Every year I teach several winter-tree identification classes. Even though they are always held outdoors no matter how cold it is, student evaluations indicate such classes are generally fun. Showing ...

FRANKLIN – About a dozen fifth-grade students crowded around Michael DeMain and a 175-year-old maple tree in the forest preserve surrounding the Wehr Nature Center in Franklin, eager to collect sap on ...

The classic and trusted book “Fifty Common Trees of Indiana” by T.E. Shaw was published in 1956 as a user-friendly guide to local species. Nearly 70 years later, the publication has been updated ...

Maple sugaring — or syrup — season is approaching, and soon enough you'll notice buckets clinging to maple trees as hobbyists and commercial operators begin collecting the sweet sap to make maple ...

The nights are still cold but days are (mostly) becoming milder. That means it’s time to tap into those maple trees to begin the process of converting the sticky sap into delicious maple syrup or ...

While authentic maple syrup can be difficult to make, the process is supposed to help teach lessons like patience. Maple syrup season is over, but the lessons of the sugar maple tree continue to flow ...

Step back in time see how maple sugaring was done in early 19th century New England. Watch the Village’s working sugar camp demonstrate the entire sugar-making process, from tapping the trees to ...