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Site Discussions

Michele Q
Sep 13, 2021

So beautifully written and full of information. Thank you!

From "As Summer Wanes, Fawns Lose Their Spots" »

Dorothy Wilkinson
Sep 13, 2021

That was one of the most informative articles I’ve read on the ‘Jacks n Jills’ in the pulpit. Thank you for posting it. I hope to grow these beauties some day soon. I’ve heard that 2021 was a very good year for them so I am ordering some corms this fall. I had no idea they could grow to two feet high. I remember these and May Apples being in the woods I played in as a child. I love these old time favorites.

From "Jack-in-the-Pulpit, or is that Jill?" »

Moriah
Sep 12, 2021

That was the most informative and sensitively written article on these puzzling creatures I keep finding under the rotting wood under our kitchen sink. We had a leak and the wood of our cabinetry has suffered. I’ve been reading what I can to learn about the little intruders and how best to remove them. As with all nature’s “intruders”, I’m prone to be of two minds. One is practical and concerned for child safety in the house. No need for excess earwigs or other unwanted creature to be popping out unexpectedly for small playing hands. On the other side I always consider what message Mother Nature might be sending me. Ants really do tend to show up in places I need to apply a bit more effort in maintaining. Earwigs…an intriguing guest. Thank you for such a well written piece.

From "Earwigs: Remember Them Next Mother's Day" »

Stephen Wilder
Sep 11, 2021

Thank you for this article. This is such important and helpful information. In my own efforts to plant native species, I have found I have much better luck with seed that I have collected locally than with seed ordered by mail. Now it makes sense.

From "Sowing the Seeds of Hope" »

Marthica
Sep 10, 2021

This summer I was able to raise and set free 16 Monarchs. I am still waiting on 8 more cocoons to become butterflies and one more caterpillar.
Down to the wire for the trip south!

Thank you for this page. Wonderful information.

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

Chuck Strand
Sep 08, 2021

In northern Illinois when growing up we had drainage ditches on the farm.  In a sudden cold snap the ditches would freeze over leaving clear ice over the path that the muskrats swam between their breathing holes We could drive on top of the ditch banks and see them under the clear ice.  We would jump out and run down and jump up and down on the ice and hit the ice with sledge hammers and axes. The pressure under the ice on the muskrats ears would cause them to lose sense of direction and stun them.  They would drown before they got to the next breathing hole.  We called it muskrat stomping.  I tell this story and everyone laughs and says it is bull. But true funny I never heard anyone talk about it but us - heard anyone else do it.  We would identify the area and tell our trapper neighbors where it was. We were young and stupid but not dumb enough to try to pull one out of the ice until it had been there a long time.

From "In Homes on Ice, Muskrats Endure the Season" »

Bette ( Foote) Arnold
Sep 05, 2021

Heidi, watch NH LAW frequently and just learned you are Wayne Fortier’s daughter. He is my cousin. Your bio is certainly impressive. You have accomplished so much. Proud to know of your connection to our beautiful state of NH.

From "Heidi Murphy, at Work in the Woods" »

Penny
Sep 04, 2021

Thanks you for that interesting article. I live in the Vancouver (BC) area, and we have many mature beech trees in our heavily landscaped complex, although they are planted around the complex singly, not grouped together.  I had wondered (and was disappointed that) I could never find a beech nut that has any actual mast in them - they look like they do, but when you open up these tri-sided kernels, they are all empty. You would think that a few would have managed to get pollinated in that the trees are not that far apart from each other.  I am wondering if there are any other reasons these trees produce only ‘fake nuts’, and produce many, many of them - the ground under them is carpeted with empty nuts? The trees all appear very healthy - no evidence of that beech bark disease that I had read which causes reduced mast production.

From "Mast Mysteries" »

Kimberly Nair
Sep 02, 2021

I have a black racer in my yard… I’ve seen it twice. It’s more of a dark grey.. smooth and I have only seen the tail end of it. But it is a solid grey.

From "Black Racers: Living on the Edge" »

Dave
Sep 02, 2021

Wow, nicely done!  Looks great and well balanced in the water. It’s nice too that the pictures show the work that went into this.  Question: did birchbark canoes have planking as this one does ?

From "Building a Birchbark Canoe" »

Richard Hesslein
Sep 01, 2021

So fantastic to hear of this wonderful opportunity to maintain and increase sustainable economic activity, healthy ecology, and public recreational access!!

From "Genuinely Within Our Grasp" »

Cindy
Aug 31, 2021

Fascinating, by the way. Thank you!

From "Ant-mimic Spiders: Masters of Disguise" »

Cindy
Aug 31, 2021

And we humans think we are so clever…

From "Ant-mimic Spiders: Masters of Disguise" »

Lisa Johnson
Aug 30, 2021

I love all the northern Woodlands articles but this was especially interesting Rachel!  It’s amazing what people discover!!! My son and I will be taking a closer look, I share these with him.

From "Ant-mimic Spiders: Masters of Disguise" »

Michael
Aug 29, 2021

The wonderful aroma of wild grapes in CT can be smelled from some distance when ripe. I suppose it may be possible to smell them from the sea if they have such an aroma and grew at greater levels before colonial environmental degradation.

From "Harvesting the Wild Grape" »

Dennis
Aug 28, 2021

I have noticed a large amount of wild rice plants growing along the waterway on the Mattabesset River in the lower watershed area heading down to the Connecticut River from Cromwell, CT. It’s look like the rice is at or almost peaking time for picking. The birds do enjoy it as I have them eating away over the past few years.

From "New England's Wild Rice" »

Mona
Aug 27, 2021

Marc Parill—- I agree with you on the mourning doves being bullies. I have had a flock of them come in and chase away all but my small birds: goldfinches, sparrows and black-capped chickadees. I am really upset about this as I have counted up to 29 species that USED to visit my feeders. Now it’s just the doves and the small birds. At this rate, I will probably stop feeding my birds for awhile just to see if the doves will go away.

From "The Secret Life of the Mourning Dove" »

Patricia Liddle
Aug 26, 2021

Enjoyed learning about Harvey’s story. Love the phrase comparing iron and wood.

From "Harvey Brotman Creates from Wood" »

Boy Bakhuys
Aug 22, 2021

Loved your article. I’m a beekeeper with several hives, I do not take much of their honey, but give it back to them to survive winter instead of sugar. I’m always curious to where they obtain their nectar and pollen and therefor marked a handful of Worker Bees with a bright color to be able to recognize them in the field after following them on a mountain bike. Your way of bee-lining is much more sophisticated and fun because of so many of the readers have done this during their childhood with their dads. Love that. Thanks for the drawings, I’ll make one for myself for sure.

From "Bee Lining: The Oldtimers' Way to Find Wild Beehives" »

David Donegan
Aug 20, 2021

Great story.  Beautiful table!!!  Would love one.

From "Harvey Brotman Creates from Wood" »