Site Discussions

I recently found 2 cecropia caterpillars on a rhododendron which no one cites as a host plant.  They seem quite content there and are well filled out, ready to spin a coccoon.  Should I leave them there over the winter or move them to a more sheltered spot?

Just a note to clarify identification of spotted lanternfly: The late-stage nymph is red with white dots.

Unfortunately David Leff passed away this summer.  He will be missed by those who knew him.

Excellent article.

Sadly, David K. Leff passed away on May 29, 2022 in Collinsville, CT.

Black locust is a good choice for this, coppices and grows fast because it’s a nitrogen-fixer too.

My brother and I purchased a 130 acre plot of land about 11 years ago.  There are about 85 acres of woods and the balance is wetlands.  It was originally purchased as hunting property but over the course of the last few years we have become very interested in the forestry aspects of the property.  We have been assisted by the New York State DEC and the local NRCS office.  They are awesome people.  We have a 480a plan in place for managing our woodlot which comes with significant tax savings.  We also have a conservation easement with NRCS on the wetlands on site.  We are learning more and more every year.
The focus of this article is near and dear to me.  I get closer to the woods every day and look forward to fostering a connection between my grandchildren and the forest.  I liked Brett’s emphasis on the family aspects of owning a woodlot.  Looking forward to reading more from Brett in the future ! 

Thank you Lucienne, for raising my awareness of this issue. Your garden is a beautiful tribute to your grandmother ‘s farm in Haiti . As a fellow hiker and garden enthusiast, I never realized that people were being threatened and discouraged from enjoying nature. God bless you in your noble pursuit.

It’s always fascinating to read about the ancient Native American presence in this region we call New England. European settlers and their descendants have referred to it as “wilderness” when, in reality, generations of indigenous people have been familiar with, settled, and utilized this landscape effectively for thousands of years. There are many lessons still to be learned.

Thank-you for this important release.  Of course early peoples were here in North America, “forever.”  400 Generations is such an amazing chain to consider as living in one region. And the people are still here, despite being colonized and scattered.  Much respect.

Do you mean Vaccinium angustifolium or is augustifolium a variety that I have never heard of?  Thanks!

Fascinating!  Thank you for explaining the logging times of the year.  My wife and I were wondering. I have spend so many summer days in Maine and New Hampshire.  Never any real winters to speak of.  Thanks again!

Amazing.

I ran across an interesting account by Mark Catesby that is relevant to this story. Catesby (1683 – 1749) was one of the first naturalists to record observations of birds (and paint them) in the new world. Apparently, while laying at anchor at Andros Island in the Bahamas in 1725, he listened to “rice birds” (bobolinks) passing overhead for three nights while he lay on the deck of a sloop trying to sleep. While, at the time, this was a clue to the migration of birds, to me it indicates just how abundant these birds were in the East.

It is also interesting that there used to be significant fallouts of bobolinks on Monhegan Island in Maine every May indicating a large nesting population in Maine and the Maritimes. By the time I first started to visit Monhegan in the early ’90, there was, at times, sizeable fallouts (10-20 birds or so) at Tom Martin’s ground feeder each morning, but Tom said it was nothing like the old days. He said his yard used to host hundreds each morning.

I boiled a pot of black birch twigs and chunks.  It smelled great at first and then weakend… When I tasted it after an hour of boiling, the tea was bitter and lacking any wintergreen.  Just like you said. I wished I read your article before doing this (and then doing a search with keywords ‘black birch’, ‘tea’, and ‘bitter’....

Thanks for this piece on the value of Legacy Trees.  I wonder about their ability in relation to smaller neighboring trees to sequester carbon.  If they are wouldn’t it make sense to prioritize their conservation?
Thanks

Donna

Thanks for this perspective on Legacy Trees.  I’m interested in knowing the carbon retaining potential of these large trees in relation to the younger trees around them.  If they sequester more carbon than their younger neighbors shouldn’t we prioritize conserving the within forests?

Remind people grapes grow on the vines the second year… Pruning them completely every year will mean no grapes…

Legacy trees also provide important clues about how the current stand - and in the case of the stand in the photo, perhaps a generation or two before - established and developed. It is easy to imagine that old veteran as growing in an open pasture, providing shade for livestock; perhaps sap for sugaring; striking fall colors; and abundant mast for a host of wildlife species. To say nothing of the eventual reforestation of the landscape. It is not so easy to see how the current stand will produce trees with such an open-grown character as that shown.  However, some stems, if left uncut, will no doubt produce a unique legacy for future generations to ponder!

Joanne is full of energy and knowledge and always up for playing hard on the “tree team.” I so enjoy working with her.

We walked along the warm-season grassland yesterday and were impressed at the drought tolerance of these fields.  The “West Field” part of this grassland is an almost pure stand of magnificent, shoulder-high big bluestem. 

We are in a drought here in southeast Massachusetts.  Everyone’s lawns are burned and the cool-season hay fields are dried up and sere; however, the big bluestem appears to be green, healthy, and thriving.  This bluestem will provide superior, late-season hay when it is harvested in the next few weeks.