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I was walking along a stream the other day and was greatly saddened to see a tremendous amount of litter. There were beer cans, fast food wrappers, old fishing lines and other miscellaneous debris. Very often, I see someone nonchalantly toss garbage from their car window. Whether these acts of littering are due to maliciousness, carelessness or naiveté, the end result is the same. A natural habitat has been polluted by a substance that often won't break down for many years.

Things are very different in the natural world. Except where there is an overpopulation of a given species (often related to human interference in an ecosystem), the animals and plants do produce waste, but their waste products become part of a nutrient cycle that nourishes other living things.

Take excrement for example. When a fox leaves its scat behind in the woods, its leftovers become a feast for other animals. Mice will glean the scat for tasty morsels, as will a variety of smaller creatures. The remaining bits of scat will eventually break down and fertilize the soil, helping plants grow.

When an animal dies, its body will also serve as a source of food for many living things. We're all familiar with vultures, nature's road kill cleanup squad, but they're not alone in their love of decaying flesh. Within a short period of time, a carcass is covered with carrion beetles that will mate directly in the remains of the dead animal, ensuring that their larvae will not have to stray far to find their first meal.

I enjoy doing experiments with a "bone bucket". I place a bucket over a dead animal, and place a heavy rock on top of the bucket, so that large animals can't disturb it. Depending on the weather conditions, often within a couple of weeks the flesh of the animal has been completely ingested by insects. I'm left with the skull and other bones of the animal, which I can show to children (after cleaning it thoroughly!)

Even the bones will be used by something. After a deer sheds its antlers, they seldom remain long in the woods, as they are a prime source of calcium for mice and other rodents. Other animals will use a deer skull for shelter.

Of course plants produce waste as well. Especially in the fall, we're all familiar with the tremendous amount of old foliage that they leave behind. While most humans feel the need to remove every single leaf that shows up on their lawns, in the forest the leaf fall is a welcome bonanza for many living things. Lots of critters assist in breaking down the leaves into rich humus, helping to ensure a future generation of healthy trees and other growing things. Some of the leaves will fall into streams, adding to the nutrient load of the water and enhancing the habitat for macro invertebrates.

Contrast these natural products with a plastic bag. Not only can it kill an animal that tries to eat it (such as a sea turtle that mistakes it for a jellyfish) and suffocate an animal that gets caught in it, but it could continue to persist in the environment for hundreds of years. Before you litter, please consider the potential impact of your action on our fellow creatures.

It's been a rough summer. The hot, dry weather has caused the water levels in our streams to reach dangerously low levels. As I watch the stream creatures being herded into small water holes, I can't help but reflect on the fragility of the stream ecosystem.

Here at Strawberry Hill, we are privileged to have 2 pristine streams running through our Preserve- Swamp and Middle Creek. It is because of Swamp Creek that Strawberry Hill came to exist. Our founders, Hans and Frances Froelicher, were very concerned about the water quality in the stream. Parcels of land were purchased specifically to preserve the watershed of Swamp Creek. Today, a significant portion of that watershed lies within our 609 acres. As you hike on the Preserve, it's possible to spot numerous springs and seeps, tiny headwater sources of the stream.

After flowing through the upper reaches of our property, Swamp Creek empties into Middle Creek, another important stream that is part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. It's amazing to consider, while watching a few drops of water ooze out of the ground at the base of one of our hills, that the same water may eventually make it all the way to Chesapeake Bay! It's a dramatic example of the interconnected nature of ecosystems. If we pollute the water here in Adams County, since we are a headwaters county, some of that pollution may eventually go on to impact Chesapeake Bay. As a native Baltimorean, the fact that the Bay continues to die saddens me greatly. The problem is much more than just losing our supply of fresh steamed crabs!

Closer to home, pollution affects the lives of innumerable stream inhabitants besides fish. Mayflies, stoneflies, water pennies, caddisflies and other creatures require clean water to survive. If they perish, that affects the health of other invertebrates, fish, birds, even humans. Yep, believe it or not, we mammals are interdependent on these natural systems as well.

I see the stream as a source of wonder. I love to walk along the edges of Swamp Creek in the evening. With the disappearance of the sun, the stream really comes alive. Little mayflies, which had spent all day hiding under rocks, scurry over the rocky bottom. Caddisflies, camouflaged by their little cases of twigs, which they construct themselves, forage freely against the current. Salamanders appear under the light of my headlamp and then, whoosh! they disappear just as quickly. Crayfish walk purposefully through the water, holding their claws erect as though ready to challenge all comers.

The little sucker fish known as sculpin often don't move at all. They just rest on the bottom of the stream while gazing at me with their big clear eyes. These fish are one of the only small vertebrate creatures I know that seem to show no fear of humans. Even when school children attempt to catch them with nets, they never flee far. It's almost as if they are the ambassadors from the stream realm, sent to try to improve relations with the aggressive human tribe.

The next time you may be tempted to defile the watery world- whether by pouring soda into a stream, dumping litter or leaving a fishing line, please consider all the helpless creatures that depend on a clean body of water to survive.

