Site Discussions

Thanks for a great read. I live in the South now, but I am from the northeast and your writing evoked memories of the forests I grew up with. I am familiar with that ecosystem and miss it! I remember an old-growth forest near Ithaca, NY (Smith Woods) I used to enjoy. Another one at Windsor Jambs in MA. Precious remnants of the once-great temperate forests. Thank you!

How likely it is to find Liverworts on a sandy barrier island in New York? Different shoreline than Maine. Our town’s Historical Society has a garden and in an shady are where we exhibit a laundry yard covered in shells we have spotted liverworts, which are taking over one side.

I have had the humble experience of befriending a crow I’ve named Charlie.  He loves to come every morning VERY early and caws until I go out and feed him.  The longer I take the more different his cawing gets.  About 3 weeks ago I heard some funny sounding caws and looked out to see Charlie, another adult and 2 youngsters.  He (or she) had brought the entire family by. Now they all come every day at least twice.  The young ones will come alone and cry til the parents come.  I know Charlie knows me and has passed onto his family that I’m ok.  They all look up at me while they’re eating. It’s quite the experience I must say. What an honour to have these amazing birds trust me like this.  When I hear Charlie I’ll say to my cat “is that Charlie” and he perks his ears up and runs to the window.  Now he knows the sound of “Charlie’s babies” too.  So cute.  I just love them.

You mention “In a year with alarmingly few insects” and I have noticed that, too. Last year, there were lots of swallowtail butterflies in my yard. This year I think I saw one. And there seemed to be more bees last year.
We had that oppressively high heat earlier than usual. Did that kill off a lot of insects?
Or is it the neonectisides (can’t remember if that is the correct spelling)?
Probably it is a combination of factors. But it is alarming.
Thank you for your very interesting and educational observations of nature.

There were maybe one or two seasons when they were everywhere around where I lived on the south shore of Montreal. That was around the late sixties or early seventies. I’ve seen very few since then. Maybe not even one in decades. I wonder what changed.

I never before realised that thistle was edible, nor that artichoke was a variety of thistle.  Apparently, breaded and fried, it’s a common and traditional dish in Sicily - though I don’t know which variety of thistle they cook with.

I have Black Capped chickadees and Mountain chickadees and Nuthatches as well as quite a few others. They all definitely have me trained. The black capped chickadee parents have been taking their youngsters around showing them how to collect bugs and eat nuts from my feeder, and drink out of the hanging water dish. But if the water is low and if there are no nuts I will hear about it from them. They will chatter at my window when I’m in the kitchen very loudly until I come out and refill for them.

Good information here. I’m going to try and rough shape a few handles from some green mulberry.  The stuff stays wet forever and I don’t have 2 yrs to dry each blank. So, I’m hoping this method proves useful.  I’m a little worried about warp and twist, so I may modify just a bit and cut larger, rougher staves or blanks. That way if they twist over the next couple weeks, I can somewhat compensate for it. Thanks so much for the detailed info that you’ve made work for you. 

- John

24 hours after I received this article they removed the word gypsy from the gypsy moth. My apologies for using that word.

It started at the top of a older beech tree. The tree died over time, about 3 years. Now it has spread to about a dozen young trees. What a shock when I read the reason they all look so wilted and dying leaves.

I think I spotted a Ilex verticillata in the wild with red berries. Does that mean there’d be a male close by? If so, how would I identify it? I would like to try and take a cutting of each to propagate. This land is to be developed so I consider the cuttings as an attempt at rescuing it.

We have a Harrier I have been following for several years.

I once saw a milk snake with stripes like a coral snake.  It was at least five feet in length.  I saw it come out of a rock wall and go under a deck where mice nested.  Later I saw it come out and go back into the wall.  I never saw the head so I don’t know how long it was but about four inches in diameter.  The deck was just laying on the ground.  I then built a wood shed over the deck and shut off access for the snake so I never saw it again.

Given a bullfrog this year. Built a pool area just for the occasion (and as an extension of our turtle pond- complete with turtle tunnel only younger turtles can use).

Stumbled on your article. Loved it. Beautifully written. Thanks.

I have a potted impatient plant hanging from a tree.  I’d see it sway every now and then.  I took it down to turn the pot for even circulation.  I noticed 2 holes in the soil. 1 was filled with dry leaves.  Then a smallish bird flew out.  So quick I couldn’t even tell the color.  Except dark.  Any suggestions?

I was walking through the park this morning with the dogs when I heard a “hello”.  I looked all around and saw no one so I kept walking.  Then I heard it again “hello”.  I thought someone was playing jokes and then I heard it again.  So I stopped and looked up and there was a crow in the tree.  I waited and watched him and then he opened his beak and said hello.  Wow I was astonished.  I said well hello to yoy too and he said it again.  So strange, he must have learned this somewhere but I was relieved when I figured out where the hello was coming from.  :)

Onkwehonwe built those standing stone structures.

I have seen many Eagles take fish from Osprey. I volunteer at an Alewife run and it is fairly common there. But once I was rowing across a harbor in the fog I heard a ruckus in the sky and out of the fog emerged a Great Blue Heron with a fish in mouth and an Eagle with the same fish in its talons flying in tandem. I didn’t see who ended up with the fish as they disappeared back into the fog.

We have a pair of mourning doves that have made a nest in our garage
on top of the garage door opener and light. We have left our garage door open since they laid their eggs. How long does it take before the eggs hatch once laid ??
We would like to close our garage door, but don’t want to,until the chicks are able to make it on their own.

What a lovely article, I really enjoyed this! Your boys will have wonderful memories of home when they are older!