Site Discussions

We went from 80 degrees during the day on the 9th of Oct. to a low of about 25 degrees and then consistently below freezing to a low of about 5-7 degrees the following night, the 11th. None of our leaves had changed color. Leaves froze on the trees. Elm leaves have blown off with a wind event. But our prize American Elm and cherry tree have not dropped their leaves. If we get a heavy wet snow, that will be a problem. Is there anything I can do?

3 a.m.  Cat brings in a mole [dead]. It is approximately 4”. But it has a white, a red and another white stripe from it’s head to it’s nose. It also has a green nodule [looks like and is the size of a small pea [green] on each front foot. I didn’t get a picture, just wanted it off my bed. Have seen a lot of moles, etc. growing up in country, but not like this one.  Thanks

My house sparrows have vanished too!  I have a couple cardinals that visit in the evening and a few chickadees in the afternoon.  And that’s all I’ve seen lately.

I’m going to be cutting a dead 80’ Silver Maple. It’s dropped several large limbs recently during windy weather and I’m afraid someone could get hurt or killed by a falling limb, it is on the property line so worried about neighbor also. I have decided to purchase a football helmet and shoulder pads thinking this will offer me more protection than a hard hat, as I’ve been researching this I’ve learned that often times dead limbs won’t follow the tree, they’ll break off and fall straight down. That scares me as that’s where I’ll be, and some of these limbs are quite large. There’s no way to get a bucket truck to the tree or I would hire a professional. Any expert advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

Elise,
I enjoyed your article on tamaracks and learned some new things. I always enjoy learning new things. I have six tamaracks growing in my yard that I planted ten years ago. I also enjoy watching the needles turn yellow in the fall. It is a pretty cool tree. One thing I noticed is that as the needles begin to turn yellow, they do so from the trunk outwards towards the the branch ‘tis. I wonder what the physiological explanation for this might be? I should have paid better attention in my plant physiology class at the University of Maine, way back in the 70’s! If you have an idea on this question I would love to hear from you. Thank you for your great article!

It took me a while to understand what you were saying by “a grouse is not a partridge”.  In the first paragraph you use both terms and say “they are the same bird”.  But in the first case you were describing the common (local) name for a ruffed grouse and in the second case you were explaining the taxonomy.  Maybe I am slow but it took me a while.  Thanks for your articles - I look forward to them.  Paul

Thank you for the ruffed grouse article.  It recalled to mind the grouse that used to drum just under my bedroom window, informed me of some new facts, and also provided several laugh-out-loud moments.  And yes, it is pa-tridge here.

Very well written article !! The only way to keep house sparrows at bay is to put boxes in open field and put hole reducers on chickadees box and trap.I have opened to many boxes with dead chickadees in them before I made these changes.

Informative, entertaining, and just well written.
Thanks, Laurie!

Researching the praying mantis brought me to this website and even though I’m out on Long Island the geographical location for the chinese and european types I imagine are just like what you folks up north have. Since I was a kid I’ve always had a deep fascination for insects, primarily the praying mantis and I used to keep them as pets. Around my home, having lived here the past twenty years, I’ve never seen a praying mantis until this past week. I almost step on the first one as I was trimming the hedges along my walkway. It was a good 4 1/2 inches at least. Then the next day a little one was scurrying through the grass when I was mowing my lawn. And this morning I saw a good sized one, at least six inches long hanging vertically off a cinder block.  It was definitely a pleasure to see these praying mantises, all brown btw, around my yard, bringing back sweet memories from my youth.

Check this column out, Cynthia: https://northernwoodlands.org/articles/article/why-do-some-leaves-persist-on-beech-and-oak-trees-well-into-winter

Not one mention of the threat to wildlife and humans from toxoplasmosis which cannot exist without cats.

So. . .all being said, why do some beech leaves stay on during the winter?

Great information presented in graceful writing.  I love, for example, the phrase “If you get lemony looks…”

I heated with wood for 25 years when I lived in the south, but the winters became so mild, I had wood left over from 3 previous winters…but it was well seasoned!
Now that I live in Massachusetts, I don’t have a wood burning stove and the gas log fireplace is a poor substitute for a real fire. Thanks for the article and for reminding me of the satisfaction of gathering, splitting, and stacking the cordwood and the annual ritual of starting the first fire.

3 days ago at sunset thousands flew over.  They were spread out not in a thick swarm.  Just like 20 flying over and another 20-30 and then another bunch one right after the other.  Some hit the ground and a few hit the carport.  Noticed them earlier in the day on the feeder road of I10 near Mont Belvieu, TX. Since it was sunset couldn’t tell the color.  They were flying North from Trinity Bay.

Wonderful, wisdom filled article! I’ve had so many people ask me WHY I’m getting another load of wood when it’s obvious I already have at least 4 or 5 cord stacked. That’s next year’s is my reply. Then what don’t understand have to clean their chimney a LOT more often…and cuss that they can’t get “that durn woodstove going”!

Dave hits it perfectly. My 35 years of heating with wood was at first a hit and miss deal: wet wood, punky wood, chunky wood. But by year 3 I was rolling along, doing all the right things Dave points out - largely without even knowing it. Now away from my NH hardwoods I find I miss the rhythm of wood burning, but my shoulders don’t miss the maul and I’ve discovered what a house thermostat is.

My daughter and I just hatched 12 baby snappers! Raccoon was in nest and we checked and took what wasn’t destroyed. It was so amazing to watch them as they started forming in the egg to seeing them break out of their shell! Shes 6 so I hope she’ll always remember it! Left them go about 2 weeks later near where we found them but in a little more hidden pond never the river. Still amazed that all of them hatched❤

Thank you for this beautiful summary of the issue of forest fragmentation. I am doing some research into the topic for a possible project soon, and have found it enlightening. The 14 acres of forest vs 1 acre of core forest was especially shocking to me, and now I want to test that threshold as a part of what I will be doing.