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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Finally got all four of these whipper snappers up on the Shawangunk Ridge above Ellenville. When on top, it really does feel like a different world: Massive Shawangunk conglomerate boulders sitting atop smooth, glaciated tables of more white rock interspersed with stunted pitch pineContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Years ago, I hitched a ride from an older gentleman in the Town of Denning. He pointed up the forested mountain as we drove along, “I remember before that was ‘wilderness’.” He was referring to the current owners, or the NYS DEC state forestContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Another maple sugaring season is in the books. All in all about an average year for me. Made about 7.5 gallons of syrup from 17 taps or 0.44 gallons of syrup/tap, which seems to be my normal. I think the take-away from this seasonContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? One of the largest wild grapevines I’ve ever seen. There haven’t been farms in this area where I was hiking last week for about 100 years, but surely a legacy from farm days. Wild grapevines survive by climbing trees for their natural trellis toContinue Reading

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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Each winter I burn last fall’s brush and this winter’s fruit tree prunings in the yard. Inevitably, there is collateral damage on the mice population. However, they aren’t mice, but really voles. Voles are mouse-like animals that eat only plants (i.e. roots, stems ofContinue Reading