GREAT MIGRATION

It was 46 degrees this morning and the leaves are most certainly starting to turn. Fall. Is. Coming. Hope you stocked the firewood — enjoy the edition and I'll see ya out there.

FIELD GUIDE

I don’t have a musical bone in my body. I’m tone deaf. I can’t even whistle. Which somehow makes me appreciate music even more — because to me, it's pure magic.

So for the latest Field Guide, I sat down with Hannah Milnes — avid concert-goer, live music aficionado, and founder of River Valley Baroque — to learn where she goes to catch a show.

From the barns, to the stages, to the clubs — her top spots stretch across the Catskills and Hudson Valley. There are some real gems on this list. Give it a read, then grab a ticket to a show, and big thanks to our resident Music Maven.

FROM THE MOUNTAINS

PROPERTY: Colonels Chair in Hunter

PETS: Panda the pup, Giblets the cat, and Toodle the guinea pig

SKY: The Epsilon Perseids peak the nights of the 9th and 10th. This will be a minor shower so expect five to eight an hour.

SIGHTINGS: Philadelphia Vireo Vireo philadelphicus

UPDATE

Last week we launched the Crew Calendar and the events have been flowing in.

PSA: If you submit an event, you can now add a link to learn more, sell tickets, RSVP, etc. And, your posters will now display.

More to come. Stay tuned.

CHIEF BUG OFFICER

CONTRIBUTED BY IVY MACKEY
EDITED BY CARL SKOGGARD

The idea for an article on monarch butterflies slowly fluttered towards me until the idea gracefully laid its wings upon my shoulder. Monarchs felt almost too familiar to write about - we all love and know them so well! However, digging deeper into their life patterns and skills revealed to me their incredible magic that stretches multiple generations and continents every year and I simply had to share with you all.

Monarchs (Danaus plexippus) are one of few migratory butterflies we see in New York.  Many other species overwinter here with the help of “biological antifreeze” or by burrowing deep in leaf litter and hibernating. The monarch does not possess the capacities to do so and would freeze. Where I live, in the Mid-Hudson Valley, they first appear in the middle of summer and remain until late September, when they must migrate to warmer climes. In August, as temperatures cool, the sole food for monarch caterpillars—milkweed—begins to die. Days shorten more and more rapidly. The monarch receives a stern message: Don’t grow too much and don’t lay eggs! You have a long journey ahead of you! The latest generation will pause reproductive growth and stay small, allowing it to live from eight to nine months instead of the high summer generations’ lifespan of just weeks. They will use this extended life to make it to Mexico in one generation! The monarchs that return to us in mid-May are not the same butterflies that took off from Mexico. They are three to four successive generations that pass through the stages of an astonishingly ephemeral existence (as caterpillar, pupa, mature butterfly) in a couple of months—each dying before the next one is born from eggs the last has just laid. Following the milkweed bloom up the east coast, each monarch contains the biological data to fulfill their unique role in this process and will live a different part of the overarching narrative of the monarchs’ life.

How do these creatures know how to navigate immense, utterly unfamiliar distances? Monarchs are attuned to thermals, winds, and circadian rhythms deriving from the sun to guide their journey. What’s more, they possess magnetoreception. Magnetoreception is the living compass monarchs (as well as amphibians, migratory birds, fish, and sea turtles) use to orient themselves to Earth’s magnetic field. Because monarchs have tiny traces of the mineral magnetite in their thorax and head,  they can stay on course as they migrate by heeding its attraction to Earth’s magnetic field.

Given the drastic declines in monarch populations since the 1980’s, I am excited to be involved in initiatives to support their incredible yearly journey. Want to get involved? You can log monarch sightings at Report an Observation - Guest - Journey North to help scientists plan conservation efforts. Monarchs are especially partial to swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) and common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). Then, too, providing nectar sources for the journey will support the monarchs and many other pollinators. Blazing star (Liatris species), goldenrod (Solidago species), New England and blue wood aster (Symphyotrichum species), joe-pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum) and swamp sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius) are some excellent native flowers rich in the nutrients our bug and bird friends need before a long winter.

I hope that my personal journey of learning and sharing through the lens of joy and mindfulness has led others to become curious—and more delightfully aware of butterflies, all butterflies. They are truly a beacon of generational care, listening to our senses, and noticing when it’s time to slow down. Happy monarch season!

RESTOCK

Big news for my fellow fish folk. I just got a small restock of the TROUT CAPS.

These are scientifically proven to help you catch more fish.

The double-blind study conducted with the Catskill Fisheries Department proved the results. Grab one if you want one, then get out there and put it to work.

GOT A BUSINESS PLAN

TOGETHER WITH LOST CLOVE VENTURES

Ready to start a restaurant, a market, or a bar in the hamlet of Big Indian?

On the corner of Rt. 28 and Church Rd. sits a historic c. 1840 building waiting for its next chapter. The 7,700 sq. ft. space has a fully equipped kitchen and room for a restaurant, a market, and a speakeasy — with mountain views filling every window.

Flexible leases, arrangements, and partnerships available. Share your concept below.

GALLERY

It was an honor to team up with Woodstock Meats and The Clubhouse for a phenomenal farewell to summer.

The chicken sandos shined, the watermelon margs were highly chuggable, and good times were had.

Thanks to all who came out. It’s good to be home.

POSTED

PARTNER: Want to cook up some fun with Catskill Crew? LET’S CHAT.

CREW CONTRIBUTION: Want to support local journalism and our community? MAKE A CREW CONTRIBUTION.

RIVER LEGENDS: Play the game, find the lurking legends, discover the portal, and claim the top spot on the leaderboard (or cast trying). TIGHT LINES.

THIS WEEK

WEDNESDAY | Research Field Trip: Invasives
Napanoch Fire Co. at 11AM
Mile-a-minute

WEDNESDAY - SUNDAY | BuildFest 2026
Bethel Woods
Big art installations

THURSDAY | Stranger Than Fiction Roundtable: Limitless Energy of the Future
Kingston Library at 6:30PM
The world of science

THURSDAY | LGBTQIA+ Climbing Meetup
Gravity Vault Poughkeepsie at 6PM
Shimmy on up there

THURSDAY - SUNDAY | Oldtone Music Festival 2026
Cool Whisper Farm, North Hillsdale
This will be sweet

FRIDAY | Leave it Better Series: Colgate Lake Clean Up
Colgate Lake, Jewett at 10AM
Leave absolutely no trace

FRIDAY - SUNDAY | Oktoberfest 2026
Germania of Poughkeepsie
Lederhosen

SATURDAY | Barkaboom Oktoberfest
Catskill Brewery, Livingston Manor at 11AM
Have a good time

SATURDAY | Ball and Claw Flea Market
Port Ewen at 9AM
Haven’t been but I want to go

SATURDAY | Abundant Birds on Farms
Arthur's Point Farm, Ghent at 9AM
This looks awesome

SATURDAY | Fall Harvest Festival Weekends At Fishkill Farms
Fishkill Farms, Hopewell Junction at 9AM
Pick some pumpkins folks

SATURDAY | Hudson Valley Wine and Food Festival
Dutchess County Fairgrounds, Rhinebeck at 11AM
Get your tix

SUNDAY | Mushroom Walk & Fungi Identification with Chris Baker
Platte Clove Preserve, Elka Park at 11AM
Looks FUNgi

SUNDAY | Bashakill Kayaking
Bashakill Vineyards, Wurtsboro at 2:30PM
BYOK is optional