A Grandmother’s Reel Adventure
In 2023 Teatown Nature Preserve published my article on the volunteer work I did with the Hudson River Eel Project back in 2019.
You can read the article by clicking on the link below:
Category: My Poems and Articles
I’m Called a Queen Conch
by Regina Montana
Skipping Stones Magazine – July/August Issue 2026
Cartwheels by the Goal Post
When the ball won't come And you're bored as a goalie, Try some cartwheels. Good Grief! Holy Moly!
People will laugh. People will scream. Look at her now. She's eating ice cream.
Could it be true? Does her coach even care? She took out a brush. She's combing her hair.
It doesn't much matter. She's having some fun. She put on sun glasses. She might have to run.
She's checking her watch. She's blowing her nose. She really should focus And be on her toes.
Wait just a second! The ball came her way. You won't believe it! She blocked a play.
Her team is ecstatic! They're on cloud nine. They won the game. This goalie can shine!
So if a goalie does cartwheels, And wants to play, Just give her a chance. She might save the day!
The Amazing American Eel
By Regina Montana – Nature Friend Magazine, February 2023
The Amazing American Eel
by Regina Montana | Feb 1, 2023 | 0 comments
View the February 2023 Nature Friend Magazine
Far away in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean is a sea called the Sargasso Sea. It is a gigantic clockwork of currents called a gyre, where millions of American and European eels are born every year. Over one hundred species of fish, snails, crabs, turtles, and eels make their homes and are born in the mats of seaweed called sargassum. These mats of seaweed can stretch for miles. The baby eels, called larvae, ride the ocean currents till they reach North America and Europe, sometimes taking up to a year to arrive on the American shores. American and European eels are genetically different.
Now one of nature’s most incredible transformations begins. The skin and internal organs of the eels change in order to adapt to living in fresh water after living in salt water.
Following the larva stage, the eels become glass eels. They are now 2-3 inches (5-7.5 cm) long with elongated bodies, prominent black eyes, and developed fins. They are between seven and twelve months old when they reach coastal water.
Glass eels then turn into elvers. They grow several more inches and develop pigmentation, becoming dark gray, and form a thick and slippery mucous layer. If you try to pick one up, you will learn they are as slippery as an eel!
The elver stage is followed by the juvenile or yellow eel stage, and finally by the silver or mature adult eel, which can reach lengths of 2-5 feet (.6-1.5 m) Their coloration can vary.
The American eel usually hunts at night. During the day, it hides in gravel, sand, masses of plants, or other forms of shelter. In the winter, eels burrow under mud and enter a state of torpor, or inactivity. However, they may become active at times.
These eels can travel up to 4,000 miles (6,400 km) in a lifetime. American eels can live up to thirty years, and, at the end of their life, they swim back to the Sargasso Sea. Some scientists believe the Earth’s magnetic field helps eels find their way back home. Once again their bodies undergo dramatic changes. They stop eating; their skin thickens; their eye size doubles, improving their vision in deep, dark water; and their pectoral fins enlarge for the long swim back. After months of travel, they produce new offspring. These larvae will begin their life’s journey. The adult eels’ work is done.
Now that is one fantastic voyage.
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← Focus Illustrated, January 2023 In Our Skies, March 2023: Hybrid Solar Eclipse →
BABY GLASS EELS – HUDSON RIVER EEL PROJECT – 2019
ON THE WAY TO BECOMING AN ELVER – HUDSON RIVER EEL PROJECT 2019
ADULT AMERICAN EEL – Photo by John M. Casselman, Dept of Biology, Queen’s University, Ontario, Canda
The Kinglet Bird
Photo by Jacob McGinnis THE KINGLET BIRD I'm called a Kinglet. Have you ever seen me? I make funny sounds, Tse, tse, tse, tse. I'm the tiniest bird that perches in trees. When winters are frigid, I try not to freeze. My gold crest looks flashy and feels quite regal, although I'm not famous like the bald eagle. I love tasty insects and forage non-stop. Wait! A caterpillar! Yum, yum, hop hop. At night I tuck my head in feathers so deep and huddle with my friends so I can find sleep. Sometimes a squirrel leaves his nest in a tree. It's empty. I'm so cold. Please don't tell on me. Although I'm tiny, I feel like a star. Just follow your dreams and you'll go far. THE PAINTED BUNTING - A KALEIDOSCOPE
When God picked up his pallet. He knew just what to do. He chose the brightest colors To make a bird like you. The blue is so majestic, A redbreast to amaze, Your wings chartreuse and purple Deserve the highest praise. Kaleidoscope of brilliance, A wonder to behold, Wrapped up in one small bunting Creating joy untold. O herald of such music, You trill your song so sweet You grace earth with your presence I pray that soon we'll meet. And if my prayer is granted, I'm sure that I will say I saw a bit of heaven On loan from God this day.
TECHNO CRITTERS
Techno Critters appeared in Kids Imagination Train, an online magazine published by Randi Mrvos.
Techno Critters
If a Frog wants to blog
sitting on a log,
he can spend the whole day,
blah-blah-blah ging away
If a T-Rex sends a text,
who knows what's next.
But if a selfie comes 'round,
you'd better leave town!
If a Spider is bright
and has a website,
he can catch some prey
and have a fine day.
If a robin needs food
for her hungry brood,
she can find a sitter
if she goes on Twitter.
If a Zebra skypes,
and shows off her stripes,
she'll look quite cute
in her black and white suit.
If Critters are cool
and stay in school,
they'll pass their quizzes
and be techno-whizzes!
A Squirrel’s Lucky Day
Hurrah! Finally dear readers, a poem I wrote entitled “A Squirrel’s Lucky Day” was submitted to Kids Imagination Train and accepted for publication in their online children’s magazine. I am most grateful to Randi Mrvos, Editor of the former magazine Kids Imagination Train who worked with me and never gave up hope that this poem would meet the requirements of their excellent children’s magazine.
A Squirrel’s Lucky Day
I live in trees and on the ground. I hunt for food and race around. We squirrels enjoy the great outdoors. We have big nests and nutty chores. The park is full this time of year, with lots of picnics, spring is here. I hope to find some tasty scraps like cheesy chicken sandwich wraps. A baseball game has just begun The kids rush off to join the fun. But wait, what's that beside the tree- an ice cream cone left just for me? Hurry, scurry down the branches. Creatures don't get too many chances. Grab it, take it up the tree Hooray, I made it Yay, yippee! This treat is heaven so cold and sweet, Even acorns cannot compete. Why do people stare at me? stare at me? Can't a squirrel have privacy? So Mother Nature, won't you please make ice cream cones that grow on trees?
