We invite you to read our "Fern Glen Essays".

Activity Sheets available at the Fern Glen. Click here for answer keys.

It appears to be a plain pond with a simple bench, a quiet place for a minute's rest. Yellow daisies line the shore and ripe elderberries hang heavy over the banks. The glossy black shell of a turtle slips from a log into the water. Camouflaged in a patch of algae are three tiny striped faces, baby painted turtles concealed from predators. Dragonflies and damselflies swoop, dive and chase each other through the cattails. Some are slender needles of vivid blue, iridescent teal, or tomato red. Others are remarkably large, with striped wings and thick torsos.

There are fat frogs, green, black and spotted, eyes fixed on a small moth sipping from a footprint puddle at the pond's edge. One wiggles slightly. A swift leap, and only the tattered edge of a wing protrudes from its mouth. In the water, tadpoles wriggle, whirligig beetles spin, and waterboatmen ply their oar-legs to scoot across the surface.

The Fern Glen, part of the Institute's Native Plant Program, is a two-acre (0.81 hectare) display of local plant and animal habitats and communities. Tucked into a slope that borders the East Branch of the Wappinger's Creek, it contains trails and boardwalks winding through diverse habitats. A bulletin board describes plants in bloom and new sights to see. Adirondack chairs provide the perfect place to contemplate the rush and tumble of the creek. Some visitors stroll along the paths, delighted to watch a hummingbird sip nectar from a jewelweed or listen to the peevish scolding of red squirrels. Others, trail guide in hand, read about invasive plants, rotting logs, and how humans affect the watershed.

It is a place where Nature, from the infinite to the infinitesimal, is available to all of the senses. Children in the Ecology Camp seek answers to nature's puzzling and delightful questions in its contained environment. Immersed in mud and muck, they connect science concepts taught in a classroom to real-world examples. Curious visitors hone their botanical skills. With hand lenses and dichotomous keys, they students identify spore patterns on ferns or compare diverse plant communities.

In keeping with the Institute's strong commitment to enhance ecological literacy through public education, Native Plant Gardener Judy Sullivan, assistant Barry Haydasz and Fern Glen volunteers are seeking more ways to enhance the visitor's experience. Colorful brochures, children's activity sheets, an evening of frog calls and other programs are anticipated for the near future.

Back at the pond, a long, angular nymph crawls up the stem of a sweetflag. Its body begins to split in two. Slowly, almost painfully, emerges an arched abdomen, a set of wings and, finally, a gleaming pair of eyes gazing at a new world. Damp and shining, a denim blue dragonfly waits, its body heaving with exertion. Wonders like this abound in the Glen, but only if you walk slowly, look closely, and allow yourself to take in the beauty.

Please note: for the safety of visitors, hiking trails and roadways are closed from November 1 - March 31 due to the annual managed deer hunt followed by winter's conditions of snow and ice on uncleared roads and trails.

Questions, comments, or other feedback to Judy Sullivan.