WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? It seems both Mr. Heron & I were after the same thing, the little brown trout. Dinosaurs may be extinct, but I imagine the blue heron seems pretty “Tyrannosaurus Rex-like” when it hovers its crane-like neck and beak over the stream. It’s long, narrowContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Remember playing in leaves as a kid? I haven’t thought about it much until I came back to pick up my kids and found one of my daughters (Maple Amber) hidden among the maple leaves. Fall is here! May the forest be with you, Continue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? When I first moved to our house in Samsonville in 2012, I thought about cutting this red maple tree. It is stunted looking and it’s form is “okay.” However, I can’t think of a red maple with better foliage; It’s always a brilliant redContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? If you’re not familiar with this tree, you might want to; It’s pawpaw. They make large banana custard-like fruit. What’s just as good is that deer don’t seem to browse the foliage for some reason. The pawpaws I see contain leaves down to theContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Sometimes I get called in to a member’s property to assess whether a tree is hazardous to property and people. This one I saw near Woodridge, Sullivan County & had to turn around and snap a photo. I’d say there’s some slight side-lean toContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? I am constantly amazed at how difficult it can be to plant and establish a young apple tree and yet, once established, how tough these trees can be. I snapped a photo of this apple that just refused to quit near Monticello, Sullivan CountyContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? It’s that time of year already. Summer is closing and some signs are more obvious than others. Take this doe I snapped a picture of last week near Smallwood, Sullivan County. She refused to move and continued to chew her cud comfortably. Her coatContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? The pear tree & my daughter–Metta Mae–keep on growing. Both were brought to our home at about the same time in 2013, so it’s fun to watch each grow. May the forest be with you, Ryan Trapani Director of Forest Services Catskill ForestContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? So, I arrive the other day at a member’s property near the Pepacton Reservoir to assess an apple tree. After looking up at it, I tell him there’s a porcupine in it right now. As I’m pointing at the little guy, I’m thinking thisContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? I have one really sandy, dry spot in my yard where nothing seems to grow well and the deer can munch away just about anything too. This place is also pretty close to the house and therefore doesn’t lend itself well to large plantsContinue Reading