Flowering Trees
The trees in NYC are starting to bloom. We're seeing lots of pink magnolias, white pears and, of course, the cherry blossoms. Flowering trees are a great nature lesson because they provide the opportunity to learn about the cycle of life and watch the metamorphosis of a tree from dormant to bud, to flower, to leaf in a short period of time. Plus it's beautiful.

Red-Tailed Hawk Nests
Birds are nesting all around the city. Of course, the most exciting bird watching might be our famous red-tailed hawks. There are red-tailed hawk nests all over the city now and the eggs will be hatching in late April to early May. Here are some locations to find and observe hawks (make sure to bring binoculars to see them better):

Manhattan Hawks
Inwood Hill Park, Highbridge Park, Lower Riverside Park (near the Marina), 960 Fifth Avenue (78th Street) and 888 7th Avenue

Brooklyn Hawks
Green-wood Cemetery and two in Prospect Park

Bronx Hawks
Fordham University

Queens Hawks
A pair of hawks are nesting in the Unisphere, on the Equator.

Find out more about hawk watching in the city at UrbanHawks.com

Earthworms
Earthworms are very active this time of year. Look closely at the ground and you may see little piles of loose soil. This is Earthworm casting (or poop). Earthworms eat rotting plant material and their waste is new soil which is then new food for plants. It's the circle of life!

See our previous post on nature activities in NYC with kids.

This article was contributed to by Leslie Day author of The Field Guide to the Natural World of New York City