YORK COUNTY, Pa. — Hello to all of you nature lovers out there!
Your Wandering Weatherman took a little time off for some rest and relaxation last week, but he's back this week, and super excited to check out Richard Nixon County Park, located just outside Jacobus and adjacent to Lake Redman in York County.
Nixon Park has both hiking trails for quiet observation of nature, as well as a nature center. The Environmental Education center, which was built in 1978, brings you everything from a working honeybee hive to live snakes. It even has a touch room!
The honeybee hive is a definite highlight. Quick fact about honey bees: they actually are able to heat and cool their own hive to keep it between 93 and 95 degrees year-round.
Since the bees are cold-blooded, they are able to keep warm in the winter by swarming together to generate body heat.
Also, apparently honey bees might have the ability to predict weather.
On days prior to rainy days, bees actually spend more time out of the hive foraging for honey, experts say. So, maybe we should be asking honey bees for weather predictions instead of Punxsutawney Phil!
The Environmental Education Center also includes a collection of game mounts from around the world.
Many of the mounts were donated by William Koller, a retired contractor from York, who offered the parks department roughly 170 wildlife specimens from around the world.
The center is staffed by full-time naturalists and offers guided nature walks and programs to pre-scheduled groups.
If you want to see Greg Perez wander somewhere you know is special, email him at: gperez@fox43.com!
See you next week! Keep wandering, friends!