Red Admiral, Monarch, Great Spangled Fritillary, Spicebush Swallowtail, Pearly Crescent. The names are almost as beautiful as the creatures themselves. On these hot hazy summer days, when most of the forest animals seem to be taking extended siestas, we can count on the butterflies to lift our spirits. It's more than just their beautiful colors. Their manner of flying, whether a joyful skipping frolic or a lazy, floating, carefree drifting on the wind, seems to suggest pure joy, peace and enjoyment of life. I find it very hard to be depressed while watching a butterfly flit from flower to flower.

My great love of nature was kindled by the butterflies. While still a young child, my parents presented me with a butterfly net. This opened up a whole new world of possibilities. These ever elusive creatures, that always seemed to fly away before I could get a good look at them, were now suddenly accessible. With one carefully aimed swipe of my net, I could observe the butterflies up close. Finally, I could observe the difference between a Comma and a Question Mark. The exquisite details on the thorax of the Tiger Swallowtail looked as if they had been painted by a famous artist.

I can still remember the first time I caught a Red Admiral. These are among the fastest of butterflies. Many times they'd tease me by landing right in front of me, or on my shirt, and then flying away an instant before my net came swiping down. When at last I was able to catch one of these creatures, I couldn't believe how beautiful it looked up close.

Killing a butterfly was out of the question. Even keeping one in a jar seemed excessively cruel, since they, above all other creatures epitomized freedom to me. In those days before expansive butterfly houses, I would typically just observe the butterflies in my net for a few minutes, memorizing their markings and then release them.

I'm still fascinated by butterflies. Their form of metamorphosis is unequaled in all of nature. It's mystifying how a drab looking caterpillar can emerge from a chrysalis as a gaudily painted adult. In many cases, the adult butterfly looks nothing at all like its larva.

Speaking of their life cycles, butterflies vary greatly in how they spend the year. Spring and summer is the most active time for all local species. That's when we see them filling our surroundings with their colorful flight. As cold blooded creatures, butterflies must adapt interesting strategies to survive a Pennsylvania winter. Some of them spend the colder months in eggs, awaiting warmer temperatures to hatch as tiny caterpillars. Some species sleep through the winter as caterpillars, tucked away under logs or leaf litter. Still others hibernate as adults, often under tree bark, and begin to fly during the 1st warm February days. Then there's the beautiful Monarch, that avoids the northern winter altogether by flying to Mexico.

Come fall under the spell of these beautiful winged beauties by visiting the butterfly and sensory gardens at Strawberry Hill. You'll find woodland species and those that prefer meadows. You may try watching butterflies through binoculars, an increasingly popular leisure activity. So use your leisure time this summer to observe these fascinating insects while they're at their peak of activity.

With all the talk about endangered species, degraded habitats and drastic climate changes, it's sometimes tough to be a naturalist. I get so weighed down by all the negative news about nature. So it warms my heart to know that at least one animal, a vital predator, is thriving in our county. It's even more surprising since this animal is one of the most despised creatures in North America. Ever since European colonization of the continent, this creature has faced relentless persecution. It's been poisoned, shot, tortured and maimed, but still manages to hold on. I'm referring to the wily coyote.

Although they're usually associated with arid regions of the west, a population of eastern coyotes has been expanding its range throughout the country. Wildlife biologists believe that the western coyote began to move east, through Canada, breeding with wolves along the way. This helps explain why the eastern coyote is generally larger than its desert counterpart. The coyotes first entered the upper Midwest and New England and have now extended their range throughout the east coast.

I was thrilled to first hear coyotes singing when I lived in Vermont, about 20 years ago. A group of friends and I often played music outside. On calm nights, the coyotes would raucously howl back at us from surrounding hills. Now we can enjoy that sound in this region. On the night of the full moon in May, I listened to a thrilling coyote concert that lasted about 30 minutes. Their yipping, yowling and other types of eerie calls sent chills down my spine. It was a true sound of wild nature.

How could this animal possibly have survived the wrath of humans, when so many other creatures, such as the bison, wolf, and grizzly bear were driven almost to extinction here in the U.S.? The coyote certainly deserves its nickname of "trickster" that was bestowed on it by the Native Americans. I often observed coyotes hunting in California, where they were commonly seen in the wide-open spaces. After watching them through binoculars, from about ¼ mile away, I would throw a rock, or make some other type of disturbing noise. Instantly, the coyote's ears would prick up. Imagine having a sense of hearing like that!

Here at Strawberry Hill, the coyotes have been quite active. A few weeks ago, we noticed a dead deer that had been dragged under a rock ledge at our quarry. A pile of coyote scat was nearby. Now, all that's left are some bones and scattered fur, along with more bones from a rabbit and turkey.

This is a welcome addition to the wildlife of our area. Since many of the top predators in Pennsylvania had been exterminated, the only things left to control the deer population were hunters and cars. Now we can add the coyotes to that list. They will generally concentrate on culling sick or small deer. Don't worry hunters, there'll still be plenty of deer for you to harvest as well.

It's still perfectly safe to hike our trails. Humans have little to fear from healthy coyotes. They will normally avoid contact with us at all costs. Far from being a cursed varmint, the coyote fills an important niche in our ecosystems and brings a touch of wildness to Adams County.