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Site Discussions

Susan
Nov 07, 2015

I saw hundreds of worms with yellow heads and tails weaving all over the show, with lots in one woven nest, they are not very big, about 2cm and fairly thin. I am wondering what they become.

From "Transformations: Which Caterpillar Becomes Which Butterfly?" »

Joan Cudhea
Nov 05, 2015

I subscribe AND receive from NEFF to which my parents gave land in Middleton. Friend Pike Messenger sent me article on witches broom. Love your magazine!

From "Witch’s Brooms" »

Terri
Nov 03, 2015

After reading your article and the comments afterwards, I can only say we’ve had a wet and cold spring, a so-so summer and so far a warmer fall than usual.  After years of having acorns bombard our house it has been absolutely quiet this year.  Went out to rake leaves -  not one acorn (last year you couldn’t even walk in the yard for all the acorns).  So, I will be watching our weather extremely closely this winter.

From "Woods Whys: Acorns and Weather" »

Debra Kearney
Nov 03, 2015

I found a pale yellow large caterpillar with a dark brown head in my yard. Waxy looking….what is he????

From "Transformations: Which Caterpillar Becomes Which Butterfly?" »

Elizabeth
Nov 03, 2015

Please let us know where we can obtain moth eggs. Do we go to an Ag university near us? Can we get moths that are also native to our area from you? You mention a person you got them from, but no contact information.

From "Night Flyers: North American Silk Moths Face Invasive Challenge" »

Billy
Nov 03, 2015

Your articles are a great help, thank you

From "When is the Best Time for Sugarmakers to Tap their Maple Trees?" »

Rob Reiber
Nov 02, 2015

I had heard that witches brooms from balsam fir, spread to blueberry bushes caused the blueberry to ‘broom’, and ceased their production of blueberries.  The fungus or disease often spread through mulches spread around the bush.  Wondering if you Joe, or others might be able to confirm this cause and effect?
Thanks

From "Witch’s Brooms" »

Kevin Welch
Nov 01, 2015

This article has solved what was a mystery to me. The trees in my area seem to have seeded no earlier than 1938 or so.  Many I have cut date to this time regardless of the size.  I had always been mystified by a mound and pit in my woods.  It is very noticeable and I had guessed that it might be the location of an old outhouse. It is located on a northeastern facing slope but the pit and mound are oriented pretty much south-southeast. There do not appear to be any other pit/mounds in the immediate area.

From "One for the Ages: The Hurricane of 1938 Battered New England's Woods 75 Years Ago" »

Kat
Oct 29, 2015

Jenn in PA, I know this is almost a year after your post, but we just happened to make scones with whole autumn olive berries in them, in place of raisins. They were delicious (much less tart than raw).

From "Autumn Olive" »

Mobius Wolf
Oct 28, 2015

Very good article Ross. I never thought of carving it green. Much better than trying to keep logs and splits from checking.  It’ll certainly save on anchor seal.

Which is what I use to paint the ends, BTW.

From "Make Your Own Axe Handle" »

Lois Hoyt
Oct 28, 2015

I live in Maine. Are there any short tail mice…or would it be a vole or mole??  I saw something yesterday about 6” long w/ a short tail. 

From "Shrew or Mole? Mouse or Vole?" »

Teresa
Oct 27, 2015

I’d like to know if picking cones (taking squirrel caches) is detrimental to their winter survival. I pick for cash but not at the risk of their health.

From "Tracking Tips: Red Squirrel Stashes and Caches" »

Jennifer Short
Oct 26, 2015

I found a wooly bear (?) today in my garage.  It appeared to be all black.  I saw on another site that popular belief is that the less orange/brown on this caterpillar means a harsher winter for that area.  I hope not, but I’m sure it still won’t compare to other parts north of us.

From "Transformations: Which Caterpillar Becomes Which Butterfly?" »

Betsy Owen
Oct 26, 2015

What might be a sudden killer of healthy Wh. Pine saplings?

Two years ago nearly all of the 6-10 ft Wh. Pine saplings that had been prolific and healthy after a thinning and pruning of a pine-dominated section of our woodland.  The thinning was done professionally about 25-30 years ago over a 10 acre area. Most of the saplings died completely within a short time.

There is no obvious sign of or weevil damage, or blister rust, with no known currant or gooseberries on our immediate area.  (There is a commercial red and black currant operation on the opposite side of Springfield, about 5 miles away. )

Can young beeches that came in along side the pines interfere by cutting off much of the open overstay?  Any other ideas for the die-off of so many pines?

Thanks in advance for your advice.
Betsy Owen

P.S.  I have been a huge fan of Northern Woodlands and particularly your pieces in it!

From "Hay-Scented Fern" »

Lawrence
Oct 25, 2015

I can not remember an acorn harvest like this year’s.
I find the variety fascinating. One species has a tiny and very delicate tip.., it resembles the shape of a candy kiss.
Some retain their caps better than others, and some are more colorful, or more striped, than others. Some caps embrace their acorn nut, and some have a fuzzy flare.
The beauty of their creation is certainly no (accident).
Thank God for these little delights of nature.
Squirrels are smiling all the way to their winter nests.

From "Woods Whys: Acorns and Weather" »

Barbara
Oct 25, 2015

A shrew wouldn’t eat birdseed, would it? So if what I caught in my birdseed bag in my house is definitely not a mouse, then it must be a vole, right?

I have what I thought was a mouse in my house and I’ve been trying to catch it to release it.  This morning I saw something moving in the bag of bird seed so I quickly closed the bag and took it outside. Yay!!! It had a short tail so not a mouse, but it was mouse sized. The snout wasn’t really long but it wasn’t really rounded either. Its fur was brown.  I tried to get a picture but it kept moving and I let it go.  I think it was a vole, especially since they’re herbivores whereas shrews are carnivores, plus I think shrews are smaller than mice and more gray. I know that we have mice, shrews, voles, and moles around here; I live in Long Island New York if that helps. Thanks!

From "Shrew or Mole? Mouse or Vole?" »

Declan McCabe
Oct 24, 2015

I have seen blackthorn and white thorn grown as naturally ‘barbed’ fences.  They were grown in a row spaced a couple of feet apart.  Once they reached a desired height a slash hook was used to partly cut through the main leader.  The partly cut leaders were bent over the adjacent shrub, and the leader of it’s neighbor was bent over that and so on down the row.  The last one in the row was tied down with bailing twine and the result was an impenetrable thorny living hedge.

From "Tricks of the Trade: Living Fenceposts" »

julius Muchemi
Oct 23, 2015

Structure Diversity means the variability of a stand’s structural attributes (dbh,  no. of trees per hectare, etc) whereby stand complexity is more of a generalized ranking of the level of this diversity: either patchy, dense or multi-storied   (moving from simple to complex levels).

From "What Is Forest Stand Structure and How Is It Measured?" »

Jaime Pearson
Oct 22, 2015

My kids saw the Wooly Bear Caterpillar and wanted to know what it would turn into.  Thank you for your site.  I love that I don’t have to know everything but instead can share in the adventure of learning with the kids.  They are 6 and 8.

From "Transformations: Which Caterpillar Becomes Which Butterfly?" »

Jan Whitaker
Oct 21, 2015

We go kayaking on Lake Champlain every summer. This summer we could not help but notice the near total absence of zebra mussels in the area of Button Bay.

From "Zebra Mussels" »