Category Archives: Wildlife & Plants

Nature Connections

Communities, Golf Courses, Home Landscapes, Neighborhoods, Parks & Sanctuaries, Wildlife & Plants, ,

A friend of mine mentioned a video production that is focused on Monarch Butterflies and their migration. He is fascinated with the Monarch and the fact that the species is in a population decline.

The film he wants me to see is produced by Louie Schwartzberg, and I have yet to see it. However, in doing some web surfing for information about Schwartzberg, I found that he had given a Ted talk, that I think is just great.

The message is aimed at reminding everyone that we should all slow down, look around and really absorb the various gifts that we are given every day. We all get so wrapped up in the latest political news, the state of the economy, and all our “personal problems” that we simply don’t take the time to look beyond all of this “things” and really appreciate the wonder of nature and the world all around us.

Take just a moment and watch and listen to this presentation:

 

American Hop-hornbeam

Wildlife & Plants, , ,

Have you heard of the American Hop-hornbeam?

American hop-hornbeam, (Ostrya virginiana) is a deciduous, native tree which usually occurs in dry soils on rocky slopes, upland woods, and bluffs throughout its range. A small to medium-sized, understory tree with a generally rounded crown. Typically grows 25-40′ tall with a slightly smaller spread. Features birch-like, oval to lance-shaped, sharply-serrated, dark yellowish-green leaves (to 5″ long). Leaves turn an undistinguished yellow in autumn and often drop early. Flowers are reddish-brown male flowers and greenish female flowers appear in separate catkins on the same tree. Flowers are not particularly showy, although the male catkins are more prominent and are present throughout winter. Female catkins are followed by drooping clusters of sac-like, seed-bearing pods which, as the common name suggests, somewhat resemble the fruit of hops. Also, commonly called ironwood because of its extremely hard and dense wood.

The hop-like papery sack encases a nutlet that is the fruit of this tree and is a winter food for ring-necked pheasants, rabbits, grouse, turkeys, deer, squirrels, and several songbirds. These fruits occur in clusters that resemble true hops that are used in the production of beer.

Native Range: Eastern North America, Mexico 

Zone: 3 to 9

Height: 25.00 to 40.00 feet

Spread: 20.00 to 30.00 feet

Bloom Time: April

Bloom Description: Red-brown (male); light green (female)

Sun: Full sun to part shade

Water: Medium

Maintenance: Low

Suggested Use: Shade Tree, Street Tree

Flower: Insignificant

Tolerate: Deer, Drought, Clay Soil

Maple Tree Tar Spot

Wildlife & Plants,

Several different fungi infect the leaves of maples and cause raised, black spots to form on upper leaf surfaces. The diseases are called “tar spots” because their appearance so closely resembles droplets of tar on leaf surfaces. Tar spot alone is rarely serious enough to threaten the health of trees, but sometimes there can be so many spots that the tree becomes unsightly. Heavy infections can also cause early leaf drop — a circumstance that causes the greatest consternation to homeowners because lawns are littered and must be raked before autumn officially arrives. Here in several upstate New York communities tar spot on Norway maple is particularly troublesome because of early leaf drop.

The first symptoms of infection by a tar spot fungus usually show up in mid-June as small (less than 1/8-inch diameter), pale yellow spots. The spots enlarge and their yellow color intensifies as the season progresses. On red maple and silver maple, a black spot usually develops in each yellow spot by mid-July to early August. The black spot grows in diameter and thickness until, by late summer, it truly does look like a spot of tar. The surface of the spot may have a pattern of wavy indentations or ripples.

Another form of tar spot affects striped and Norway maples. On these trees 20 to 50 small spots, each no larger than a pin-head, appear in late July or early August. On striped maple, the spots do not enlarge much after they first appear. On Norway maple, however, the spots grow and eventually may even merge to yield a larger black mass up to 1 & 1/2 inches in diameter. The surface may be slightly roughened to smooth, but will not be rippled. The fungus may allow attack on the seeds of maple also.

The fungi that cause tar spots overwinter on infected leaves that fall to the ground. The following spring, just as new leaves are unfolding, the fungal tissue in the leaves on the ground ripens.

The surfaces of the spots split and minute, needlelike spores escape. The spores are carried about by wind and if they land on new leaves of a susceptible host they may germinate, penetrate the leaf tissue, and start a new disease cycle.

Current research has shown that the tar spot fungus does not cause long-term damage to the host. The most effective management practice in a home lawn situation is to rake and destroy leaves in the fall.

This will reduce the number of overwintering “spots” (containing the fungal reproductive structures) which can produce spores the following spring. However, where other infected trees are growing nearby, those leaves should also be raked and destroyed. Mulching leaves will suffice to destroy many of the spots before they mature, but the mulch pile should be covered or turned before new leaves begin to emerge in the spring.

Application of fungicides are possible when high levels of infection become unacceptable but control of the disease is difficult. Complete coverage of leaf tissue is needed for success and this can be difficult on mature maples. Also, the appearance of the disease has become widespread across much of New York State, and if others in a neighborhood setting are not managing the disease on their trees with fungicides or proper sanitation, the act of spraying may be a waste of time and money

Hollyhock Hollow Sanctuary

Wildlife & Plants, , ,

Hollyhock Hollow Sanctuary was formerly the home and property of Robert and Leona (Train) Rienow.  As a State University at Albany Professor, Robert Rienow was the author of numerous books about the environment, government, and civic involvement. Leona Train Rienow was also an author who produced several children’s books. Together, the Rienow’s wrote or co-authored numerous books, including The Year of the Last Eagle and their best-known A Moment in the Sun, which was the first book to focus public attention on the condition of America’s environment. This book was the inspiration for the first Earth Day.  Upon his death in 1988, the sanctuary was bequeathed to the Audubon Society of New York State and transitioned from what the Rienow’s called Hollyhock Hollow Farm to Hollyhock
Hollow Sanctuary. Today the sanctuary is open as a public-use area for passive recreation.

