Take a walk with amphibians at Dyken Pond

Is green your favorite color? If so, a verdant sea of moss literally covers everything at Dyken Pond Environmental Educational Center in Cropseyville, NY. Rotting stumps, massive stones, old trail signs, tall trees, even creeping into the new boat launch, this is a living watershed with many places to explore and enjoy.
The soft fungus induces a feeling of fantasy, like roaming through an enchanted forest with fairies and woodland nymphs.
“As kids, we used to collect moss (rather than buying the fake stuff) and use it in our Easter baskets” explained Mutti.
We hiked one of many self-guided trails today, around a nine-acre pond, past hemlocks branches dappling with sunshine and finally a butterfly garden build by the Girls Scouts.
From their website: “The Rensselaer Plateau is an area of high elevation and New York’s fifth largest unfragmented forest. Thirty-three ecological communities are found on the property, ranging from beech-maple forests to spruce-fir swamps and vernal pools.”
At the end of our visit, we peaked over at children gathering around an environmental steward holding a lesson on slippery salamanders.