Articles written by barbara gray
Sorted by date Results 51 - 75 of 76
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Catfish
On my birthday, a few weeks ago, there was one thing I wanted to do and that was to go fishing. It was a really beautiful sunny morning and not too...
The pseudoscorpion & spiders of Akwesasne
The smallest common, but rarely seen, (arthropod) spider relative found in our homes here in Akwesasne is the pseudoscorpion. They are also known as...
Levitating ants & spiders
When I was a child and lived in Cold Spring, NY, I remember my mother did not like spiders. Then one day she witnessed something that changed her...
Jerusalem artichoke (Sunchoke)
The Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberus) is a species of sunflower. It is native to North America from the Northeast west to North Dakota and...
Bullfrogs
Bullfrogs are one of the “true frogs”. They are usually green to greenish brown, and on average they grow to be about three to six and a half inc...
Honeybees the “bee’s knees”
There are more than 3,500 species of wild bees in North America. Honeybees are herbivores - meaning they eat only plant materials. Many Native...
Maple trees - helicopters to guitars
I remember when I was a youngster; my brother and I would run under and around our maple trees and chase after polypodys. As the wind blew, they f...
The mysteries of goldenrod
Can you imagine what it would be like to emit a chemical that would make a house grow around you? Well, insects can do just that! The houses the...
The Tiger Swallowtail butterfly
Springtime is such a glorious time of the year. Spring’s arrival brings with it such things as beautiful flowers, singing birds, and delicate b...
Spring Flowers
Spring is such a wonderful time. There are flowers just about everywhere. I took a morning walk on Mother’s Day with my Mom in a local moist wooded a...
The Winter Wren & Its Story
I love all birds, but I have to say the Winter Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) is at the top of my favorites list. It is the smallest wren in North A...
A Fungus Among Us
The word fungus comes from the Latin word, fungus, which means mushroom. Fungi occur in every environment in the world. Fungi’s major role in the e...
For the birds: What is in a name?
The origin of English bird names is quite interesting. Early naturalists and scientists who came to America named birds in North America. Most of...
The Wolf
By Barbara Gray Did you know that dogs are related to wolves? Even your tiny miniature poodle, the dachshund, and the pug had wolf ancestors. ...
Making Less of an Impact on Mother Earth: Recycling Dryer Lint
As human beings, we have a responsibility to live according to our original instructions given to us by the Creator. We were given ways to live in b...
Chickadee Kingdom Membership
My most memorable experience with birds happened when I was 10 years old. My mother heard about a woman who lived on top of East Mountain next to ou...
Wahta (Maple) Syrup Time
Gathering maple syrup is an ancient and still practiced Haudenosaunee tradition. There is a special ceremony, prior to sap collection, it is a t...
Oionkweonweh (Tobacco)
Our local radio airwaves are playing public service announcements bringing awareness to the difference between our sacred Oionkweonweh (tobacco)...
The Ruffed Grouse
The Ruffed Grouse is a bird of the northern woodlands. It lives in 38 states and 13 Canadian provinces. It measures about 12 inches in length and...
Making Tracks in the Snow
If you like to snowshoe or if you have always wanted to try, this is the winter to enjoy this experience. I remember the first time I put on my first pair of snowshoes. They were bear paw s...
Traditional Ecological Knowledge or Folktales?
Passing on Knowledge through traditional ecological knowledge is the way our native ancestors have kept alive the Original Instructions given to us by the Creator. I remember my Tota telling me w...
Jack Frost and Hoarfrost
I can remember looking at the frost on the windows when I was very young. Sometimes I would etch my own designs into the ice on the windows with my fingernails, but nothing I did was as intricate a...
Snowflake facts
The following are some facts about snowflakes. You will see the words snowflake and snow crystal mentioned in the facts below. In actuality a snow crystal has six sides and is small, and a snowflake...
Winter snow and ice phenomena
There is a rare phenomenon that occurs in the winter, and if you are lucky, you may get to see “snow rollers”. Snow rollers are so rare many professio...
Northern Lights - Aurora Borealis
Occasionally when one looks up into the night sky here at Akwesasne, they may capture a glimpse of shimmering curtains of lights dancing in the sky. I remember one late August some 30 or more y...
