Site Discussions

Thanks, Ann and Bill!

Hello, I am thinking of buying a house in northern Vermont that is 2500 sq ft, well insulated, and designed as a passive solar house. As such, how many cords of wood do you think it would take to heat this each winter? How many acres of mixed hardwoods would it take do meet this need if coppicing is used?  Please note I don’t want to clear it the land, I would rather have the copice system blend into the woodlands and look natural. Thank you.

If you stumble across this older article, or any other articles that mentions picking up snapping turtles, please note that you should never pick one up by the tail as this can severely damage their vertebrae. There are many other sites that describe safe ways to help snapping turtles. Taking them off their routes and away from their intended destinations is also not usually good practice. You can help them along in the same direction they are traveling, preferably by picking them up with a shovel or, if you are very, very careful, picking them up in a specific way—again, never by the tail.

Those tips are valuable but why would we want to cut a tree when it has a lot of benefits like shade and it lessens the pollution in the air? Instead of cutting it, I would suggest to keep, put a swing on it and enjoy an afternoon in your backyard with your kids.

You have outlined a true Public Health emergency made less worrisome by the weather.
We can vaccinate our dogs but not ourselves! Something is wrong with this picture!
There was a vaccine, Lymerix, on the market 15 years ago. Clearly this issue needs pursuing. We all need to feel safe in the woods!

Excellent article. Well written and informative. I ran into multiple swarms along the Potomac River while bicycle riding last week. Unfortunately, the riding height on a bicycle is the perfect level for intersecting swarms. It was an unexpected appetizer while cruising near the shore.

Elise, Tig;

Absolutely phenomenal. Loved the white sac!

How far north is the range of this awesome little turtle? Are they present in northern New Hampshire?

I love your post! A great reminder to be open to new discoveries. And that the more you know the more you see.

Thank you,
Ann

So sad to see all our ash trees gone here in southern Ontario. I’m glad ecologicical research is being done. Unfortunately no easy solutions to endlessly growing list of invaders thanks to globalization and eronautics. Interesting read thanks!

I’ve noticed severe wood thrush decline where I live in Durham, NC. I grew up in MA, and am very familiar with this bird, who’s my favorite songster. Habitat destruction is the main problem, IMO. Also, predation by raccoons and cats: catch, neuter and release programs don’t help here—what we need to do is to keep our cats indoors. Keeps cats safe (and we DO have coyotes in the ‘burbs that will kill cats). Best thing: Nature Conservancy, etc., to keep woodlands intact. That’s key.

I have butterfly plants and I am getting all kinds of caterpillars.

I am so afraid I will hurt her—so I just left her there.  She was getting blown on by the vent, so I covered the vent.  Thanks for the info.

I am looking for maps of Brown Paper Company around field #1 about 1970, my dad took me hunting in this area and we camped there, I would like to take my son there if I can find it. We entered on Success Pond Road.

A few weeks ago I asked a question on the site of one of my favorite arborists: What is it called when a tree thinks it’s going to die, so it makes a big push for reproduction?

I did qualify that I was looking for a way to express the thought; not saying that trees do/do not “think.” Boy did I get a lot of guff for that one! Several people did not see or understand that I was looking for a way to express the question. Then, after a bit, a few folks wrote in, saying they understood the question, and had seen the same thing. (Ah… progress!)

So I posed the question to 770Arborist, who directed me to this site. And I am grateful to him. 770Arborist understood the question and said he would look into it. He did. How many people on the Internet keep their word?

I have worked in forestry in timber sale preparation. I love being in the woods. I love learning. That, plus I have also been an arborist since the ‘80s. Therefore I appreciate this site, and this answer. Not only does it make good sense, I am glad to hear that sometimes the stresses can be alleviated and the tree(s) recover.

This also compliments the reading I did years ago concerning “mast” crops. Hm. Interesting.

Many Thanks,
Michael

This was fascinating. I am further wondering how the trees know of animal predators? What senses do they employ to be aware of the external world? I assume trees do not have eyes as I would understand them to be. And, although I love Tolkien, I have never heard of there being Ents in the world. As I said, this was quite fascinating and brings up so many more questions.

HELP! I found what looks like a type of chrysalis today and I have absolutely no idea what it is! Its mainly brown and it looks like its in a sort of “S” shape. You can see its antenna and it has two bumps on its back. Someone please help!!!

I first noticed while visiting my daughter in FL that mourning doves had a 3-syllable call. I assumed it was a different species from MDs we have here in the Midwest in MO. We have had record high temps this year, and I am hearing the same 3-syllable call. So I am thinking now it is the same bird species, but changes its call according to temp differences. I can’t seem to find research on this.

Two days ago, while camping and kayaking on Cliff Lake, Montana, and cooling my feet in a tiny feeder stream, a water shrew (Sorex palustris) scampered across a riffle just five feet upstream.  It came out of thick bank vegetation and disappeared in thick vegetation on the opposite bank.  The riffle is fast-moving, but the shrew shot across a span of five feet, having gained against the current.  Of course I was thrilled.  An avid hiker and kayaker for 60+ years, I have enjoyed this marvelous creature on only two previous occasions: in high cirque lakes and swimming underwater while chasing invertebrates.

I think sapwood also made up of mostly dead cells tracheids, with parenchyma cells between them .