Longtime Canton, NY resident and regular contributor to New York Almanack Paul Hetzler has published his third volume of humorous nature essays, Birds of Happiness Aren’t Blue and 85 Other Very Funny and Somewhat Educational Nature Essays (2023). [Read more…] about Paul Hetzler Publishes Third Book of Nature Essays
trees
Check for Spotted Lanternflies
Now is a great time to check for spotted lanternflies (SLF). You may find some adult lanternflies lingering until the first hard frost, as well as their freshly laid egg masses that will overwinter and bring next year’s generation of lanternflies. [Read more…] about Check for Spotted Lanternflies
$12.9 Million Available For Urban and Community Forestry
Applications are now being accepted for a total of $12.9 million for urban and community forestry projects by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry Program, through the Inflation Reduction Act. [Read more…] about $12.9 Million Available For Urban and Community Forestry
A Short History of Logging Whitney Preserve in the Adirondacks
Nehasane, Brandreth and Whitney Preserves were three private parks in the Adirondacks that included logging railroads built to extract large stands of virgin timber in the late 19th century.
The illustrious career of William Collins Whitney (1841-1904) was chronicled in a New York City social diary titled “The Gilded Age Billionaires”: “His political star rose right along with his business ventures … and he eventually entered national politics through Grover Cleveland’s Administration where he was Secretary of the Navy.” [Read more…] about A Short History of Logging Whitney Preserve in the Adirondacks
Help Collect Seeds for the State’s Saratoga Nursery
The New York State operated Colonel William F. Fox Memorial Saratoga Tree Nursery produces more than 1.5 million seedlings annually, maintains more than 200 acres for seed production, and has orchards located across the state.
The Nursery is currently growing more than 6 million seedlings of over 50 different species, but it needs your help. [Read more…] about Help Collect Seeds for the State’s Saratoga Nursery
Brandreth Park: A Latecomer to Adirondack Forestry Planning
Nehasane Park, and the Brandreth and Whitney Preserves were three private parks that included logging railroads built to extract large stands of virgin timber in the late 19th century. Brandreth Preserve was the last of these to institute serious forestry planning. [Read more…] about Brandreth Park: A Latecomer to Adirondack Forestry Planning
Red Alert: Leaf Color Indicates Maple Distress
The dearth of red fall color in sugar maples, a broad regional trend first noted around 2018, is unrelated to fall weather or to the growing conditions in a given season. It’s a troubling sign that sugar maples as a species may have entered a long-term decline.
Although every fall is beautiful, some years are notably vibrant, while others – like 2023 – are more subdued. We know that weather is the main factor that determines the brilliance of the autumn leaf display. [Read more…] about Red Alert: Leaf Color Indicates Maple Distress
If a Tree Falls in the Woods, It Creates Opportunity
In May of this year, when a cottonwood measuring nearly 3½ feet in diameter and more than 100 feet tall fell across a trail in the Saint Michael’s College Natural Area, I saw the event less as a tragedy, and more as a circle of life opportunity. As the saying goes, “nothing in nature is wasted,” and a fallen tree provides opportunity to an array of beings, from the smallest organisms to the seeds that may grow into the next big tree.
When a tree falls in the woods, it creates a new gap in the canopy allowing light to reach previously shaded saplings – and increasing their chances to reach maturity. [Read more…] about If a Tree Falls in the Woods, It Creates Opportunity
The Peculiar Acorn Pip Gall Wasp
In Northern New York, acorns ripen in late summer and normally drop from oak trees from September through October. They may fall earlier, however, for a host of reasons, from eager squirrels getting a head start on gathering nuts for the winter to environmental stress, including excessively hot or rainy weather.
Prematurely dropped acorns are green, whereas ripe acorns are brown. Other reasons acorns may drop early include poor pollination and tree infestation by insects or diseases. The most peculiar cause of premature acorn drop that I have encountered is the acorn pip gall wasp. [Read more…] about The Peculiar Acorn Pip Gall Wasp
Lichens & Air Quality
While hiking in the woods, you may have noticed lichen on trees and rocks. Often mistaken as a plant or moss, lichen is a complex symbiotic relationship between fungi and algae.
Lichen receives its nutrients from photosynthesis, relying on the atmosphere to survive. They cannot filter what they absorb because they lack roots and protective surfaces. [Read more…] about Lichens & Air Quality