WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Took my 4-year old daughter–Metta Mae–for a walk last night. Found some autumnberries (Elaeagnus umbellata). I said, “They might be a little bitter right now & need more time to ripen.” Metta says, “I think they’re sweet; I love them.” She scarfed ’em downContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Yesterday, I noticed my favorite red maple began shedding its green for fall’s reds. If you saw this red maple in front of my house, you would wonder why it’s not firewood; it’s a pretty beat up little tree. But, it has some ofContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Just checked out 2 mulberry trees I planted near Margaretville 7 or so years ago; finally seeing some fruit & perhaps the only 2 young mulberry trees around. I have seen older ones up Dry Brook Road. If nothing else, this tree is oneContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Just so happened that I was in a tree while the eclipse occurred yesterday. Just as one newsman had claimed, there wasn’t really a drastic difference in light conditions, but more in animal activity. My friend on the ground saw earthworms begin to surface,Continue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Frequent rain makes the phone ring here at the office. Apples have been slated for a bumper year. However, with all this rain, many (not all) apple trees are experiencing leaf & fruit fungal issues as spores fester. Many of the apple trees IContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Went for a brief walk in the woods last weekend & found some golden chanterelles. These are by far my favorite wild mushroom. Unlike some other wild mushrooms, chanterelles are normally pretty insect-free. In other words, there are no hitch-hikers crawling out of the mushroomsContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Just got back to the office after checking on 1 experimental pear graft made in May. CFA grafted an Asian pear to a wild or “volunteer” hawthorn (thornapple) tree; so far, so good. We’ll find something good about those thorny hawthorns just yet. MayContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? A couple of weekends ago I got a chance to go fishing with a CFA member. He caught some trout & bass and I caught mostly sunnies; that’s okay. Favorite part of fishing? Just sitting there on the edge, watching the water go by.Continue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Spent some time removing a large Norway spruce tree near my parent’s house. This tree was about 65 years old & probably planted around 1952 in the Town of Gardiner, Ulster County. It’s pretty amazing how much growth these trees can put on. Although eachContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? I was away in eastern Massachusetts over the 4th of July weekend; noticed a lot of gypsy moth damage on oak trees in places. The entire canopy had been chewed away. Hopefully this remains east of us for awhile. Our oak trees don’t needContinue Reading