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The Herb Garden at NBNC
By Claire Gilbertson, VT Master Gardener Following a suggestion from Chip Darmstadt, director of the North Branch Nature Center, the Master Gardeners developed an herb garden for the pollinators this year We followed the 1851 “Catalogue of Medicinal Plants, Barks, Roots, Seeds, Flowers and Select Powders….” published by the United Society of Shakers, New Lebanon,…
Read MoreSpeaking Volumes: A Volunteer-Powered Library
By Emily Seiffert, NBNC Communications Manager One exciting outcome of NBNC’s ongoing capital campaign is the formation of a robust and organized natural history lending library. Working cheek-to-jowl as we did before the addition was built, there was nowhere to shelve our sizeable collection of natural history books. Plus our busy staff just didn’t —…
Read MoreThe Skinny on NBNC Summer Camps
On a particularly cold, rainy, sleety, icy, snowy, grey April day (remember all of those!?), Field Marks sat down with Summer Camp Co-Director Carrie Riker to talk about NBNC’s longest-running program. Here’s what we learned while magically transporting ourselves to the season of sunshine and green. What’s your favorite thing about being a summer camp…
Read MoreNBNC is April’s Hunger Mountain Co-op Featured Community Partner!
By Robert Barossi, Community Relations Assistant Manager, Hunger Mountain Co-op Re-posted from the Hunger Mountain Co-op Blog North Branch Nature Center began twenty-three years ago with a staff of just two people. From those early days, the Center has grown to include a team of twelve educators, naturalists, and nature lovers who provide a wide…
Read MoreMontpelier BioBlitz – The Results!
After two months of dissecting micro-moths, mailing vials of plant bits, and convening experts to hem and haw over stranger specimens, we bring you the exciting results of the Montpelier BioBlitz 2018. We knew there would be new species for our city, county, and maybe even state, but never did we expect such a diversity…
Read MoreCaterpillars abound at NBNC
Tiger Swallowtail caterpillar Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly caterpillars are all over the nature center trails this week! With two beady eye spots, these thumb-sized caterpillars avoid depredation by mimicking the head of a snake. Here in Vermont we have two species of Tiger Swallowtails, the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, and the Canadian Tiger Swallowtail. Telling the adults…
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