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nature

Keeping the Grass High

June 27, 2020 by Paul Hetzler Leave a Comment

blades of grassI’ve been wary of lawns since about 1970 when I saw a public-service TV ad which featured a leafy green bundle dropping into an eerily vacant playground. A baritone, God-like voice issued a dire warning, something like: “Grass. We think it’s bad for kids. Stay away from it.”

My five-year-old mind rejected Mom’s account that some grass was bad but ours was OK, because she wouldn’t give any details about the bad stuff. It was a few days before I ventured onto the lawn again. [Read more…] about Keeping the Grass High

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: gardening, nature, Wildlife

Be On The Lookout For Signs of Southern Pine Beetle

June 27, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

pine infested with southern pine beetlesDEC’s Forest Health team has seen some success in tackling southern pine beetle (SPB) and restoring the pine barrens on Long Island.

If you live on Long Island or in the Hudson Valley, keep your eyes out for signs of southern pine beetle, which are active and flying now. [Read more…] about Be On The Lookout For Signs of Southern Pine Beetle

Filed Under: Hudson Valley - Catskills, Nature, New York City Tagged With: DEC, insects, Invasive Species, nature, Wildlife

Reducing Conflicts With Bears

June 27, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

black bear provided by decNew York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is encouragingd New Yorkers to reduce the potential for conflicts with bears across the state.

In June, black bear movement increases as the breeding season begins and yearling (one-year-old) bears disperse to find their own space. Inevitably some of these bears, particularly yearlings, wander through places these animals would not normally inhabit, like suburban or urban neighborhoods. [Read more…] about Reducing Conflicts With Bears

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Recreation, Western NY Tagged With: black bears, camping, DEC, hiking, nature, Wildlife

Study: Climate Change A Threat Adk Boreal Peatlands

June 26, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Shingle Shanty Preserve and Research StationA study published this week in the journal Wetlands documents an invasion happening in the Adirondacks: the black spruce, tamarack, and other boreal species are being overcome by trees normally found in warmer, more temperate forests.

Ultimately, researchers from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) predict that these invaders could overtake a variety of northern species, eliminating trees that have long been characteristic of boreal wetlands in the Adirondacks. [Read more…] about Study: Climate Change A Threat Adk Boreal Peatlands

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Nature Tagged With: Climate Change, nature, Shingle Shanty Preserve, SUNY ESF, Wildlife

NY Natives: Joseph Shauquethqueat’s Joe Pye Weed

June 25, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Joe Pye weed by Danielle BrigidaJune 22-28 is National Pollinator Week and one of New York State’s important pollinator friendly species is Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium spp.), a native essential for any garden seeking to attract and help pollinators.

According to legend, Joe Pye was a Native American herbalist who used local plants to cure a variety of illnesses including typhoid fever. For years, it was unknown if Joe Pye was a real person or a botanical myth, that is until research confirmed the plant’s name originated from the nickname of Joseph Shauquethqueat, a Mohican chief who lived in Massachusetts and New York in the 18th and early 19th centuries. [Read more…] about NY Natives: Joseph Shauquethqueat’s Joe Pye Weed

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: bees, butterflies, gardening, Indigenous History, Medical History, Native American History, Native Plants, nature, pollinators, Wildlife

Our Glacial Landscape: Drumlins and Erratics

June 23, 2020 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Drumlin by Adelaide TyrolThere’s a story about an early tourist to New England from New York City who stopped his horse and buggy to watch a farmer harvesting a spring crop of rocks from his land.

The farmer was loading rocks onto a sledge drawn by oxen. [Read more…] about Our Glacial Landscape: Drumlins and Erratics

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: nature

Northern Snakeheads In New York State

June 22, 2020 by Paul Hetzler Leave a Comment

Northern Snakehead courtesy Wikimedia user Brian GratwickeIts immense reproductive capacity, ability to skulk about on dry land, and avid appetite for all manner of aquatic life (as well as a few terrestrial species) has earned this invasive fish some apt monikers, chief among them Fishzilla and Frankenfish.

The northern snakehead (Channa argus) is a fierce apex predator which hails from southeast Asia, and breeding populations are known to be established in Delaware, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and downstate New York. Individual specimens have also been found in eight other states. [Read more…] about Northern Snakeheads In New York State

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: DEC, fish, Fisheries, fishing, Invasive Species, nature, Wildlife

Call the Dogs off the Lions

June 21, 2020 by Paul Hetzler Leave a Comment

sweat bee on dandelion - Scott Bauer - USDA Agricultural Research Service - Bugwood.orgAlthough it’s possible dandelions arrived on the Mayflower, they do not get the esteem they deserve as plucky immigrants that put down firm roots in a new land, or as a vitamin-packed culinary delight, or as a multi-purpose herbal remedy. [Read more…] about Call the Dogs off the Lions

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Food, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: Native Plants, nature, wild food, wildflowers, Wildlife

Pollinator Pathways Stamp Out Neatness

June 20, 2020 by Paul Hetzler 1 Comment

sweat bee on dandelion - Scott Bauer - USDA Agricultural Research Service - Bugwood.orgThe old saying “The road to hell is paved with good intentions” has been a great comfort to me over the years, since I figure that means the road to heaven is paved with bad thoughts, which are usually easy to come by.

Since ancient times, we have built all manner of roads, highways, byways, boulevards, terraces, turnpikes, tow-paths, and bike paths. But given the astonishing pace at which our native pollinator populations are dwindling, it’s a critical time to blaze a new kind of road. A pathway, to be specific. [Read more…] about Pollinator Pathways Stamp Out Neatness

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: bees, butterflies, gardening, insects, nature, pollinators, Wildlife

20 DEC Campgrounds, Day Use Areas Open Friday

June 18, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Lake Islands Campsite by Michael Pantusco20 of New York State’s DEC campgrounds in the Adirondack and Catskill parks will open on June 19 for the 2020 season. [Read more…] about 20 DEC Campgrounds, Day Use Areas Open Friday

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Recreation, Western NY Tagged With: camping, DEC, nature

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