The FOHW Blogs

A Compendium of Blogs…

FOHW's president, Steve Hiltner, has three long-running blogs where he posts about nature, history, and the people of Herrontown Woods.

Friends of Herrontown Woods Blog

Vignettes from FOHW's activities and events in Herrontown Woods.

Veblen House Blog

Restoring a forgotten house and its legacy. History of the Veblen House and Cottage, and those who lived there.

Princeton Nature Notes

More than 1,500 posts on nature in Princeton, dating back nearly 20 years.

FOHW News & Updates…

And, some old blog posts that were transferred over to this new site…

Stephen Hiltner 4/27/22 Stephen Hiltner 4/27/22

New Website for Friends of Herrontown Woods

In addition to this blog, the Friends of Herrontown Woods now has an honest-to-goodness website at HerrontownWoods.org. The new website is the go-to for the latest information on our organization and upcoming events. Many of the blog posts I have here can also be found on the new site. Thanks goes to Pilar Castro-Klitz and her team at More Canvas Consulting for building the new website.

Stephen Hiltner 4/21/22 Stephen Hiltner 4/21/22

Spring Flowers at Herrontown Woods

Herrontown Woods is starting to shake off winter and generate some color.

Stephen Hiltner 3/25/22 Stephen Hiltner 3/25/22

Renovating Autumn Hill Trails

This year we've set out to improve the trails at Autumn Hill Reservation. The Friends of Herrontown Woods has used a similar approach at Herrontown Woods with success.

Stephen Hiltner 3/12/22 Stephen Hiltner 3/12/22

A Geology Walk at Herrontown Woods (POSTPONED)

POSTPONED DUE TO PROBLEMATIC WEATHER

On Sunday, March 13, Princeton geology professor emeritus Lincoln Hollister will lead a guided walk through Herrontown Woods explaining the geological features and history of the area. If you thought the boulders were deposited by a glacier, you're in for a surprise.

Stephen Hiltner 2/25/22 Stephen Hiltner 2/25/22

Bird and Plant Walk at Herrontown Woods this Sunday, Feb. 27

A bird and plant walk is coming up this weekend at Herrontown Woods, from 9-11 this Sunday morning, Feb. 27.

Stephen Hiltner 1/10/22 Stephen Hiltner 1/10/22

Princeton ECHO Features Herrontown Woods

The Princeton ECHO is starting 2022 with a wonderful feature article on Herrontown Woods.

Stephen Hiltner 12/3/21 Stephen Hiltner 12/3/21

May's Barden Cafe returns this Sunday, Jan. 2 (and Feb. 6)

Stop by as May's Barden Cafe welcomes the new year at Herrontown Woods this Sunday morning, Jan. 2, 2022 from 10am to noon.

Stephen Hiltner 10/29/21 Stephen Hiltner 10/29/21

May’s Barden Cafe is Born

There's a delightful new happening at the Barden in Herrontown Woods. Nicole Bergman, with help from Joanna Poniz, is hosting May's Barden Cafe.

Stephen Hiltner 10/8/21 Stephen Hiltner 10/8/21

The Barden: Building a Better Bridge to the 21st Century

At the Herrontown Woods Barden (short for Botanical ARt garDEN), we like to think we're building a better bridge to the 21st century.

Stephen Hiltner 9/25/21 Stephen Hiltner 9/25/21

Event at Veblen House Highlights Need to Preserve Old Growth Forest

On Sept. 24, the Friends of Herrontown Woods hosted a talk by Joan Maloof, author most recently of Treepedia: A Brief Compendium of Arboreal Lore. The event was sponsored by the Princeton Environmental Film Festival, whose 2021 online programming begins Oct 12 and runs for two weeks.

Stephen Hiltner 8/14/21 Stephen Hiltner 8/14/21

"Among Trees" a Great Step FOHWard

A remarkable community act took place next to Veblen House this past month. Herrontown Woods has always sat quietly on the outskirts of Princeton, beyond many people's awareness, but on July 15, more than 100 people found their way to Herrontown Woods on the same enchanted evening.

Stephen Hiltner 8/6/21 Stephen Hiltner 8/6/21

Yoga and Habitat Next to Veblen House

This tiny frog made a surprise appearance on the grounds of Veblen House just as Gemma's Gratitude Yoga class was about to begin. Gemma's weekly meet Saturdays at 11am.

Stephen Hiltner 6/27/21 Stephen Hiltner 6/27/21

More Chainsaw Artistry, Thanks to Victorino

If you see Victorino coming up the trail, his chain saw slung over his shoulder, you know that some work is about to get done.

Stephen Hiltner 6/20/21 Stephen Hiltner 6/20/21

A Week of Magical Moments at the Gazebo

The leadup to a magical moment can seem mundane enough: a ladder leaned against the gazebo at the Barden at Herrontown Woods. The Barden, short for Botanical ARt garDEN, has become magical in and of itself, but this past week had a series of magical moments.

Stephen Hiltner 6/12/21 Stephen Hiltner 6/12/21

The Many Gifts of Girl Scout Troop 71837

Herrontown Woods was the recipient this year of what surely is one of the most ambitious and multifaceted efforts by a girl scout troop to have a beneficial impact on a nature preserve. Girl Scout Troop 71837, with girls 10-11 years old led by Danielle Rollmann and Heather Harnley, contacted the Friends of Herrontown Woods back in August of 2020. Since then, they have contributed their time and effort to the preserve in many ways.

Stephen Hiltner 5/22/21 Stephen Hiltner 5/22/21

Disadvantaged Woody Species Find a Home in the Barden

A post at the PrincetonNatureNotes blog tells the story of disadvantaged woody species that are finding a place to thrive in the botanical art garden (nicknamed the Barden) at Herrontown Woods.

Stephen Hiltner 4/29/21 Stephen Hiltner 4/29/21

Some Photographic Perspectives

Thanks to Joan Marr for her photographic perspectives on Herrontown Woods, up close and personal.

Stephen Hiltner 3/19/21 Stephen Hiltner 3/19/21

Spring Cleaning at the Princeton Botanical ARt garDEN ("Barden" for short)

Sunday workdays, 10-1, recommenced this past weekend. New areas are getting cleaned up and cleared of Japanese honeysuckle.

Stephen Hiltner 3/12/21 Stephen Hiltner 3/12/21

Letter in Town Topics about the Princeton Botanical Art Garden

One thing the Friends of Herrontown Woods has had to overcome is its acronyms. FOHW sounds like faux or foe, but sounds better when turned into the stirring call to action: FOHWard!

Stephen Hiltner 2/20/21 Stephen Hiltner 2/20/21

Herrontown Woods Parking Lot Plowed!

Thanks to director Ben Stentz and the Princeton Recreation Department crews for plowing the Herrontown Woods parking lot!