With over 140 acres of natural beauty, hiking trails, and distinctive geology carved out by the Onesquethaw Creek, Hollyhock Hollow Sanctuary is a birdwatcher’s paradise. Several miles of hiking trails traverse the sanctuaries woods with visitors being able to pass through several distinct habitat types as well as being witness to some historical evidence of long-past human activity. This includes numerous stone walls and even remnants of a small stone quarry where it is said that some of the stones for the building of the Brooklyn Bridge came from.

I had the pleasure of knowing Robert Rienow and it was our friendship that led him to bequeath Hollyhock Hollow to the Audubon Society of New York State, where I served as President and CEO for 25 years. That organization was headquartered at Hollyhock Hollow until my retirement and they have since relocated to Rensselaer County, NY. I am happy
that one of my sons, Kelly Dodson and his company Audubon Landscape Services has been retained by Audubon to maintain the landscapes of Hollyhock Hollow, however.

Dr. Rienow always kept his property open for public use and enjoyment. In that tradition, Hollyhock Hollow Sanctuary is also open and free for public use. Historically significant and really a place where the environmental movement was born, Hollyhock Hollow Sanctuary is a true treasure in the Capital Region of New York.
About twelve miles from Albany, NY, the sanctuary serves as an outdoor classroom for the nearby schools, as well as a recreational space for cross-country skiers, spelunkers, artists, and scout groups. Whether you are planning to explore the unique features of the area or are simply looking to take a long, quiet walk, visitors are welcome every day from dawn until dusk.

Directions:

From I-87, the NYS Thruway, take exit 22 for NY-144 toward NY-396/Selkirk. Turn right onto NY-144 S/River Road. Take the first right onto NY-396 W/Maple Avenue Keep right at the fork and continue to follow NY-396 W for about four miles. Turn right onto Co Rd 102/Old Quarry Road. Take the second left onto Rarick Road and continue for a third of a mile.

From Albany, take US-9W S and merge onto NY-32 S/Delmar Bypass via the ramp to Delmar. Follow NY-32 S for about three miles. At the third traffic light, turn left onto Co Rd 102/Old Quarry Road and continue for three miles. Turn right onto Rarick Road and continue for a third of a mile.

A Trip to the Singing Wilderness

Parks & Sanctuaries, Wildlife & Plants, ,

I have recently been re-reading a book titled, The Singing Wilderness, by Sigurd Olson. The

book was originally published back in 1956, but my first reading of it was in 1980. That was the year that I learned about Sigurd Olson and his fight to save the American wilderness.

In the late 1980s, I was nearing the end of several years of living in Henderson, Kentucky, and my own ongoing battles to promote conservation and environmental protection in that part of the country. Because I was planning to move from Kentucky, and as a final adventure in nature, a long-time friend of mine and I decided to make a week-long venture into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of Northern Minnesota. While doing research for the planned trip, I discovered Sigurd Olson and his book. If you have never heard of Olson or The Singing Wilderness, I recommend that you do some reading about both. Or WATCH THIS FILM

We drove from Kentucky to Ely, Minnesota, which became our launching point into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Once we were all geared up by a local outfitter, we paddled off into a world of deep blue water and sky and emerald green trees. What an adventure we had! For an entire week, we saw not another person and we heard not a sound, other than the sounds created by nature. Within just a few hours all the stress that both of us had been feeling from the constant political arguments we had been involved with throughout the past months and years, simply melted away.

We plotted a daily course to a new campsite, we fished, we watched loons, we drank long, cool drinks of water directly from the lake and frequently we simply floated in the middle of some remote body of water and soaked in the sounds of “nothingness!” Many
afternoons we would cruise to some small island, come ashore for a bite to eat and then find some perfect place to sit on the shore, cast a lure or simply nod off in the blissful peace and quiet.

It took this trip for me to re-connect with nature and remember why it was that I care so much about, and fought so hard to protect the environment. In this fast-paced, and technologically-based society we live in, it is now even more important that we all re-connect with nature. You don’t have to take a week-long trip into the wilderness to do this either. But, you do need to find a “piece of nature” that you can take a stroll in, or just find a tree stump to sit on and listen. This natural spot does need to be at least far enough away from the constant noise of automobiles and the hubbub of “progress” so that you can actually hear nature speaking to you.

The re-reading of The Singing Wilderness brought back memories of that great trip in 1981 to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. What great memories it conjures up! However, in writing this post I decided to do a bit of research about this fantastic natural treasure and I am sorry to have learned about a proposed plan to create a Copper-Nickle mining operation within the Superior National Forest and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area watershed! Does the attack on nature ever stop?! I have already written to voice my opposition to this proposed, toxic disaster in the making. I urge you to visit Save The Boundary Waters and voice your own concerns.

In the meantime, find your own area of nature and go listen to what the birds, trees, and wind say to you.

“Wilderness to the people of America is a spiritual necessity, an antidote to the high pressure of modern life, a means of regaining serenity and equilibrium.” Sigurd Olson