 degrees F, or even a bit higher, it seems only logical to take a hefty dose of cabin fever remedy — head to the woods and give the snowshoes a workout. The Berkshires border the Snow Belt, and not every winter is a snowshoe winter, […]
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Berkshire naturalist Thom Smith scales the frozen Wahconah Falls in winter
Berkshire County waterfalls are far more abundant than many visitors realize. Other than downtime during a summer drought, most hold excitement any time, and they are safe if we explore with care — especially when they are frozen over. Back in my days of discovery, I tried to visit as […]
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Hemlock trees warm the winter woods with evergreen color
Here in New England, we know it by the name eastern hemlock or hemlock spruce. It is evergreen, but not a Christmas Tree — it will be a happier tree outside than inside, as its needles fall easily when they dry out. It is a common tree in cool woods with […]
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Berkshire Natural Resources Council preserves trails in the hills over Lenox
Berkshire naturalist Thom Smith and his family explore three BNRC trails in Lenox — a view, a marsh and a waterfall — on a fall afternoon.
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Gentle fall walks explore the Williamstown hills
Field Farm, Cricket Creek Farm, Stone Hill, Mountain Meadow Preserve and Sheep Hill — slopes and gentle trails lie just up the road from The Clark, Williams College and the Williamstown Theater Festival. And many visitors and locals alike may have driven past without ever driving in. Field Farm Barely […]
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Outdoor sculpture brings color to The Mount in leaf season
As the summer season wanes, outdoor sculpture in leaf season takes on a new light, and The Mount in Lenox continues to draw people in even before they reach the mansion. Take a relaxing stroll along one of the Berkshires’ loveliest of driveways toward what once was the Gilded Age home […]
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Kayak around a floating island at Sadawga Lake
If you won’t have many opportunities to kayak in Southern Vermont this summer, why not choose a rare body of water? The 200-acre Sadawga Lake is said to be named for Chief Sadawga, an American Indian known to camp on its shore, and rumor has it he could swim under its […]
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Thom Smith searches for spring wildflowers
Ever wish that you were first name friends with the wildflowers that begin coming up in April and fill the woods with color in May? This short stretch of spring is a season of its own — in these short weeks while the spring sun warms the soil, and light reaches […]
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