Site Discussions

Hello,

We have observed several Luna Moths here at our home and small hobby farm in Groton /Hebron NH.

We also have a spectacular array of birds.

Such a healthy wildlife conservation area.

Kristen

“Moths can also be attracted to a mixture of sugar and overripe fruit smeared on tree trunks.”  Yipes!  Is there anywhere in New England that you could put this on trees and not attract bears?

While the characteristics of the hornpout or brown bullhead make it a very hardy and interesting species of fish, readers thinking about stocking them in their farm pond should think hard and long before doing so.  As a former fisheries biologist, I know from experience about what is most likely to happen.  Once established they will overpopulate the pond and develop a population of stunted individuals that few people will want to take the time to catch, clean, and eat.  In other words most people just won’t fish or remove enough of them from a farm pond to make a difference in their growth rate and overall size. And putting them in a pond with largemouth bass and bluegills will simply mean fewer bass and bluegills.

I am very familiar with Mockingbirds breeding on my property over the recent years, but for the first time I am observing a Mourning Dove couple.
Sure enough, they built a flimsy nest in a small tree, which I assume contains two eggs now.
I worry, though, about their safety. 
Between the large, terrifying hawk lurking, and all the crows and squirrels, I think I may ultimately be heartbroken.

I have a nest with fledgling on my patio just above the area where we sit
Needless to say they are the new residents to enjoy our sitting area!

thanks Dave for accepting science and nature for what they both are.

Twice this month I’ve gotten out of my car in the parking lot and a crow has walked beside to the building door. At first I thought this was crazy and surely the crow would fly away but it didn’t happen. This week, was even weirder because the crow was walking closer to me and it was as if it was my pet. This time the crow stopped right at the office door and when I started to open the door, the bird flew away. Anyone else have this happen to them?

We have are first flying squirrel I live in a small gold mining town of the name of Wilsonville did not know you had Flying Squirrels here but this squirrel is so comical in the middle of the night it jumps from tree to tree we have put food out for it so that it has plenty to eat I guess we are lucky here in Calaveras County California

Up here between the Adirondacks and Tug Hill Plateau, we call these fish either Bullheads or Catfish. And in the spring the local restaurants always put Bullheads on the menu. Delicious! And at night, you drive by the lakes and see the lanterns all along the shores while fishermen are out there “Bullheading”.

I recently returned from a trip to Scandinavia where I saw extensive stands of Lupins from far northern Norway to southern Sweden. Would these be indigenous or an introduced variety?

How does an observer distinguish between the white and green species of Ash using basic tree identification techniques? I was told to lump them together. It was said that one would need to examine plant parts throughout the growing season, bud, leaf, flower, fruit, to distinguish between the two species. Was that true, is there a less complicated ID tool to distinguish white from green Ash?

Maybe they’ve lost popularity because they are so darn miserable to clean! When I was a little kid in the 1950’s it was not unusual to find our bathtub filled with them… probably procrastinating the difficult job. In later years, I learned not to catch so many.

We have had 2 fawns hanging out on our property for 10 days.  They graze so not sure if they’re still nursing but probably doing both.  They sleep and graze in the yard so as we come and go, mow, get deliveries, etc., they run into the woods sometimes come right back, sometimes not.  Only saw mom pick them up at dusk once.  Today only 1 fawn was here so of course we’re worried something may have happened to the other fawn.  But we’re hoping they’re maturing and maybe the other fawn can now keep up with Mom, or they just did their own thing today.  The fawn in your yard that you gave milk to was born not too far away, deer have a limited range and habitual about their travels, travel times and where they graze.  You should always leave fawns alone unless they’re constantly crying or appear injured.  You should not feed them and cow’s milk isn’t good, they’re lactose intolerant.  So now you know for the next time. I highly doubt anything you did caused a separation with Mom.  Fawns have more than one sleeping station and Mom comes running if she hears them cry, they’re usually within range so don’t worry, the fawn is probably just fine.

We’ve lived in Northern I’d. since 2001, we have cold winters.  I have two large feeders and enjoy watching our morning doves so much. 

We have lived through at least 5 years of summer fires. It is smoky all summer.  I noticed this past few weeks that the morning doves are sadly gone.  Your article was very informative,  I wondered if the smoke harmed these sweet birds.  I miss them and hope some more will find us.  We live on the Pend Oreill River in the country.

I found a fawn curled up quietly in my backyard.  I didn’t know and thought he was abandoned.  Put on gloves and gave him some milk.  At some point for unknown reasons he got up and ran away.  I saw the mom 4 or five days later sniffing my backyard.  I felt horrible.  Is it possible that she’s still looking for the fawn and because of my intervention they were not able to reunite?

Erica as always did a wonderful job of getting the truth as told by those who live it. If being able and willing to do hard work isn’t considered a skill, it sure as hell is the sweaty cousin next to it. The able man with his feet on the ground and a chainsaw in his hand is going the way of the cowboy. Just as the dairy farmer has gone to being a milk factory, the logger has gone to sitting in a cab twisting joysticks. To only see the forest through the glass of a mechanical harvester is the fate of today’s volume oriented logger. The only connection to the tree he has is through a mechanical arm. The concern for the land is overshadowed by his concern for where he’s going to keep his high priced equipment producing enough to pay the bills. There are advantages that are gained by the high volume logging equipment. But as Erica’s old school loggers testified, there may also be some things lost as well.

Excellent—it was a pleasure to listen to these loggers who care about the work and the land. As a forester who’s been working with loggers and landowners for over 50 years it saddens me to see the old ways fade. I remember the last horse loggers in my area and how sad they were to see the damage skidders did, damage that still, over 40 years later, is still readily apparent. When three men can do the work of ten or twelve, does anyone really care what happens to to those surplus people?

Thanks to all involved in producing this piece.

Yes, my only solace while being pestered and devoured by black flies, mosquitoes, gnats, and chiggers is thinking of how many other critters also dine on THEM! Everything in nature serves the purposes for which they were created, one way or another!

Poison parsnip made it’s first appearance on my property last year. I found six or seven adult plants, recognized them, yanked ‘em up before they went to seed, and thought that would be the end of it. Little did I know that was only a scouting mission on their part, and this year they’ve launched an invasion. I have been scouring the internet since for advice and information. (And whining to everyone who will listen.) Yours is the first article that seemed to commiserate with me - the “What? Why is this happening? How dare you! I had plans for this ground!” feelings that I’ve been struggling with. Thank you for your sense of humor! Reading your wonderfully-written piece is the first time I’ve smiled while researching my enemy. And if you happen to see this - I would love to hear how your war is going. Fight on!

I was told that it’s black flies that pollinate blueberries; true?