Site Discussions
Why does the sap run in the summer during a drought? The leaves are covered in sap at the bottom and are dying on the top. When you touch the leaves they are dry but covered with sap. It also drips on the ground. I have never seen this before. We live in Great Falls, MT.
From "Why Does Sap Run?" »
I am thrilled to report 10 Monarch caterpillars in my yard as of yesterday!! Watching them outside and looking for more. Last year we had none here in East Randolph. Great article and website!
From "A Monarch Among Us" »
Maybe they should cut down the annual slaughter, and let the poor things regenerate?
From "Declining Moose Populations: What Does the Future Hold?" »
This is such a fantastically written piece. Bravo. Very well said and approached in a great way.
From "The Coyote is Here to Stay" »
The rapidly shrinking hours of daylight announce the change as much as the sights, sounds, and smells, and critter behavior. But often the weather can be the nicest of the year for enjoying time outdoors.
From "On September" »
It’s mid September here in western PA and we’ve had a long stretch of nights in the 40’s. I have four pods each 24"x6” with fairly large numbers of tadpoles (mostly Hyla versicolor, possibly some Lithobates sylvaticus) & a large food supply they’ve been living well on since hatching. They’re taking longer to morph this year than others. My two concerns are that I don’t know if these 2 species can cycle through winter as others can & if so what water temp range is optimum for the process? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
From "The Tadpoles of Winter" »
My wife and I have three chipmunks that we feed…thought it might be nice to share comments with others that do the same…
From "Backyard Chipmunks Living the Good Life" »
I’m noticing the same thing in southern Vermont with pretty much every tree species. Bitternut hickory, beech, maple, apple, hawthorn, are all loaded with seed and that’s just what i can see looking out my office window. We had some significant drought conditions down here last summer, too.
From "Do Stressed Trees Produce More Seeds?" »
From mild experience, about a decade, landscaping or logging firewood in winter. Chopping/chipping across grain, lowering stump, removing roots… I always used a sharp low weight axe. Splitting firewood using a maul. This being said, there’re many different variables that will make ummm… 1 man = 2 cords/day or I should have stayed in bed today. Questions: 1 what species of wood? 2 time of year?(temp and season) 3 how fat are the trunks? 4 how far transport? 5 is the wood seasoned? and my favorite… knots/bench cuts? Sometimes you may get angry at said pieces/round of wood. Fear not… that round of wood, that may contribute to a whopping 4 pieces of firewood, may not know it yet but it’s going to split. Sure I could chainsaw it a little more but where is the release of anger that I enjoy? Like driving golfballs, have you ever found yourself talking to the ball you’re about to hit? I’m just kindy reminding the jagged/slowly becoming toothpicks round what’s going to happen. The talking part is a joke until 80 or so cords. Other plusses: after splitting for a month you will definitely be stronger. Also, like in boxing, don’t punch your object right in their face… punch then to the back of their head. Continue through the firewood. Who cares if you hit your maul tip off some rocks? (Wear safety goggles)
From "Maul vs. Axe" »
Beautiful description of one of my favorite months. Oh, and don’t you think the leaves sound just a little different as September moves in? They sound a bit crisper with a little edge in their voice. I often think it must be some kind of signal to wildlife to get ready for the harsher season ahead.
From "On September" »
Saw Giant Swallowtail on Labor Day in Erie, PA.
From "Giant Butterflies Moving North" »
Last summer was one of the driest we’ve seen in quite a while. This year the cedars are LOADED down with seed pods. The branches sag with the weight as they would after a liberal dumping of snow. Spruce, pine and hemlock trees crowns are heavy with more cones than I can remember ever seeing before. I thought this was a portent of a nasty winter ahead, but maybe this is a result of last seasons drought. we’ll just have to wait and see. Hmm, time to check the wood shed.
From "Do Stressed Trees Produce More Seeds?" »
Elise, you should be writing! Write Childrens’ books, nature books more ‘zine articles, but write!
From "A Monarch Among Us" »
Thank you for this “on September”.
I’ve lived in New England all my life. This is spot on and makes me remember all the seasons and the joys in each.
From "On September" »
Informative and amusing. I shall now seek out a cliff that would have a surface area of 1/4 of an acre but have an acreage footprint of maybe 1/20 of an acre. It would a great place to grow my lichen and moss crops.
From "Does an Acre of Hilly Land Contain More Land Than an Acre of Flat Land?" »
I was shed hunting mid Feb ‘15 & wind hitting me in the face. I caught movement to my left & with only a pocket knife in my pocket, I ducked & hoped I wasnt seen by this jammer coyote on roids. Joker was as big as German Shepherd, at least. Freaked me out & some google action proved it was a coy-wolf. Neighbor of mine, who hunts too, seen it last year & scared him good. Funny cause he thought I was bs’in him
From "Canis soupus: The Eastern Coy-Wolf" »
I must be missing something. I read “Because greenheads emerge only from saltmarshes, we know they travel up to two miles in search of blood.” As far as I know no part of the Winooski River is within two miles of any salt marsh.
From "Deerflies" »
Deer flies are strongly attracted to some shades of blue (New Holland Tractor blue, or the blue on a plastic disposable Solo drinking cup are a couple of good examples). For this reason, all of my blue shirts get put away during deer fly season.
They are also attracted to motion, 10 feet or less from ground level. They will go for the high point on their target first - which is why they are constantly buzzing around your head, getting in your hair and biting your head and neck. (So put away that blue baseball cap during deer fly season)
A University of Florida professor has made a study of their behavior, which resulted in some deer fly trap recommendations. One of these involved attaching a blue Solo cup your your hat and coating it in sticky goo (Tanglefoot is one recommendation). The flies are so attracted to the blue cup that they leave you alone. See the article here:
http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/pestalert/deerfly.htm
From "When is the Best Time for Sugarmakers to Tap their Maple Trees?" »