Waterman Conservation Education Center
LightNews LightNews
banner
watermancenter.bsky.social
Waterman Conservation Education Center
@watermancenter.bsky.social
350 followers 2.1K following 75 posts
Promote conservation education, outdoor recreation, and environmental literacy. We serve our members, the Twin Tiers community, and all visitors to our collection of nature preserves. (Border counties of Central New York and Pennsylvania.)
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
watermancenter.bsky.social
Waterman Conservation Education Center @watermancenter.bsky.social · Nov 26
www.watermancenter.org
www.youtube.com/@watermancen...
www.facebook.com/WatermanCenter
Redirecting...
www.facebook.com
watermancenter.bsky.social
The animal engineers at our local pond have been busy preparing for winter!
#beaver #beavers #beaverroads #beaverlodge #wetlandwildlife #pondlife #winterpreparation

youtu.be/CgmiWISBIKQ?...
Beaver Canals
YouTube video by Waterman's STNY Nature
youtu.be
November 4, 2025 at 2:14 PM
watermancenter.bsky.social
Typical Oriental bittersweet showing its tree-strangling behavior and bright fall-ripened berries
#invasivespecies #orientalbittersweet #vines #Celastrus #Celastrusorbiculatus #bittersweet #invasive #invasivevine
Two trees are pictured, with the sycamore on the right showing a python-like winding vine of Oriental bittersweet girdling it Yellowed leaves and bright orange-red berries of Oriental bittersweet
October 30, 2025 at 3:27 PM
watermancenter.bsky.social
Canada geese playing King of the Mountain on a local beaver lodge
#fallmigration #fallmigration2025 #seasonalchange #wetlandwildlife #geese #canadageese #naturephotography #beaverlodge
About 11-12 Canada geese fill up the slope of a beaver lodge, some sleeping or resting, and one near the top taking off with wings spread
October 19, 2025 at 3:58 PM
watermancenter.bsky.social
The delicate flowers of witch-hazel draw nutrients in part from their own senescing leaves. They bring both color and fragrance at a time when most flowers have faded
#witchhazel #witchhazelflowers #autumnflowers #fallcolors #fallnature #nutrientrecycling #senescence
A twig of witch-hazel shows a colorful cluster of flowers, each one with four yellow strap-like petals
October 15, 2025 at 3:34 PM
watermancenter.bsky.social
The very smooth and round face of an #Americanbullfrog

#frogs #bullfrogs #pondlife #wetlandlife #amphibians #wetlandsmatter #naturephotography #frogsmakeussmile #frogfriends #frogfans #froggyfriends #froggyfans
An American bullfrog stares straight into the camera from the shallow waters of a pond, with a visible reflection of its throat, snout, and eyes. The photo highlights how smooth and rounded and broad its mouth is
September 18, 2025 at 1:26 PM
watermancenter.bsky.social
Frogs don't eat Hickory tussock moth caterpillars as a rule because the stinging ("urticating") hairs normally protect the caterpillar and make it unpalatable. This Green frog didn't get that memo but may not choose to do this again!
#greenfrog #frogs #amphibians #hickorytussockcaterpillar
September 16, 2025 at 1:47 AM
watermancenter.bsky.social
Cinnamon ferns turn beautiful fall colors on their way out! These are along the boardwalk at #sapsuckerwoods at the #cornelllaborornithology

