A walk with Alcott Smith

I learned a lot about the orchard from my walk with my friend Alcott Smith -- naturalist, veternarian, tracker. Other friends who have helped me understand the orchard, all pictured here, are John Elder, Bill McKibben, and George Clements (with the watermelon).

Ella sashays through the orchard.

Moose Coyote Ella

Three wild mammals passed through the spring orchard June 8: a young bull moose in the morning, a coyote in the afternoon, and Ella only forty-five minutes later. The black flies were tough on her, but she loved being there.

My solo in the orchard

Every June, after school is out, I spend three days alone in the bear orchard making an intensive study of the place. It's my way of decompressing from the school year and getting to know the orchard a little better. When I left the orchard after my three days and nights, I was did not know that I had been sharing my time with this healthy black bear, who apparently roamed around the orchard during my first night. I was sleeping an easy stone's throw from where my camera caught these pictures.

Spring marking behavior

I used to think that bucks only marked overhanging branches in the fall mating season. Here's evidence that deer will mark in the spring as well. Though it's true that this behavior is far more common in October and November.