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May 20, 1982 - The World BlossomsMay 20,1982 The Nebo- RebteW Page ii The World Blossoms The countryside has become a flower garden over night. Everywhere you look there are blooms. This is the period when our berries and fruits get their start. From here on each dogwood bloom that has been pollinized by insects will start to develop into those bright red berries the fall robins and other birds will feast on. The shadblow has since passed and already started its small green berries that will soon ripen into deep purple. They will be one of the first eaten by man and wildlife. The inconspicuous grape blossom has started its clustering and on close inspection gives you an idea of what is ahead. Of course the apples, pears, peaches and other fruits most are familiar with are more or less taken for granted. Yet without that miracle of pollinization the blooms of our fruit trees would merely be pretty sights. Occasionally, this non - fruiting will happen if a cold rainy spell sets in when the blooms are out. Then the insects don't fly and therefore their critical job of pollinizing is left undone. The result: no fruit. When we think of pollinization of plants, we usually think of bees. They're the chief workers in this most important field, but there are also a host of other insects that perform equally well. Flies of all sorts, wasps big and small and a myriad of others take up the task unconsciously as they go about sipping nectar from the various blossoms. Because there is such a wide variety of insects, the problem of blanket spraying becomes critical. Massive aerial sprays not only kill the insects they're aiming at but most of the other workers that nature has in her arsenal. Selective Spraying Selective spraying, if spraying must be done, is perhaps the only answer. In today's world of technology, usually a special spray applied at the proper time can do the job of protecting without devastating everything. It is not a simple task but one that must be done to protect our world that is becoming ever more out of tune by abuse. In the woods, the wood anemone, ft(�Mg3 @M �DnIQET& Canada mayflower and the wild geranium are in one stage or another of blooming. I think these woodland plants are less known than the more common roadside varieties. Queen Anne's lace, the daisy, goldenrod, asters and others are more familiar because they are more accessible. Fields and roadside are their habitat. Then there are the more exotic woodland plants -- the orchids. We have over 30 different varieties of orchids here on Long Island, with the lady slipper leading the list, mainly because it is the most showy and also because it is the most common. At least it was common years ago. Development in our woodlands has cut deeply into its population. Yet I know of a lady who had the foresight to keep her "slipper patch" despite it all. She has kept a section of her front lawn in the natural state. Blueberries, leaves, and a general tangle of undergrowth keep "her orchids" in top condition. I've never seen such a concentration of lady slippers. As I wander through the various areas of our town, I am amazed how people have come from the city and converted the land that was once woodland back into a city lot. It seems ironic that one would come to the country and then clear the land, cut the trees and plant all grass. Some have had the foresight to set aside natural areas on their property for plants and wildlife to still find a footing but invariably the bulldozer has come in and cleared out everything. The property is void of wild life. ol I Premlioda le FOR THE FM AND FLAVOR MBERLJ1gJJT- YOU BYYAGAS GRILL FOR, BVYAN AMBERLIGH% Outdoor gas grills and accessories from •Charcoal flavor without the mess •Grill, smoke, bake, $ 23500 prepare an entire meal • Dual Burner with S Yr. limited Warranty long -life stainless steel /' X'- shaped shielded ports • Dual Infinite Heat Controls • Extra deep die -cast �v aluminum housing • 130 sq. in. Raised T.M. EMBER AT /C Cooking Rack •Split Porcelainized Cast Iron GASGRILL BY ARKLA Channel Grids -352 sq. in. R: -Available for natural or LP gas Regency •Makes outdoor cooking a $ 00 year -round pleasure ONE YEAR FREE FILL U PYROFAX GAS CORPORATION � A TEXAS EASTERN COMPANY P ��()fa West Main Street, P.O. Box 308 gas Phone (516) 727 -2626 Riverhead, New York 11901 LADY'S- SLIPPERS - -Of the over 30 varieties of orchids found on Long Island, the pink lady's - slipper is probably the most well known. This protected wildflower is blooming right now. Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh When we think this out, the idea of clearing and planting grass on the whole plot has many disadvantages. First, should you have a few trees, where do you put the leaves in the fall? If you had that natural area, they could be dumped there and nature would soon digest them. Secondly, you now have the problem of cutting a lawn and maintaining it. We are told by the County Health Department that one of our biggest groundwater pollutants comes from overfertilization of our lawns. Also should we cut all the undergrowth out, we have cut out a valuable noise barrier. There's nothing like the woodland to muffle the roar of cars going by. Then there's the privacy that we all cherish. To gain it, we have to go out and buy a costly fence rather than use the natural barrier that would come automatically if part of the land was left natural. This takes more time and planning in the beginning, rather than letting the bulldozer loose. I've often heard the objection that one- acre zoning, that is mandatory in our county, makes the individual take care of too large a piece of property. My argument to that would be, use only a quarter of an acre for your lawn, house and shrubbery and let the remaining three quarters revert back to the natural state or just leave it in its natural state. In either case, you now have less property to take care of, you have a wooded area that attracts birds and animals and you've kept the country. Less work, privacy and better groundwater are the rewards. If the property owner does desire an all -grass plot, it would be far more to his advantage to select a non - wooded development set up for that purpose rather than to build in a woodland and clear it. The ironic part is that many build in these open developments and immediately try to bring back trees and shrubbery, making the area more compatible with the country. I guess what I'm saying is that if you come to the country because you like it better than the ticky -tack of the west end, let's help keep it country and not clean out everything. Right now as we're typing this, an oriole is singing in the treetops, robins are already setting on their eggs. In the woods around the house you can hear the scratching of the catbird, towhee and thrasher. These and a multitude of other benefits make our area what it is. Let's keep it that way and keep some of it natural. After all, the west end was wooded years ago -- and look at it now. A little thinking before cutting and clearing will go a long way in keeping the East End the way you and I want it. PAULSTOUTENBURGH New Greenport Train NEW YORK CITY - -An extra train between Penn Station and Greenport will begin running tomorrow, the Long Island Rail Road announced this week. The extra Greenport train will depart Penn Station at 4:06 p.m. on Fridays only. For further schedule information, call 369 -1666.