Photos by Ross Corsair (click to enlarge)
Lisa Mechaley led a hike in Philipstown for the Putnam Highlands Audubon Society on April 9, playing nature games along the way. At one stop she handed paint swatches to the children and asked them to find the same color in nature.
A close-up of a creek on the hike.
A black northern water snake emerges from its winter den.
Mechaley showed children a safe way to observe nature from a bridge with no railing. Instead of standing at the edge, she had them lie down and peer over the edge.
I believe the snake you identified as a “black snake” is actually a water snake.