Black flies can put a damper on summer fun, but a tick bite can change your life forever. Deer ticks are known to transmit Lyme disease, which is caused by any of three species of spirochete bacteria in the genus Borrelia. When a deer tick latches onto us for longer than 24 hours, it barfs a load of these fast-moving, corkscrew-shaped microbes into our bloodstream. The spirochetes, which have a particular craving for hearts, brains, and joints, begin to drill through our tissues in search of a nice place to settle down and reproduce. [Read more…] about Tick Season is Here
gardening
Weeds of the Northeast
A second edition of Weeds of the Northeast (Cornell University Press, 2023) by Joseph C. Neal, Richard H. Uva, Joseph M. DiTomaso and Antonio DiTommaso has been published. It’s a comprehensive reference book for those aspects of weed biology and ecology important to weed management. [Read more…] about Weeds of the Northeast
Inspect Your Trees for Beech Leaf Disease This Spring
Trees are blooming again in New York so now is the perfect time to keep your eyes peeled for beech tree leaf disease symptoms. [Read more…] about Inspect Your Trees for Beech Leaf Disease This Spring
Wildflower Spotlight: Virginia Virgin’s Bower
Does choosing wildflowers for the edge of your yard leave you in a bind? The showy native vine Virginia virgin’s bower is a great choice to plant along wire fences and trellises. This native vine’s beautiful flowers are beneficial to pollinators and its seeds look like silky fireworks. [Read more…] about Wildflower Spotlight: Virginia Virgin’s Bower
Potato Farming: A Four Generation Story
Clinton County, NY is noted for its extensive and influential military history – we helped save the United States from invasion in the first naval battle of the Revolutionary War just off Lake Champlain’s Valcour Island, and we help end the War of 1812 with Macdonough’s victory off the lake’s Cumberland Head. But there is more. Clinton County is also noted for its agricultural history – apples, maple syrup, milk production, and potatoes. [Read more…] about Potato Farming: A Four Generation Story
Green Your Spring Lawn and Garden Care
As of January 1st, 2023, DEC reclassified certain neonicotinoid (neonic) pesticide products as “restricted use.” Products containing imidacloprid, acetamiprid, and thiamethoxam that are labeled for foliar, widespread outdoor use, and/or seed treatment are no longer permitted to be applied by homeowners. [Read more…] about Green Your Spring Lawn and Garden Care
Clover: A Widely Naturalized Non-Native
Call it a flower or call it a weed – clover is a plant everyone knows. Who hasn’t idled away an hour hunting for a four-leaf clover, hoping for good luck? [Read more…] about Clover: A Widely Naturalized Non-Native
Signs of Spring: Red Maple Flowers
Springtime celebrations would not be complete without some forest confetti. One of the first trees to bloom in springtime, the red maple has tiny, vibrant clusters of flowers that put on quite the show. [Read more…] about Signs of Spring: Red Maple Flowers
Winter Cold Snaps Help Control Hemlock Wooly Adelgid
Native to Asia, the hemlock woolly adelgid, or HWA, is an invasive, aphid-like insect that attacks North American hemlocks. Juvenile HWA, known as crawlers, search for suitable sites on the host tree, usually at the base of the needles. [Read more…] about Winter Cold Snaps Help Control Hemlock Wooly Adelgid
Chicken, Owl or Eagle: They All Start From Amazing Eggs
I’m often tempted to peek at the eggs inside a phoebe’s nest when the parents leave it to forage for food. I’ve picked up a fallen robin’s egg shell and admired its delicate color and smoothness. I’ve marveled at the primal determination of the chick that pecked its way out of an egg to become a full-fledged owl, avocet, or eagle. [Read more…] about Chicken, Owl or Eagle: They All Start From Amazing Eggs