Researchers at the University of Georgia have successfully cryogenically frozen germplasm from hemlock trees being wiped out around the country by the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid. This may be the first step in eliminating these invasive tree pests. Their method includes a new way of cloning the few trees they have found that are actually fighting off…
A Princeton University research team has found that termites can actually slow the desertification process by creating small oases of plant life. Their results suggest that not only prevent the spread of deserts into semi-arid ecosystems and agricultural lands but can also increase their resilience to climate change. In the arid savannas and grasslands termite…
We hear a lot about honeybees now, with colony collapse posing a large, ominous threat to our agricultural industry and therefore populations, but often overlooked are the wonders and benefits of native bees. Native bees are incredibly diverse, with over 4,000 known species, they also display unique behaviors and biological quirks. Wildlife photographer, Clay Bolt,…
A recent study has discovered that hemlocks in New York’s Catskill region are declining rapidly. Research conducted collaboratively by the U.S. Forest Service and the University of Vermont utilized ground-based research in addition to high-tech aerial imaging to survey 274 square miles of the Catskill mountains in 2012. Data suggested that only 16% of the…
One of the biggest annoyances of winter are all the pests that look for asylum from severe weather in our homes, and those that follow knowing an easy meal is within reach. Thank goodness we have a mightily effective exterminator nearby. House centipedes, Scutigera coleoptrata, may hold the distinction of being some of the creepiest…
The large aspen tortrix, Choristoneura conflictana, is in the category of tree pests known as defoliators or leaf rollers. Its principal target host is the quaking aspen, Populus tremuloides, and the insect’s range coincides with that of the tree for the most part. The range extends from Nova Scotia south and west into northeastern and northcentral…
Monarch butterfly habitat degradation and destruction has become a well-known issue and the public has responded to the call for action by planting their landscapes and gardens with their plant of preference, milkweed. But is any species of milkweed appropriate? Unfortunately, many people have been purchasing and planting a tropical species of milkweed, rather than the…
Since the discovery of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in Michigan on 2002 tens of millions of ash trees have died or been removed as a precautionary measure to prevent further spread of these tree pests and create quarantined zones. The result is a large supply of wood which in and of itself has needs;…
The eastern larch beetle, Dendroctonus simplex, is native to North America but is a pest to the tamarack (or larch), Larix laricina. The beetles colonize the phloem of the main stem, exposed roots and larger branches of one of the very few species of deciduous needled trees. Beetles aggregate on stumps, fallen trees and standing trees, burrow through…
Seed bombs, amalgamations of seed varieties and fertilizer rolled into a ball, were developed as an easy way to green up urban spaces, abandoned lots, brownfields and other areas which may be somewhat inaccessible or exist in a state of zoning oblivion. So-called “guerilla gardeners” will toss seed bombs into fenced-in or neglected lands quickly turning…
