July 11, 1991 - Of Berry-Picking, Birds and BeetlesCS The Suffolk Times • July 11, 1991
Of Berry - Picking, Birds and'Beetles
By Paul Stoutenburah
Years ago, Vince Cunningham, who
had just moved to Shelter Island, gave
me some raspberry shoots. That must
have been 10 or more years ago and
each year those raspberries have
produced and produced. I've just come in
from picking a box of those scented and
delicious - tasting berries and so my story
begins.
The dew was still glistening on every
leaf and berry as I picked. I could feel
the cool water seeping into my moc-
casins and the wetness touching my
legs as I brushed up against the dew -
laden grasses and bushes. It just so
happens I have a bird box on one of the
fence posts of the pasture that runs
alongside of my berry patch and a house
wren has taken it for her dwelling. The
house wren, or as my dad used to call
her "jenny wren," has been busy
building nests in just about every box
on our place.
This filling with twigs and grasses in
the many boxes is characteristic of the
wren family and has puzzled people
down through the ages. The most logi-
cal reason is to discourage anyone else
from building nearby and in so doing
claim the territory for themselves.
Others say she could be just practicing
housebuilding. At any rate, my wren
family has been heard loud and clear for
the past month or so telling the world
they are the owners of all the other
boxes in the area
Forty years ago, marsh wrens,
another member of that noisy clan, used
AI -Anon Lunch Bunch
The Al -Anon support group for
the relatives and friends of alcohol-
ics meets Tuesdays from noon to 1
p.m. at the green house next to Our
Lady of Ostrabrama Church, Depot
Lane, Cutchogue. Bring a sandwich
and stay for lunch. Coffee and tea are
available.
Focus on
Nature
to build their nests in our marshes.
They'd build a balled -grass nest by
drawing together the long blades of the
tall grasses about halfway up. But here
again came that special characteristic:
There would be six or more of these
clumpy nests scattered throughout the
marsh. Yet, when it came to rearing
their young, they only used one of
them.
Noisy Wrens Scold Me
As I picked my raspberries I was
scolded continuously by the parents
from first one tree, then a nearby bush,
then up on the fence and now some-
where in the raspberries. Always just
out of sight. They objected to my intru-
sion. "Didn't I know any better ?" They
were busy feeding their young and I in-
terpreted their scolding as "Please get
out and leave us alone!"
This scolding continued until our cat
slowly walked down the path and sat
opposite me. And as the old saying
goes, "Then all hell broke loose." The
chattering increased and the nervous lit-
tle wrens jumped and flitted, becoming
braver and braver. The noise was so in-
tense it drew a catbird into the chorus.
I'd watched this catbird carrying ripe
berries into the nearby hedgerow where
I'm sure she has a nest and a family to
feed. Now the call of the catbird chimed
in. As the cat sat and enjoyed the morn-
ing outdoors with me, the wrens and
catbirds called louder and louder until
the catbird moved up to within six feet
of me, calling and scolding. By now the
clamor had increased to such a point
that a robin came in and added its alarm
call to the already noisy gathering.
My basket was almost full and so I
made a few last- minute reaches, tasting
a few of the berries as a reward for my
work, and started to move away. It was
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Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
CATBIRD —This summer bird can usually be found wherever there are
woods and brush. It eats insects but when fruit and berries are in
season those are its first choice.
a pleasant experience marred only by the
presence of many Japanese beetles,
which I crushed as I worked along.
Beetles Are a Problem
Japanese beetles, as the name
implies, came from Japan or Asia where
they are found in no greater numbers
than any other ordinary insect pest of
that region. They have been kept down
by natural predators and circumstances
that have evolved down through the
ages. Before 1912 there were no
restrictions in this country on the
importation of plants with balls of dirt
on them. It is believed that it was
through this medium that the Japanese
beetle entered the United States.
By 1916 a report from a nurseryman
in Riverton, New Jersey, told of the
first infestation of Japanese beetles in
this country. The next year it had spread
to a three- square -mile area followed by a
48- square -mile area the following year.
If proper eradication means had been ap-
plied at these early stages, the Japanese
beetle could have been stopped in its
tracks. But, like today, there was hesita-
tion, more studies, the politics of it
and, of course, the added expense. Added
all together it spelled disaster that spread
throughout much of our country. One
can see why today you're not allowed to
bring in plants, fruit and vegetables
from certain areas.
The Japanese beetle is quite a hand-
some bronze -green and chestnut - colored
beetle about three eighths of an inch
long. The grubs of the beetle spend the
fall and winter in the soil where they
can ruin a lawn in short order by eating
the grass roots. In the spring they pu-
pate into the beetle stage and emerge in
May to start the devastation that hits its
peak in July and winds down in late
October. During this time the female
lays 40 -60 eggs on the roots of grasses
"lawns and golf course turf and others"
which hatch in about two weeks. Then
the cycle starts all over with the grubs
eating the roots of the grasses and stay-
ing underground until the next spring.
The menu of this destructive beetle
covers over 300 deciduous fruit trees,
shrubs and garden flowers but seems to
shy away from most vegetables with
the exception of asparagus, corn,
rhubarb and a few others. Looking over
the long list of plants it relishes I
notice my grapes and peaches and to
some extent my apples are in line for
their lacelike leaf- eating habits. But
then, I only need a small amount of
return from my garden.
I'll stay out of the raspberries for two
or three days and then return to be
scolded again I'm sure by my welcome
avian neighbors.
LINDA A. EVANKO, ESQ.
3870 Stillwater Avenue
Cutchogrue, N.Y. 11935
Practicing in the area of
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including:
Estate and gift taxation • Tax planning for retired persons • Tax planning
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investments • Taxation of agricultural operations • Representation before
the IRS and state and local tax authorities
Call for an appointment 734 -7600