#cinnamonferns #ferns #fallferns #wetlandferns #fernfans #fernfriends #naturewalks #hiking #fallcolors
Tall Cinnamon ferns in beautiful shades of green to rusty orange cluster next to a tree (view from a boardwalk) One of the boardwalks through the wetlands area of Sapsucker Woods at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
September 15, 2025 at 1:07 AM
watermancenter.bsky.social
Cornell's Sapsucker Woods doesn't just have wonderful birds and beautiful ferns--it has fabulous bullfrogs! The duckweed and watermeal couldn't hide this one from us 🐸
#froggyfriday #frogfriday #frogs #bullfrogs #amphibians #pondlife #naturewalks #cornelllabofornithology #cornell
A fat bullfrog shows its smooth round face in a pond; its back and legs are mostly covered in the duckweed and watermeal that completely cover the surface of the water
September 13, 2025 at 1:33 AM
watermancenter.bsky.social
Northern tooth fungus (Climacodon septentrionalis) found in an old-growth forest--it got our attention!
#fungifriday #fungus #fungi #fungifans #fungifriends #parasiticfungus #parasiticfungi #plantpathogens #oldgrowthforest #hiking #mushrooms
Side view of Northern tooth fungus on a living tree shows the off-white shell-like layers Front view of Northern tooth fungus with a hand in front to show scale. This particular fungus was at least a foot wide and high and shows the whitish-yellow overlapping, fan-shaped caps on a living tree
September 12, 2025 at 4:06 PM
watermancenter.bsky.social
Our 3-minute video of #fallwildflowers shows what you can see right now on your nature walks
#sonication #buzzpollination #bees #closedflowers #bottlegentians #newenglandasters #turtlehead #gentians #burnweed #pollinators #nature #naturevideo #fallnature
youtube.com/watch?v=r_k6...
Bees and Fall Flowers
YouTube video by Waterman's STNY Nature
youtube.com
September 11, 2025 at 12:50 PM
watermancenter.bsky.social
A neat #slimemold, Trichia varia

