Site Discussions

Where could I find prices for softwoods?

I live in SE Iowa, and am an avid hunter and outdoorsman; this is the first time I have ever seen this plant, AMAZING.  Smell them, they have an herbal smell.  As soon as it gets dark I will see if they glow. I was hoping they were edible.  Lots of cool mushrooms this year too.  Loving life.

I saw the story on the news tonight about the Asian Longhorn and thought it was the beetle we had here about 11 or 12 years ago, but found on you website that it is the Whitespotter Sawyer. My husband says they are still in the area but I haven’t seen one in a long time. They are in the pine trees behind our house. And they do bite and it is quite painful. I suffered no ill effects from it, but thought you should know this.

Do you know of any insect/bug that is fire resistant?

I would like to know the best method of growing the cuttings and what time of year to plant them. I would also like to know what the best method of germinating the seeds.

Looking for any possible people needing clean pine off cuts of lumber for any sort of renewable use. Pieces are mostly 1 inch thick and of various shapes. It is possible to grind this material to chips to make for easier transport. Any ideas or contacts please reply.

Dave’s line “We found the beaver ponds that Andy used to fish as a boy but the dam had blown out some time ago” reminds me of what happened around here approx. a year ago, when a beaver dam “blew out”—and how that event reshaped the surrounding forest.

A series of dams atop a local mountain had been in place long enough to make it onto topo maps and old Google Earth photos. But after a prolonged heavy rain, the top dam let go, which overburdened the lower ponds and dams, until a 15(+)-foot section of the lowest dam gave way and dumped thousands and thousands of gallons of water several hundred feet straight downhill.

The wave carved a new canyon through the forest, crossed the main road through the local “gulf” and undercut or scoured off its pavement, ripped out or drowned dozens of mature trees, flooded the drainage system, and swept over the hood of my firewood vendor’s truck as he was driving up to deliver our load, leaving behind a minefield of muck and debris. Thankfully, the driver was unhurt, his vehicle undamaged, and nobody else was on the road at the time. No one’s house was in the way of the deluge. But the road was closed for repair for several weeks, and the surrounding woodlands permanently scarred and reconfigured.

We live a mile or two away on the other side of the hill this occurred on, and believe we heard the crescendo of the event. An isolated rumble/roar, that sounded like thunder but not quite, with no other weather elements involved, occurred around the same time.

It’s hard to believe that a beaver dam caused such damage! But it’s a good illustration of system dynamics among the forests and waters—and humans who live there.

This article is from 2007.  What is the status of this research today?  Is it possible to participate in using Lecanicillium muscarium?

Thank you.

This is the first season for us to watch the fascinating Indian Pipes.

I found one and each weekend since a few more have appeared. This location is an old well established forest with interesting geo formations throughout. The recent rains have given life to many mushroom, toadstool, fungus and algae, all new to us…a plethora of learning and great beauty for me.

At the top of the NE ridge of the sinkhole, there is a lot of activity right now.  The area has grown up with many varieties of hardwoods.

My task is to keep neighbors from dumping grass clippings and tree trimmings onto the above mentioned beauties. The owner, my friend cannot see the wonder in all I described, sadly.

Do Indian Pipes glow in the dark, really???

Barbara Bellehumeur

Well, I guess we know the truth now.

Besides throwing them out, this is actually a pretty good use for a penny - however, I think it is actually a felony to destroy money :)

Unsuccessfully tried to outsmart the bear by hanging the feeders high with rope and pulley. He climbed one tree and grabbed the line with his mouth and shook it until the feeders fell. Next time, one small feeder was afixed firmly and it stayed. He showed his displeasure by defecating in many places. Now the feeders are kept in at night.

I understand the idea of a wedge and shim, however, the trees I am taking down are only between,7”-9” in diameter, some are back leaning and seem too small to use a wedge, as soon as I attempt to back cut my saw jambs & I cannot cut deep enough to apply any kind of wedge?

I’m a bit frustrated. My trees are close together which poses another problem altogether. Do I need to use a come-along to apply pressure in the direction of my fell?

Steve

I’ve also just discovered some today in our woods in Farmington, Maine.  We’ve been here for 20 years and I’ve never seen them before! Could all the rain have something to do with their appearance?  They are fascinating plants!

I’m very happy to hear, Carolyn, that I’m not the only one with half-empty juice bottles in my truck.

I think a wildlife biologist would tell you that the bear will be back—it’s just a matter of time. I’m under the impression that they follow circuitous routes. It they hit a bird feeder one night, they probably won’t be back the next, but in a week or two, when they’re back in the area, they’ll pay a visit. The bear I described in the blog came back and rummaged around the porch 7 days later.

As for why now after 11 years, I like the theory that decreased hunting pressure plays a role. Bears were considered pests in Vermont up until the 1970s, and a nuisance bear simply wasn’t tolerated. There were also lots of bear hunters who ran them with hounds each fall. The theory goes that this fear of people was passed down from mother to cub; was encoded in their genes. There’s much less danger in the valley for them today, and so some of that fear is being lost.

Color photos of both insects, to scale, and images or illustrations of their symptoms and effects in the trees, would be very helpful the layman, and easy to pass around via the Net.

We lived in our rural hilltown for 11 years without sighting a bear—and still haven’t seen one—although we awoke in April to a demolishment akin to what Dave reports. In this case, bird feeders (several, and all). Every day and night for those 11 years my bird feeders stood or hung outdoors, unmolested. Why this spring did that change?

After replacing or repairing the damages, I began bringing in all feeders every night. Of course, I forgot now and then. So of course, 5 weeks later, the midnight marauder returned. I haven’t forgotten since then!

What I really wonder is, now that the bear knows our yard offers a buffet, why hasn’t it come back to raid our lush, prolific berry patches? Or the vegetable garden? The kitchen-scraps compost pile? The stinky trash can? Or open vehicles with candy wrappers and half-empty juice bottles inside?

I live in an artist condo in Newtonville, MA (a town west of Boston).
We have a number of groups of Indian Pipes under dense undergrowth.
This is the fist year I have seen them - any ideas why after 25+ years here they appeared now?

Thanks, all, for your comments. This is very interesting . . ..

I would like to make contact with Charles Johnson as he is part of the family tree I am collating in New Zealand.
If I have the right Charles, his mother was Margaret and his sister Marjorie Hunter married John Plamenatz.
I would appreciate if someone in this discussion group maybe able to advise Charles of my request please.
Thank you.
Allan Steel.
New Zealand