Library Blog
Posted on Fri, April 07, 2023 - 07:00pm
Somehow, I forgot to offer a “What Is It!” post for March. To make up for that oversight, April will be “What Is It!” month. Here’s one to get us started. A reader submitted this image from her yard in late March. Email your identification and any comments to Irubinacci@amesfreelibrary.org and…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Sat, April 01, 2023 - 07:00pm
As children, we learn the archetypal signs of spring: robins and tulips; nests and eggs; April showers, May flowers, and even Easter bunnies. It’s a good starting point, but there is so much more. The seasonal transition happens in a thousand steps. This week I challenge you to notice some of…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Thu, March 23, 2023 - 08:00pm
Our first week of spring brought mild temperatures, bird and frog songs, and some early blossoms. At this time of year, watch for tree and shrub flowers like those of the pussy willow. This might require adjusting your perspective because some of these flowers are quite small or located on upper…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Thu, March 16, 2023 - 08:00pm
Last Sunday, like most Sundays, I went for a walk, though I really didn’t feel up to it. Tired, sniffly, and grumpy, I couldn’t face another damp, gray day. Nevertheless, I donned my gear and set out to find river otter scat. Yes, that’s how I spend my weekends!
Once outside of my home and my…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Thu, March 09, 2023 - 07:00pm
When the library reopened after the Covid shutdown, a small table was added to an alcove adjoining the staff lunchroom, presumably to encourage social distancing. The six-foot separations ended some time ago, but the miniature table remains . . . and it is my favorite spot for meals. Some people…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Thu, March 02, 2023 - 07:00pm
Snow is forecast for tonight. As with other recent storms, temperatures will be mild and the flakes will mix with rain. If we get lucky, by Sunday morning some of the snow will survive long enough to preserve animal tracks from the previous night. Not too dry, not too warm, not too deep . . . if…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Thu, February 23, 2023 - 07:00pm
It began with the tufted titmouse. As I crossed the library’s parking lot, the bird’s voice caught my attention, which seemed odd knowing that titmice live year-round in Massachusetts. I probably hear them every day, but this was February 2, the day when winter-weary humans pin their hopes on…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Thu, February 16, 2023 - 07:00pm
Several readers identified “What Is It! #8” as an owl pellet. I expected this, but the discovery of a pellet gives me an excuse to delve into a fascinating topic.
Last April I found this particular pellet under a large pine between Queset House and the garden. It was 1 ¾ inches long by ⅞ inches…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Thu, February 09, 2023 - 07:00pm
A dust bunny? My cat’s hairball? What is this object?
Email your ideas to lrubinacci@amesfreelibrary.org and check back next week for the story behind the image.
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Thu, February 02, 2023 - 07:00pm
“How lucky are we to have received so many amazing submissions!” exclaimed Megan Tully, Head of Reference & Adult Services at the Ames Free Library. The staff had just voted for their favorite “Picturing Winter” entries . . . and it wasn’t easy! Twenty-seven photographers submitted 108…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Sun, January 29, 2023 - 07:00pm
Now that you’ve had some practice finding crustose, foliose, and fruticose lichens, it’s time to fine-tune your observations. Let’s begin with patterns. I urge you to spend some time during the next few weeks learning a few of the most frequently-seen lichen families and familiarizing yourself with…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Fri, January 20, 2023 - 07:00pm
What perfect timing! Snow and lichens are coordinated for maximum beauty and relevance to this blog.
Lichens on Beech, Morton Pond, Plymouth, January 16, 2023
Let this exquisite pattern prompt you to get outdoors and savor nature’s artistry. While you’re at it, take a few ice-and-snow photos…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Thu, January 12, 2023 - 07:00pm
As several readers noted, last week’s “What Is It!” was a lichen, one of those extraordinary partnerships between a fungus and an alga. I am sure many of you have seen it on the library’s Main Street wall. Yes, that yellow “paint” is alive!
Lichen on Library Wall, January 2023
Most readers,…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Thu, January 05, 2023 - 07:00pm
Have you seen the subject of this week’s “What Is It!” game? If you recognize this organism, submit your ID to A Glimpse of Nature. Where have you seen this species? Check back next week for an ID and overview of the topic.
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Soon…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Thu, December 29, 2022 - 07:00pm
There was a time, not so very long ago, when gardening consumed most of my free time and creativity. This was especially true when I first moved to a tumbledown-but-promising homestead in Pembroke in 2010. I eagerly established shrub borders, a butterfly garden, walkways, a patio, vegetable beds,…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Thu, December 22, 2022 - 07:00pm
Calling all nature lovers with a camera. It’s time to share what you see and, perhaps, to challenge yourselves to notice more. You’re invited to participate in “Picturing Winter,” the Ames Free Library’s winter photography contest! Photos must relate to the theme of ice and snow.
Thin Ice…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Thu, December 15, 2022 - 07:00pm
Snow fell last weekend – the first light storm of the season in Southeastern Massachusetts – and immediately thereafter, a small flock of dark-eyed juncos appeared in my backyard. I’m sure many of you are familiar with these gray and white “snow birds” who are winter visitors in our area.
…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Thu, December 08, 2022 - 07:00pm
Last week’s “What Is It!” game featured two structures that facilitate reproduction for their creators. The animals who produced these “egg cartons” were, however, vastly different.
A Baltimore oriole wove the sack-like nest in the first image.
This beautiful species can be seen and heard at…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Thu, December 01, 2022 - 07:00pm
The leaves have fallen; the views are great. Now’s the time when hidden treasures are revealed. Here are two specimens from the library’s property that were, until recently, concealed by all that foliage! I spotted them both on Monday. Your job is to identify them. Email your “What Is It!”…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Fri, November 25, 2022 - 07:00pm
One long-ago November, the library staff received a gift from two grateful patrons. This small, but sincere, token of appreciation grew in a four-inch pot. I put it on the windowsill for all to see and cared for it out of respect for the givers’ kindness. Soon it grew and grew, in size and beauty,…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Thu, November 17, 2022 - 07:00pm
Peak autumn color has passed, and leaves now carpet the ground. Why not take a closer look while they are still intact, before snow and microbes work their recycling magic? Now’s a great time to review leaf ID. Their colors may be subdued, but most species still retain their shape. Besides,…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Fri, November 11, 2022 - 07:00pm
Congratulations to Patricia and Debbie who correctly identified last week’s “What Is It!” as witch hazel (American or common witch hazel, depending on whom you ask).
The flowering branch in my image belongs to a large shrub with arching stems, one that can grow 20 feet or higher. While this…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Thu, November 03, 2022 - 08:00pm
Your garden mums may be fading, but this local plant is in full bloom. If you recognize this week’s “What Is It!” email your answer to lrubinacci@amesfreelibrary.org. Check back next week for the rest of the story.
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Thu, October 27, 2022 - 08:00pm
Jack-o’-lanterns. Costumes. “Ghost Hunting At Queset House.” Halloween is upon us!
Oakes Ames Hall in Mist
Under the circumstances, it may be difficult to recall last April when the Ames Free…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Wed, October 19, 2022 - 08:00pm
As experienced readers know, A Glimpse of Nature concentrates on the natural phenomena around the Ames Free Library or in nearby areas of Southeastern Massachusetts. On rare occasions, though, the author goes somewhere else. When I travel I bring my interests with me; so, not surprisingly, I do a…
Category: Staff Picks