WATERBURY – If you’re a mosquito and it’s a warm spring afternoon, you’re out cruising the air currents on your tiny wings. But as you buzz around, the sun warming your exoskeleton, the clouds roll in, heralding a spring shower. Balls of water up to 50 times heavier than your[Read More…]
Columns
How Growth Rings Chronicle the Seasons
SOUTH BURLINGTON – The longer, warmer days of spring spark phenological changes in trees, from root to tip. As the limbs of trees stretch and twist toward the sky in search of sun, their trunks grow wider to support the new weight. New wood is added year after year to[Read More…]
Moving Starter Plants to The Garden
Planting time is almost here. While some crops will be directly sown, many others will begin as starter plants that have been grown from seed at home or purchased locally. The trick is to successfully move those plants outdoors from the controlled environment where they’ve been nurtured. The first thing[Read More…]
Plant Flowering Annuals for Beneficial Insects
NORTHFIELD – If looking to boost the health of a vegetable garden, consider adding annual flowering plants that will attract beneficial insects to help support and protect plants from pests. Insects that are beneficial behave either as predators or parasites. They will prey on other insects like aphids or lay[Read More…]
Cool, Wet Weather Persists One More Week
EAST HARDWICK – The weather pattern shifted significantly over the last week with highs in the 80s dipping into the mid-50s to low-60s by the conclusion of the weekend. This is thanks in part to a low-pressure system that arrived Friday and Saturday, bringing several rounds of heavy rain and[Read More…]
There’s a Bright Spot for Those of Us Traveling
EAST MONTPELIER – It’s difficult to complain about the length of a flight to Europe when you consider what our ancestors went through to get here. Their tears at the sight of the Statue of Liberty weren’t just from inspiration; they were overjoyed to get off that boat. Still, the[Read More…]
Walking Through the Pastures of Psalm 23
EAST CRAFTSBURY – Psalm 23 is one of the most famous psalms in the Bible, but how often do we get to savor in it, lying down in the green pastures of its poetry? Let us walk through these lines to see what may be in the grass. “The Lord[Read More…]
Hepatica: Ephemeral or Evergreen?
BURLINGTON – As the days get longer and the sun warms the forest floor, hepatica flowers start emerging. These charming early bloomers captivated the writer and naturalist John Burroughs, who extolled their “winsome grace” in his poem “Hepatica.” Hepatica flowers close on cloudy days and when night falls to preserve[Read More…]
For the love of Lilacs
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – Easily recognized by their sweet fragrance and cone-shaped clusters of tiny flowers, the common lilac (Syringa vulgaris) has been a part of America’s gardens for much of the country’s history. Lilacs arrived with colonists in the early 1700s, bringing with them memories of homes and lives[Read More…]
Native Dogwoods are Great for Garden
NORTHFIELD – Dogwoods, in the genus Cornus, are among the most versatile native shrubs. With seasonal interest, tolerance of less than perfect conditions and benefits for wildlife, these shrubs are worth considering. There are many benefits of planting native dogwoods. They flower in the spring, offering food for native insects and[Read More…]
Maple Anthracnose is Common Spring Disease
BURLINGTON – Newly emerged maple leaves coupled with the recent cool, rainy weather provide perfect conditions for a common spring fungal disease called maple anthracnose. There are several fungi responsible for the damage. All native and ornamental maples are susceptible including sugar maple (A. saccharum), red maple (A. rubrum), Norway[Read More…]
Another Wet Weekend Ahead
EAST HARDWICK – Milder temperatures are beginning to permeate northern New England, as highs reach the 70s and wall-to-wall sunshine starts the week. Over the past week. somewhere on the order of one to two inches of rain fell, with southern Vermont again receiving closer to three to four inches.[Read More…]