#slimemolds #slimemoulds #myxomycetes #naturephotography
Tiny orange balls form a semicircle around a knot of wood on a rotten log
September 10, 2025 at 1:08 AM
watermancenter.bsky.social
A fun (and rare) find today: Dog's Nose Fungus! And this one was good enough to look like its name #fabulousfungi #fungi #fungifriends #dogsnosefungus
A round black fungus with what looks like a dog's nose protruding is on the side of a fallen log with no bark
September 8, 2025 at 10:26 PM
watermancenter.bsky.social
There were tiny surprises for us in this casually arty photograph of Arrow-leaved tearthumb (Persicaria sagittata) on a local hike #wetlands #wetlandplants #pond #hiking #naturephotography #persicaria #spiders #babyspiders
A web is bending over some Persicaria sagittata (Arrow-leaved tearthumb) on the edge of a pond. The web is filled with tiny spiders Close up of the small white flower of Arrow-leaved tearthumb shows the web pulling it over and a better view of many baby spiders in it Another closer crop of the original photo shows another white flower of the Arrow-leaved tearthumb and one of its leaves, as well as the spiky stem that gives the plant its name--and more baby spiders!
August 26, 2025 at 3:03 PM
watermancenter.bsky.social
This log may look like someone stained it with teal paint, but it's a #fungus! If you come across rotting wood that looks like this, now is the time of year to see the fruiting bodies known as #greenwoodcups!
#FungiSunday #greenelfcups #mushrooms #fungi #fungifans
Rotting log with teal-colored stain--actually a fungus A cropped photo showing the Green wood cups (or Green elfcups) up close. They are initially a very bright turquoise with a rough, often irregular cap-like shape--and they can be tiny and easy to miss! A bright turquoise collection of Green wood cups on a small decaying tree branch lying on dead leaves A dead log that is densely covered with more mature and therefore more teal-colored Green wood cups
August 24, 2025 at 11:54 PM
watermancenter.bsky.social
Wood ducks in a row 😀
#ducks #woodducks #beaverlodge #wetlands #wetlandswildlife #pondlife
Nine juvenile wood ducks sit on various branches coming out of a pond, with six of them on the left sitting on the edge of a beaver lodge
August 8, 2025 at 10:51 PM
watermancenter.bsky.social
The swamp milkweed is the hottest nectar bar in town these days, and everybody wants to have a drink there! Here two Bronze Copper butterflies share some space
#butterflies #pollinators #swampmilkweed #naturephotography
Two Bronze Copper butterflies face each other on the same Swamp Milkweed flower. Their wings are orange and white with black spots
August 7, 2025 at 2:16 PM
watermancenter.bsky.social
There's a reason American Goldfinches are called "thistle birds"! As #granivores, their main food source is seeds; the #bullthistle provides these and also thistle down for their nests right at the time that they are breeding (now!)
#goldfinches #birds #breedingseason
A bright yellow (male) American Goldfinch pull out a bull thistle seedhead A bright yellow (male) American Goldfinch sits on a bull thistle with thistle down in its beak. A bee with obvious pollen basket is getting nectar from a purple bull thistle in the background Side view of an American Goldfinch sitting on a bull thistle that's gone to seed. The thistle down forms a comical cone on its beak
August 6, 2025 at 3:27 PM
watermancenter.bsky.social
The tiny floret(s) in the center of many Wild Carrot (aka Queen Anne's lace) umbels has been a mystery since Darwin but has been shown to attract more pollinators to the plant. It seems to mimic an insect, promising opportunities for mating and eating #pollinators #wildcarrot #plantmystery
Close up of the center floret of Wild Carrot (Queen Anne's lace), here a ruby red with several stamens visible Umbel of Wild Carrot (aka Queen Anne's lace) showing a heart-shaped dark purple center floret. The florets range from light ruby red to dark, almost black, purple
August 5, 2025 at 2:07 PM
watermancenter.bsky.social
Monarch butterflies are pairing up now! Their mating can take from a few minutes to about 16 hours and can include flying from location to location while attached (as it did in this case) #monarchbutterflies #monarchmating #butterflies #nature #birdsandbees
The male monarch butterfly is joined with the female in a tree The male monarch holds onto a goldenrod plant with the female attached and hanging upside down
July 29, 2025 at 12:02 AM
watermancenter.bsky.social
On the left the Snowberry Clearwing (Hemaris diffinis) and on the right the Hummingbird Clearwing (Hemaris thysbe): Can you spot the differences? #moths #clearwings #snowberryclearwing #hummingbirdmoths #hummingbirdclearwing #pollinators #monarda #beebalm #wildbergamot
The Snowberry Clearwing moth drinking from a wild bergamot (bee balm) flower. Notice the dark banding and black legs A Hummingbird Clearwing moth drinking from a wild bergamot (bee balm) flower. Notice the lighter legs, lack of eye banding, and orange/brown coloring of wings and body
July 27, 2025 at 3:50 PM
watermancenter.bsky.social
Thistle drama!
#wasps #bees #naturephotography #pollinators
A bumblebee and a honey bee are next to each other on a thistle flower with a shadow of a wasp in the background A wasp flies towards a bumble bee and honey bee getting nectar from a thistle flower
July 23, 2025 at 12:27 AM
watermancenter.bsky.social
Slimy Waxcaps (Gliophorus irrigatus) really live up to their name!
#mushrooms #fungi #nature #waxcaps #slimysunday
July 21, 2025 at 1:12 AM
watermancenter.bsky.social
Dairying ants, their aphid flock, and the aphid wasp wolf
#dairyingants #aphids #aphidwasp #mutualism
A dairying ant on a plant stem with its flock of aphids Three dairying ants with their flock of aphids An aphid wasp hovering near a plant stem with dairying ants and their flock of aphids
July 13, 2025 at 5:33 PM
watermancenter.bsky.social
Common whitetail or Long-tailed skimmer (Plathemis lydia) at the local #wetlands

#pondlife #dragonflies #naturephotography
Common whitetail or Long-tailed skimmer dragonfly resting on a stalk in the pond
June 19, 2025 at 11:28 PM
watermancenter.bsky.social
The latest video in our fern playlist has dropped, and we had a lot of soggy-footed fun putting this together. In less than three minutes, anyone can feel confident identifying it!
#ferns #livingfossil #cinnamonferns #wetlandplants #frondfriends #fernfans

youtu.be/0FvlR-LQ5_U?...
Cinnamon Ferns
YouTube video by Waterman's STNY Nature
youtu.be
June 16, 2025 at 9:27 PM