Site Discussions

Nice story!

I learned that the “white cottony material” is likely spider egg cases.

Coming home from dinner we encountered a strange looking animal in our neighborhood standing still in the road.  It was completely hairless and long and thin.  I took a cellphone photo of it and waited until it ran off into a neighbors yard.  I google the information and found out this strange creature was actually a red fox suffering from Mange.  It’s probably living under someone’s close to ground deck and comes out late at night looking for food.

Very informative.  Thank you!

I have found some downed trees that are thought to be Eastern Red Cedar in North Georgia Mountains at elevation of 3000 ft.. How can I determine how long they have been laying there on the forest floor?

I can only speculate, Charles—too many unknowns, the biggest being just how efficient the house really is. But if the house really is tight, you might get away with 3 cords of wood a year? (This guess is based on the idea that most people I know who heat with a woodstove burn about 6 cords in a year, and maybe your house is 50 percent more efficient.) Based on the author’s math that three, 15-year-old coppiced trees make a face cord, you can probably assume 9 make a cord. That would be 27 trees a year.  Other readers might have a more sophisticated guess.

I discovered this some years ago in our own yard when I caught a little wren dropping a “bomb” that hit a limb in a pine tree. I investigated and soon discovered the magic of how birds deal with kids bedroom messes. And you’re right about seeing them everywhere once discovered.

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.