Knots and Bolts

In previous issues, we have explained the origins of scientific names behind pine and spruce species. Here, we offer a look behind the monikers of balsam fir, eastern hemlock, and eastern…

It rained overnight. A morning walk along the well-worn path in the family’s woodlot is not crunchy and soothing, as it is on many fall mornings. Today it’s a bit sodden, with the…

The 450-acre Hall Tavern Farm sits along the bank of the Deerfield River in Franklin County, Massachusetts. Jay Healy, whose family has owned the property since the early 1900s, has managed…

During early and mid-autumn, eastern chipmunks are busy gathering nuts, seeds, and fungi to store for winter. Their cheek pouches can stretch to hold as much as 70 sunflower seeds, 32…

Picea is the classic Latin name for a conifer that produces a resinous material; the Latin term is probably derived from the Greek word for pitch, pissa. In the 1700s, several botanists used…

The American woodcock is a favorite of bird enthusiasts and hunters alike, delighting people with its quirky walking style, bug-eyed appearance, spectacular aerial courtship displays, and…

No flower can last forever. Indeed, most seem to last only a few days – or hours! – and leave us wanting for something less transient. The more delicate the bloom, the more…

One of the common setups in science fiction is that of an extraterrestrial life-form laying eggs in people who serve as involuntary hosts. Eventually, alien babies burst forth to continue the…

The New England – Acadian Forest ecoregion covers most of Maritime Canada, a slice of eastern Quebec, northern New England, and the Adirondack Mountains. Each conifer species in this…

Painted turtles (like all reptiles) are ectothermic, or cold-blooded, and basking in the sun helps them warm up. Also, leeches and algae that attach to them as they swim dry up and fall off,…

Ruth Cutler’s property in Ashford, Connecticut, has been in the family for nearly 100 years. Her grandfather purchased the original 127 acres in 1927, and the family has called it…

Botanically curious people often ask me, “How do you tell a sedge from a grass?” Many have heard that “sedges have edges,” but distinguishing grasses from sedges is…

A non-native invasive moth has been lurking in the Northeast for more than 120 years and has recently become a pest again – of trees and people – in parts of Maine. Browntail moth…

Red fox kits are born with charcoal gray fur. (Coyote, wolf, and other wild canid pups are also born with this color coat.) At about five weeks of age, kits lose their dark natal coat and grow…

Jack Bronnenberg didn’t set out to be a woodlot owner – or to run a logging and trucking company. His dream as a young man was to raise beef cattle in southeastern Kansas or…

In early spring, as rock climbers flock to sunny cliffs and crags throughout the Northeast, peregrine falcons are also returning, seeking mates and establishing nesting sites. Populations of…

Deer browse is a major factor contributing to the decline of many native orchids. The showy and charismatic species are most severely affected, drawing not only our gazes but also the…

In a forest landscape where some native trees are succumbing to invasive plants and pests, could a non-native species provide an ecological benefit? That’s a question Calvin Ritter…

What is a native plant enthusiast to do during our region’s long dormant season? While half of the year delights us with new growth and flowers, the other half can test our patience as…