Site Discussions

I’ve seen this three times in my short 80 years. Once as a child in central Wisconsin, in a state park near the shore of Lake Michigan; again, in Maine in the late ‘70’s, near a camp near Beddington Lake, and once again, at my hilltop woodlot camp on Chick Hill in Amherst, Maine sometime in the ‘80’s. On the third occasion, I marked the spot, and the next day looked to see what organism it was. I found a non-descript patch of rotting wood, but no discernible fungus/lichen or anything else. I haven’t seen it again since.

During the 52 years I worked as a forester in Pennsylvania I watched the official policy change from planting a wide range of exotic tree species to only plant species native to eastern North America. At the same time we were losing eastern hemlock over extensive areas along with the suite of species that were dependent on hemlock’s attributes. Officially, red spruce became the substitute for hemlock even though red spruce is confined to a small section of the state and climate change may well further restrict its ability to grow in the state. Norway spruce is the logical substitute since it’s not invasive while it grows well in our habitats. To ignore Norway spruce’s benefits just because it’s not native is to “write off” a host of species dependent on the habitat it can provide.

I grew up on a farm in Iowa. We had thistles. The best sure way to eliminate thistles is to pull them up by the roots before they seed or flower.  You can use leather gloves after you drag the stickers toward the top of the thistle. Sometime a pair of pliers can be used to grab the bottom of the stem next to the ground and pull the thistle out of the ground.  A shovel works to dig up the roots when the ground is not too compacted. Leaving them alone will spread thistles everywhere. Hope this helps.

Thanks for very interesting spider material. We have lots of spiders in strafford.

Some of my favorite childhood memories are moving box turtles away from the road to “save them”. Is there anything people can do to help mitigate their decline?

Great article.

My mom always told me my name was special coming from the Swedish side of my family and being the Swedish national flower. I’d never seen it until I was on a wildflower hike in Oregon and the whole forest floor was Linnea borealis! Not a little waif in that setting!

Hello All,  It’s great to see the results of all your hard work..  Congratulations!
Good luck with the deer…what a pest they are.
If you need more seeds we have quite a seed bank as our organization grows.  Let us know what you’re looking for and we might have it.
We’re working on a webpage but we do have a Facebook page if you’re curious about what we’re doing.
Have a good summer :-)
Marghi Bean, Chair
Pollinator Pathways NH

Great piece- thank you!

No, I’m not here to ask about the pond’s location. I just want to congratulate you on your find! My Dad taught me to fish for bass in the river, and I’d like to compliment you as well for your style of writing.

My 15 year old Tulip poplars are flowering like crazy!

What a great example of sustainable building! Cordwood construction is such an inspiring use of forestry byproducts—both practical and beautiful. It’s amazing to see how traditional skills like these are being passed on through hands-on workshops.

I have always been impressed with Lee’s reliance on science.  He is extremely reluctant to make a statement that he cannot support with data.  I am also a retired biologist who spent my career working in Maine’s north woods.

Great piece and photo!

I learn so much from these newsletters! Thank you!

Great article on a dedicated wildlife biologist and moose. This is from a retired NYDEC wildlife biologist who spent a lot of time working on furbearers and moose.

I have found thousands.

Lovely article. Thank-you.

Excellent article thanks for sharing!

Nice article!