Nixon Park's Maple Sugar weekend

Nixon County Park naturalist Amber Carothers taps a red maple tree to get sap flowing in time for Nixon County Park's maple sugar weekend. Events begin on Saturday, February 23, at 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and continues Sunday noon to 4 p.m.

 Activities include tours of the park's sugar bush, lectures about the process of making maple syrup and sugar and hands-on demonstrations. Maple sugar products will be on sale, and attendees can eat a pancake with real maple syrup.

Cost is $2 per person for the weekend.

Why did the fox cross the road?

A-- To get the chicken, silly.  Or maybe the turkey? (See previous blog entry.)


Shot this Wednesday afternoon near Nixon County Park.

Northern ringneck snake

Picked up this hatchling Northern Ringneck Snake at the Nixon Park Nature Center Tuesday. Please excuse my dirty, wrinkled hands, but the ring shows its size.

It's a small snake, even fully grown, but this was more like an earthworm. Even at this size, there were still visitors to the nature center that were afraid of it. 

As an adult, it eats amphibians, other snakes and slugs. The naturalist says it grows to about the size of a pencil. 

But now, it's smaller than a good sized earthworm.

   Reptile Week at York County's Nixon Park continues through Sunday, and includes some programs which allow visitors to meet and touch the critters.

    On Sunday check this special program, from the website-- You can learn so much from a lizard or a toad just by following it! Dr. Bridgette Hagerty of York College will talk about different ways that biologists study amphibian and reptile movement. Her interactive presentation will include the chance to track a hiding herp using radio telemetry. For ages 12 and up. No fee, No registration required.