Site Discussions

My six year old son jumped into a bush that resembled deadly nightshade but the doctors said it wasn’t night shade.  My son had boils and swollen legs within minutes of jumping in.  He was screaming his legs and arms were on fire.  The docs gave him high doses of steroids and soaked his legs in a salt water solution.  I guess I’m wondering if you know of any plants that can cause that? By the time I took our German friend up to look for the bush- the maintenance folks had dug it all up.

I think the age given for White Pines (“maybe as old as 200”) is a little low. In 2004 I cored a group of five White Pines in a forested wetland about 60 miles north of here near the Kennebec; they showed ages of from 217 to 330 years.The tree centers were deteriorated but the ages were based on the rings counted; had to use magnification.

In keeping with Earth Day 2012, this is a great article and is an example of how we can utilize technologies to better understand our environment. There are a couple of other apps out there that might be of interest to your readers. The first helps to document and map invasive species, plants and animals. http://whatsinvasive.com/ “What’s Invasive” help collect information about Invasive species that are a threat to native plants and animals, crowding natives, consuming food sources, or acting as fire hazards. Another app is focused on river systems. http://creekwatch.researchlabs.ibm.com/ “Creek Watch” help engage citizen scientists and help “crowd source” data collection -  something the Audobon Society pioneered over 100 years ago. Tech apps aid nature http://shar.es/rOFKE using mobile & social tech to crowd source data for protecting water

Having worked on State land and as a County Forester since 1948,
except for Army time, I have seen many “faces” on trees in the woods of Northern Vt. I like this even though you have to use your imagination.
Perhaps Northern Woodland ought to “gather” such things up into a
booklet or so. Glad to hear others see faces in the woods also.

Just wanted to pass along that the gypsy moth was not the downfall of the once mighty Chestnut. It is a blight introduced by well meaning idiots in NYC from Chinese chestnut trees in 1904.

Hi.  Thanks for the great article.  I am interested in using some of the photos of hemlock bark logging and leather tanneries for an interpretive sign panel I am developing as part of an Interpretive Media course at the University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point.  The sign may potentially be published at the Van Vliet Hemlocks natural area in Vilas County, Wisconsin.  Who should I contact about acquiring permission for these photos?  I am particularly interested in the photos of the hemlocks laying on the forest floor, and the one of the tannery workers striping hides.

Thank you very much!
Jennica

I saw one of these for the first time last night. I was not sure what type of insect it was until I looked it up. It bit me on the inside of my arm. And yes, it did hurt worse than a bee sting. I am allergic to bees and oddly enough I had the same reaction to the beetle bite. My arm started swelling up and this morning I am left with a very defined bite mark with about a 1/2 inch red circle all the way around it. It still hurts. I took pictures of the bite mark if anyone is interested.

Looking out about 75 - 100 yards from our deck, we saw a tawny coloured cat with quite heavy fur about the size of a small German Shepherd. He had pointed upright ears and was just lying in among the trees at the edge of the forest. We watched him for about 15 minutes (sadly we had no camera). He got up and turned around and lay down again a few times and then slowly meandered back into the woods.

The photos I see of Catamounts seem sleeker. Are there other mountain cats that have tawny colored fur which are not quite so sleek?

I have the same problem that Annette has. but the tree is losing all of its needles. I thought it may be too dry where it’s planted so I dug a small hole about a foot from the base and about a foot down and hammered a 2” pipe down about 2’ then put a hose with water dripping in. I don’t know if it’s helping yet. I can’t see anything moving on it where the splits are, but down from the splits the sap is dry and has white steaks. The sap starts off clear. It’s the only white pine in my yard. It has grown about 16” since I planted it 2 1/2 years ago it’s about 7’ now. Please help me keep my tree, any help would be great.
Thank you, Bill

PS. The splits are not on the branches they’re on the main part of the tree, from top to bottom, maybe 4 spots.

Hi Susan.

I spoke with Ginny Barlow, and we think it probably was indeed a porcupine who chewed on your branches, and the branches dropped to the ground. We just can’t think of what else it could be!

Anyone else out there have any ideas?

Hi there,
We recently have encountered a mysterious happening on our property. We have several species of hard wood trees, namely a large sickle pear, apple pear and elm trees. The other day after winter clean up several dozen branches were scattered under each of the trees. Some were at least 3/4 inch in diameter. The bark wasn’t stripped, but it appears that something chewed through the branches and they were dropped from all heights. Would anyone have an idea what type of animal would do this. We haven’t seen any signs of porkys, but we wonder.
Please assist us in identifying the culprit.
Life in NH

New fracking technology is now being used in NY that uses no water and leaves no harmful chemicals.  Gasfrak Energy Services uses a methane gel rather than water.

I have a secret weapon for finding sheds.
Her name is Patty and she’s a Labrador Retriever.
I could not find her one day.  She has an
invisible fence so she should have been in
my own back yard.  I searched everywhere.
Finally, in my own backyard, I saw a mound of briers
and dead leaves heaving up and down. She was
backing her way out from under the pile
and with her came her prize - an antler from a young
buck.  The critters whose home she invaded had
had it only a short time as there were only a couple
of gnaw marks on it.  So I thanked her, purchased
a piece of antler from Orvis for her and now the antler
is mine.

A month ago I found a shed antler in an overgrown conifer plantation that for years has been a winter deer yard.  This antler was a year or more on the ground, I would say, because it was mostly covered in green algae. It was only partially chewed.

An interesting article that answers questions we’ve long had: When do deer and moose grow and lose their antlers? And does anything eat the shed antlers? Thanks for the information!

I feel like I’m at this conference. Look forward to the next report!

When cleaning out my Purple Martin gourds I found a straw nest that was completely round with an opening in one side.  What bird makes a nest like this?

Well said! Thank you.

RE: Watering in the winter.

I plant lots of trees. I seldom water after the first growing season and never after the second. However, I’m from Upstate NY.  We get a lot of precipitation, essentially year around (We average ~160” of snow every winter.) so contact your local nursery or an arborist that is familiar with your climate. Having said that, I’ll take my best shot anyway:

It all depends on the tree species and how well-established it is:

First year- water a lot!, especially for the first month or two after you plant. Research has shown that up to 90% of a tree’s roots can get left behind in the nursery when a tree is dug. It will take several years to re-grow a new root system, so you just about can’t over water in the first year.

Second & ~3rd year:  The trees should have regrown a substantial root system. So you should be able to get buy with far less frequent, but deeper watering.

After that, you are (or should be) talking about well-established trees, I think your daughter is correct. You shouldn’t need to water in the winter, or the summer for that matter.

Again, talk to someone that knows your local climate. You say that Rigecrest, CA is high-desert.  For all I know, you may have to irrigate for the life of the tree!  if so, ya should-a planted cactus!

LOL

Excellent work… one of the exercises I use in my “thinking” classes is to have students read headlines from newspapers and other publications. The question to answer is: “Is this fact or opinion?”

While journalism ethics are an important consideration so are the critical thinking skills of readers! We need to develop better “BS Detectors.”