Disappointing Decline Each year monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus, travel 3,000 miles migrating to and from overwintering sites in Mexico. It is known to be one of the most spectacular migration events on earth, but it appears to be in decline. There are many factors affecting monarch populations including; habitat loss, drought conditions, misuse of pesticides, reduced availability…
The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has recently launched a new program to help identify and therefore possibly control the Asian longhorn beetle (ALB) infestation in the state. This effort is aimed at getting citizens more heavily involved with identifying and reporting the presence of the invasive pest, specifically those citizens with pools…
Bloom Blues (and greens and yellowish browns…) An algal bloom is constituted by the rapid increase of algae in an aquatic system. Although there is no hard and fast threshold level cited that determines if a bloom is present, when concentrations of an algal species reach hundred to thousands of cells per milliliter of water an…
Pernicious Pollutants Everyone is aware that trees provide numerous benefits to the environment and civilization, but removing carbon dioxide and emitting oxygen, providing shade, stabilizing soils and aesthetic beauty are just the beginning. In addition to carbon dioxide, trees are also responsible for clearing the air of other detrimental pollutants, according to a new study…
Storms, pests, aesthetics, insurance… there are plenty of reasons why you may need to retain the services of a tree care company. While they might seem like indestructible objects, any trees on your property need to be looked after carefully to ensure their survival. This could mean getting a Frisco tree service to trim and…
Factor in Forewarning Giant hogweed, Heracleum mantegazzianum, is federally listed as a noxious weed, it is invasive and potentially very harmful to humans; contact with this plant is highly discouraged. The sap of this plant, when combined with moisture and sunlight, can cause severe skin and eye irritation, painful blistering and possibly blindness and/or permanent scarring. While attempts…
It is that time of year in the midwest when mayflies emerge en masse from the depths of the Mississippi River, traveling in swarms that have been known to cause car wrecks, coat roads and leave a slimy mess in their wake. The swarms are so large that they can be seen on weather radar…
This title is not intended to give you a winning card in sustainability bingo (but if it works…), but to talk about Data Day 2014, which is being hosted by the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance (BNIA) today and tomorrow. BNIA is a partner of the US Forest Service Northern Research Station. Accordingly, tomorrow’s Data Day…
Yesterday I was on a client’s site doing a monthly tree protection inspection. That included making sure: – Tree protection devices were in place and properly installed with no breaches; – Tree protection signage was installed in English and Spanish on tree protection devices; and, – No materials or equipment were stored inside tree protection…
Albany, New York’s Pine Bush has been designated a National Natural Landmark (NNL) due to its presence as an outstanding example of a globally rare ecosystem. Joining 596 other such sites around the country, a National Natural Landmark is labelled as such because it is the best remaining example of a specific biological or geological…
