History, Natural History & the Arts
On Planet Earth, there are some 5,400 species of animals, 11,000 species of birds, 18,000 species of butterflies — and 160,000 species of moths.
That was just one of the many largely unknown facts shared by Paul Smith College’s Professor of Biology Janet Mihuc at a recent meeting of the Adirondack Garden Club held at the Ausable Club in St. Huberts in the High Peaks. [Read more…] about Moth Diversity in Our Landscape
I have a pre-pandemic memory of a dozen high school students – armed with dipnets and wearing chest waders – emerging from a Saint Michael’s College van.
Before masks and social distancing, my collaborators and I packed vans with students from Vermont, Massachusetts, and as far afield as Puerto Rico to monitor macroinvertebrates in Vermont streams. Because they are plentiful and respond quickly to environmental change, macroinvertebrates are great indicators of river and stream health. [Read more…] about Macroinvertebrates: Indicators of River and Stream Health
From early spring through late summer, the air trills and croaks and buzzes and chirps with the sounds of nature’s little loudmouths. Mornings are full of birdsong; evenings are the domain of frogs and crickets.
How do such little animals make so much noise? Let’s find out by looking at some of the sound-per-pound champions you can find in our forests. [Read more…] about Little Loudmouths: Small Animals That Create Big Sounds
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced that DEC will be conducting aerial treatments for the invasive pest spongy moth (formerly known as gypsy moth) in six state forests areas in New York.
Treatment is taking place between May 20th and May 31st, weather permitting. The priority areas chosen already suffered spongy moth defoliation for multiple years and are expected to have another high level of infestation this year according to survey efforts conducted by DEC regional staff. [Read more…] about DEC Announces Aerial Spraying of Six State Forest Areas
Have you noticed spongy moth egg masses in your neighborhood? Last year was a boom year for spongy moth (formerly known as gypsy moth) caterpillar populations, especially in Central and Western New York.
Egg masses contain 600-700 eggs each and will hatch around May. If you find them now, you can scrape them off trees or buildings and drop them into a container of detergent to prevent the eggs from hatching. [Read more…] about How to Scrape Spongy Moth Eggs
These days it’s no shock to learn that officials may not always give us the most up-to-date information on a fairly new disease which poses a grave threat to the public. The surprise is that it doesn’t involve COVID-19. [Read more…] about Ticks & Lyme Disease: A Primer
On a winter day, I drove down to a nearby wetland bisected by a town road and walked carefully onto the ice. I was looking for cattail heads to dissect so I could meet the caterpillars who overwinter inside the seed fluff. Many of the cattails I found that day had blown over during the previous week’s windstorm, but there were enough still standing for me to collect two from each side of the road. [Read more…] about Cozy Cattails: A Caterpillar Haven
I was settling in to answer a few emails when I heard, “Dad, some huge bug just flew into the lamp shade!” As the designated bug catch-and-releaser, I pressed into action.
A western conifer seed bug (Leptoglossus occidentalis) had made its way into our house, and movement of boxes from the basement likely brought it to our living space. Even beyond human houses, this bug is considered invasive in the Northeast. [Read more…] about Western Conifer Seed Bugs In The Northeast
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced plans to reclassify certain neonicotinoid (neonic) pesticide products as “Restricted Use” effective January 1st, 2023. [Read more…] about DEC’s Intent to Restrict Certain Neonicotinoid Pesticide Products
Whether one has owned a pet cat, dog, chinchilla or what-have-you, or merely admired the grace and beauty of a horse or deer, most of us develop positive links with at least one four-legged animal. But for everyone except maybe scientists, warm and fuzzy feelings evaporate when you move up to critters with a thousand or more legs.
Insects, all of which have six legs, seldom elicit an oxytocin feel-good rush. I mean it’s unusual for folks to get doe-eyed over a mosquito, yellow jacket or cucumber beetle. On the whole, though, insects are nowhere near as creepy as eight-legged beasties. The term arachnid, I’m pretty sure, is Latin for “things with too many legs for my comfort level.” It includes ticks, which can transmit around a dozen serious illnesses to humans, as well as spiders. These latter, of which we seem to have an innate fear, are equal parts by weight of legs, eyes and hairs, by my estimation at least. [Read more…] about Counting on Arthropods