New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

insects

Firewood and Invasive Pests

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Stack of split firewood and a maul for splitting courtesy Wikimedia user Chmee2For many of us, this season involves hunting, gathering, and preparing for a long, cold winter. This often includes stacking (or restacking) the firewood that’s been seasoning while we enjoyed the laid back warmer months of summer. Humans have used wood as a source of heat since they learned to control fire more than a million years ago.

For many in the Northeast, it’s a secondary, cost effective, and efficient way to heat our homes. In addition to home heating, firewood is often a component of camping and recreating. Moving firewood, however – whether for home heating or camp site ambiance – can spread exotic invasive pests and cause harm to the forest. [Read more…] about Firewood and Invasive Pests

The Architecture of Spider Webs

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classic circular form spider's web courtesy Wikimedia user StephencdicksonOne neighbor calls our house “the spider house” because so many orb weavers spin webs outside our large living room windows. Our spiders work on their webs at dawn and dusk, and I watch their silhouettes against pastel skies as they move like aerialists – twisting, pulling, building, repairing. [Read more…] about The Architecture of Spider Webs

Hackberry Galls: Little Green Yurts

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galls on hackberry courtesy Wikimedia user Beatriz Moisset A student plopped a leaf on my desk, pointed to several green lumps on its underside, and asked, “What are those green growths?” It was a stump-the-professor moment, and in this case, I was indeed stumped. The growths certainly seemed to be galls of some sort. But which ones? [Read more…] about Hackberry Galls: Little Green Yurts

Reading Bug Tracks on Tea Leaves

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tea plant courtesy Wikimedia user James SteakleyFrom palm-reading to watching Fox News, humans throughout the ages have sought knowledge through some decidedly irrational means. But every now and then, superstition pays off.

For example, studying the pattern of coffee grounds in the bottom of one’s cup, a practice known as tasseomancy, will nearly always reveal that someone forgot to put a filter in the coffeemaker basket. And haruspicy, the study of the fresh entrails of a gutted animal, is consistently right in concluding the animal is dead. [Read more…] about Reading Bug Tracks on Tea Leaves

Rethinking the Lawn: Cutting the Grass

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grass courtesy Wikimedia user J.M.Garg This spring, we went the no-mow route on about a quarter-acre of our lawn, the last remaining groomed piece we hadn’t turned into vegetable garden or permanent meadow. What a relief! During the hottest, driest spells over the summer, the grass wasn’t growing anyway. The lawn we did mow during the drought – mostly pathways – turned unhappily brown. [Read more…] about Rethinking the Lawn: Cutting the Grass

Spotted Lanternfly: A Primer

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Spotted lanternfly courtesy Lawrence Barringer, Pennsylvania Department of AgricultureIn September 2021, one boy’s blue ribbon-winning 4H project at the Kansas State Fair made national news. The exhibit included a colorfully-spotted, inch-long, moth-like insect that immediately attracted the attention of entomologists. The insect, which the boy had found on his front porch, was a spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula).

Native to Asia, this species was discovered in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 2014 and is considered a harmful invasive in the United States, causing much stress to plants, gardeners, foresters, and farmers. Although it is firmly established in the northeastern United States, the 4H exhibit was the first time entomologists had noted the spotted lanternfly’s existence so far west. [Read more…] about Spotted Lanternfly: A Primer

Security Lights Threaten Fireflies

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firefly courtesy Wikimedia user Bruce MarlinAs a kid, many a June twilight was spent trailing the beacons of fireflies in the deepening dusk to try and catch them in my hands. I was endlessly enthralled. Endlessly until Mom called to clean up for bed, at least. It pleases me that my own two children went through this phase, presenting me with Mason jars of flashing green magic before they released “their” fireflies outdoors. [Read more…] about Security Lights Threaten Fireflies

Dire News In New York’s First-Ever Pollinator Distribution Survey

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honey bee forager collecting pollen courtesy Jon SullivanNew York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has released a multi-year survey of hundreds of pollinator species in New York State.

It’s hoped the Empire State Native Pollinator Survey 2017-2021 will provide the foundation for future pollinator research and conservation efforts. [Read more…] about Dire News In New York’s First-Ever Pollinator Distribution Survey