Site Discussions

Thank you. I’ve been curious about this and you answered my questions about ferns in winter very well.

It’s also interesting to look inside the emerging plant. There is a spider species which awakens and is there to catch the insects which are attracted to the flower.

Y does water leak from from this particular tree?

Thank you for this well written and informative article. Trees are truly amazing.

This came in as a Letter to the Editor:

Dear Friends,

Just a note to tell you how much I enjoyed the winter edition, especially the six page article by my grandson Ross Caron. It was kind of Ross to mention me a few times. The piece was well written and the photos were excellent. I would grade it as an “A.”

Sincerely,

Donald Enman
Berlin, NH

March 16th and we haven’t even sweetened our pans yet. Tapped out slowly, like Dave, though we only have 250 taps total, all gravity. Cold week ahead… Hoping to have enough to be boiling for next weekend’s open house.

Very interesting and informative article as well as an entertaining read!

My guess is that with the increase and spread of human populations, most predators become less picky and will settle for scavenging when live prey can’t be found. So is the “playing possum” behavior an example of a trait that hasn’t caught up with present circumstances?

Very nice, I noticed just last week before the recent snow, the buds are waiting patiently to burst forth.  They tempt my curiosity to want to watch everyday until I see them open.  Your words inspire me to do just that.  Thank you!

I love clay babies! I went hunting for them in Newbury, VT a number of years ago with a friend and we had the best time! It was like digging for buried treasure. I still have my clay babies and have always wanted to go again so maybe this summer. Now, if I can only remember just where that great spot was… it does sound like their are many other possible locations. Loved the info!

Ross and Todd Caron are my nephews, and we are very proud of the work they did on the cabin!  We visited NH in the spring of 2013 and were able to hike to the cabin.  It was great! The article in Northern Woodlands by Ross was sent to us by my sister, and we thoroughly enjoyed reading all about the process and seeing the wonderful photos!  The reference to my dad, “Grandpa Enman”, was especially meaningful! Keep up the good work, guys!

Great article with good info.  We can tend to think, with their vocalizations being somewhat complex, that they can inform one another of what and who is/has been in their territory as well as what the “intruder” is/was up to. I have jumped them from beds(during the day)  and they left without vocalizing (at least no sounds that a human could hear).

As crazy as it might sound, I’m enjoying the blizzard Western New York is getting today. Maybe it will give me a few more outings on my cross-country skis and it certainly is a bonus to work on my on-line course and not be drawn outside to sunshine.

This is a great article about a critically important and interesting group of animals that need our support.  It’s perfect for kids and adults alike!

Thanks for sharing,

Greg

I have posted a comment here on wolves in Montgomery. Now it is 2014 and for the past few weeks I have been getting very large canine tracks around my house. At first I was like, “Oh look, a coyote track,” until I realized that the track is the size of my hand -  that is no coyote. The paws have to be 4 inches or larger.  I do have a female husky in my home and she may have been in heat.  I took photos of the prints and took them to a local gun shop we go to and he said they were wolf tracks and said, “Do you have a dog?”, I asked why (I thought maybe he wanted me to track the tracks with my dog), he said, “Is it a male or female?”,  I said, “Female”.  he said her heat attracted the wolf to my house. Is this possible? I don’t want a lot of people to know because I don’t want someone to try and kill it before I can actually get it on my trail cam I put on my porch -  plus, I don’t want it dead anyway.  I think it’s truly amazing if it is a wolf.

Just wondering;  Our frost level is down up to nine feet in places.  Any ideas how this will affect the tapping timing?  I have never seen the frost down so deep.(I have been tapping for 30 years) Makes me wonder if this will affect my timing.  If anyone responds, please send a copy to my email address.. DLV

This is a beautiful essay, Michael. You shared your enthusiasm for the natural world through an elegantly clear explanation of how tree buds work.

Now I am torn—do I dissect a bud or try to write a poem about it? :)

As a native of Wisconsin, the sweet birch was a new idea for me when I relocated to the East 15 years ago.  Having given it some attention in the Ulster County Catskills over the last six or seven years, I can report the following:  (1) in this region it makes tremendous growth, developing on the forest fringe like aspen but also able to thrive in density like maple or beech; (2) when dry, it is absolutely superior firewood, comparable to hornbeam or hophornbeam, better than ash or oak; (3) it is often described as “hard and heavy”, and it is—sharp sawblades are a must; (4) it mills well but does tend to warp, check, or move when air-drying, limiting the possibilities of longer boards or wider planks; (5) the subtle grain, pale hue, and considerable strength make it just right for contemporary tastes in flooring, cabinetry, etc.—hard maple is probably the most similar lumber.  Beyond all this, I find it a beautiful shade tree, extraordinarily branchy and leafy, and I also concur with all the above remarks about the evocative scent…  It leafs out relatively early in these parts, but that requires qualification:  I have observed some years in which poplar family trees are among the first to leaf out and some years in which they are toward the end; thus the birches (yellow, black, and white), depending on age and location are sometimes close to first and sometimes not.  Earlier than oaks and ashes for sure, and in autumn their leaves turn with just a bit of cold (pale yellow) but sometimes hold on the branches for a while.  They disintegrate almost immediately, as does the wood.  It is some of the least durable lumber in the northeast forest.

I had never heard of clay babies. What a wonderful article! Thanks.

During this mating/cleansing season (mid-February to mid-March) it’s easy and fun to communicate with the coyotes after dark.  Simply go outside and howl simulating a coyote and they will howl/yap back.  It’s great fun when you engage children to join in.

Twice, in the past, I’ve heard what sounded like a group of coyotes late at night, barking and yipping . On one occasion the frequency and intensity of it rose, then abruptly stopped. I imagined a “pack” chasing prey, then going silent as they made the kill. Mitchell’s study, however, brings out other possible scenarios.