BURLINGTON – Insect pests get a lot of attention because we see the damage they cause. Less obvious are beneficial insects that provide “biocontrol” of insect pests. These include predators that kill or disable their prey quickly and parasitoids that kill pests more slowly. Predators include lady beetles, ground beetles,[Read More…]
Columns
A Slow and Stealthy Traveler
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION – When June’s heat starts to take hold, who doesn’t want to take life a little slower? When it comes to masters of slowing down, look no further than the humble turtle. Vermont is home to seven turtle species, including the secretive Wood Turtle. From June to September, Wood[Read More…]
Hydrating Outdoor Plants Requires Responsibility
SOUTH BURLINGTON – Water is a precious resource, and we should do what we can to conserve it. It is possible to keep outdoor plants well hydrated while also being judicious about water usage. If adding plants to flowerbeds or landscape, choose the right plants for the location’s moisture conditions[Read More…]
Loon Language Has Four Distinct Calls
For many northeastern lakeshore residents, Common Loons’ calls hold a special place in the summer soundscape. Their haunting cries, heard most frequently from mid-May through June, are perhaps one of the most fascinating things about loons. They use four distinct calls to communicate with their families and other loons. The[Read More…]
Cooler With Periods Of Showers This Week
HARDWICK – This past week was quite the active weather week, as the building heat and humidity led to atmospheric destabilization and several rounds of showers and severe thunderstorms. Northern Vermont had several significant events reported on June 19, June 20, and June 23. This included the culmination of a[Read More…]
Backward Between 1300 and 3000 Years
EAST MONTPELIER – The great state of Louisiana, not content with labeling mifeprestone a dangerous controlled substance, has, in a move stunning for its chutzpah just launched an attempt to vault its government backward between 1300 and 3000 years, depending upon different versions of the history of Western religion. Either[Read More…]
Tips for Photographing a Garden
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – As much as we might wish that May lilacs or June peonies would last forever in our gardens, they’re fleeting pleasures. One of the best ways to preserve those wonderful moments and revisit them in the future is by photographing the garden. If not taking pictures[Read More…]
Cowbirds Lay Eggs in Other Birds’ Nests
BROOKFIELD – Black birds with a greenish sheen and brown heads sometimes visit my yard during spring migration. These are male brown-headed cowbirds, and they often arrive in mixed flocks of red-winged blackbirds and grackles. Cowbirds breed in most of the Northeast and have an unusual reproductive strategy. Instead of[Read More…]
Peach Leaf Curl Common Disease
BURLINGTON – Peach leaf curl has been a common disease of peach trees this spring in Vermont. The disease often occurs in wet cool springs following mild winters. The fungus (Taphrina deformans) causes the foliage to become stunted, puckered and deformed with a reddish to purple tinge, often causing alarm[Read More…]
Tyler Molleur’s Severe Weather Update
Powerful straight-line winds and tornados in the forecast for today HARDWICK – Forecast guidance is showing an elevated likelihood of supercell development over parts of New England today. The most likely time is between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m for our area. Supercells are long-lived thunderstorms that are supported by[Read More…]
Lucie Hobbs-Johnson Attends Dental Hygiene School with VSAC funding
by VSAC Staff HARDWICK – “I’m a late bloomer,” says Lucie Hobbs-Johnson with a broad smile. At the age of 49, she’s just finished her first year of dental hygiene school at Vermont State University-Williston (VTSU). Going back to school and becoming a hygienist represents the fulfillment of a longtime[Read More…]
Dangerous Heat Wave Underway
HARDWICK – A healthy balance of sunshine and light precipitation was the theme of last week’s weather. The second half of the work week featured mild temperatures, some scattered showers, and periods of broken cloud cover. Although early last week it was predicted that a ridge would be building in[Read More…]
