Loading...
July 27, 2000 - Egg-laying season nigh for gypsy mothsJuly 27, 2000 • The Suffolk Times • 7A Evv-1aying season nigh for gypsy moths Some interesting reports have come boards, shutters, and in and about in during the past few weeks and I'd any shaded place or protected area like to share them with you. One in that can be found. It's during July particular that was of great interest to and August that the eggs are laid. me concerned dolphins. A caller They then lie dormant from then whose name I wasn't able to get left a on, through the winter. In early phone message spring, when the trees first leaf out, that he had seen Focus they hatch out as hairy larvae. These a pod (derived tiny caterpillars go unnoticed by most from numbers of ON (not by birds though), and start to live peas in a pod) of bottlenose dol- NATURE off the tender young leaves of the trees. They move from one tree to phins off Bug by Paul another by spinning long silken Light southeast Stoutenburgh threads. Hanging by these threads, of Greenport. they're blown from tree to tree by the Wouldn't it be wind. As the caterpillars grow larger great if this was a sign of their return and larger they consume more and to our local waters? more foliage. I can remember seeing dolphins or When natural controls such as birds, porpoises in the Peconic Bays when I mice, disease, parasites and others was a kid. I must admit in those early can't keep the caterpillar population days I didn't know the difference down, we get an invasion of gypsy between a porpoise or a dolphin. moths that literally defoliate every - They're both members of the toothed whale family and are occasionally seen in the same locality. More often the dolphins are found offshore in the deeper waters while the porpoise is usually found in bays or rivers in the shallower water. Another distinction between the two is that dol- phins are the ones we see jumping out of the water and playfully following ships. The porpoise isn't so much of a jumper. And last- ly there's the size difference, porpoises being the smaller of the two — usually about six foot while the dolphins grow up to eight and a half. I l- When we were first mar- `Sy` reed some 50 years ago I took my new bride for a canoe ride out in the Sound and we paddled among 15 or 20 of these lovely creatures. They came so close to us we could hear them blow when they surfaced. In those days they were often seen working their way along the Sound shore. Then, of course, when I was in the service we often found them swim- ming around and in front of the ship as we steamed along. They seemed to have a magical way of effortlessly slip- ping in and out of the water. There again I'd hear the soft "puff" as they gracefully sprang out of the crystal - clear water for their breath of air. This was particularly evident on calm nights when my buddy "Guns" and I would sit and chat up on the bow of the ship. The stars seemed brighter and closer on those nights than any other time. Gypsies back again Another caller told of his house being invaded by small creepy crawl- ing things. After hearing the descrip- tion of these hairy caterpillars and seeing a few individuals crawling across my patio, I was sorry to inform him he was witnessing gypsy moths. If they were adults they were looking for a place to lay their creamy orange - colored egg masses. Their clusters of eggs can usually be found under the limb of a tree where the branch meets the tree. Around the home they can be found behind thing in their path. So far those natur- al controls have worked. Occasionally there are pockets of gypsy moths just as my caller had in Greenport. Then and only then a licensed insecticide sprayer might be called in to take care of the local pocket of infestation. Massive spraying has never worked. Back to our life cycle of the gypsy moth. Once the caterpillar has grown to adulthood it seeks a place to pupate. This is the stage where the caterpillar wraps itself in a cocoon and rests while a magical transformation takes place. It changes from a rather ugly caterpillar into a brownish moth. The male and female mate, she lays her eggs and both die. No gypsy moth winters over, only the eggs she laid in July or August carry on. The one thing you can do to save individual trees is to tie a piece of burlap or rag around a tree trunk, let- ting one half hang over the other. Gypsy moths look for a place to hide when not eating and go under the burlap. Then all you have to do is lift up the burlap and "squash" them. Rising from the ashes My next call came from down the hall. Barbara had been hearing some- thing in the kitchen all day and finally she located where the sound was com- Suffolk Times photos by Paul Stoutenburgh Adult gypsy moths (left) are about 11/2 to 2 1/2 inches in length. Their hairy slate - colored bodies make them rather ugly looking. Egg masses (above), that should be destroyed, are buff colored and can be found underneath bark, under limbs of trees, behind shutters, boards, and just about anywhere there Is protection from birds, mice ing from. The most logical place would be under the sink where occasionally a mouse seems to find its way, but no, it turned out to be in our wood 'stove that sits between my office oacl t" _Xj._ - ears are a hundred times bet- ter than mine and try as I would I couldn't hear her mys- terious noise. Since the stove is an airtight wood stove, I knew our visitor had to have come down the chimney. So after locating where the sound came from, we gently lifted off the lid of the stove. There amid the soot and debris was the most forlorn look- ing house sparrow you could ever imagine. Not wanting to have ,this dust machine flying around the house, Barbara grabbed ahold of him. He looked so pathetic in her hand. It looked more like a ball of ashes than a bird. Not wanting to waste a minute, she walked him over to the door, opened her hand, and off it flew. A more happy bird you couldn't have found. All our other chimneys have raccoon protectors on them and no bird or animal can get down them but I never thought of covering the chim- ney top of our wood stove. My first experience with birds down kids staying at my Uncle Henry's sum- mer cottage. We had come for the weekend with his family. When the door was opened a bird flew out. It was a big bird: our largest woodpeck- er, the flicker. It had come down the chimney and been trapped in the house. It had dashed itself against the windows and shattered all the curtains and shades. It even had found its way into a cabinet where a box of crackers provided its survival. Every window in the house was splattered and tattered. It just goes to prove we had better all cover our chimneys and stove pipes with protectors or someday face the consequences. P.S. — Just got a call from New Suffolk of a young wild turkey cross- ing the road there. Keep your eyes open. You never know what you might see. Thanks for the call, Frank. 1. ,. Suffolk Times photos by Paul Stoutenburgh Adult gypsy moths (left) are about 11/2 to 2 1/2 inches in length. Their hairy slate - colored bodies make them rather ugly looking. Egg masses (above), that should be destroyed, are buff colored and can be found underneath bark, under limbs of trees, behind shutters, boards, and just about anywhere there Is protection from birds, mice ing from. The most logical place would be under the sink where occasionally a mouse seems to find its way, but no, it turned out to be in our wood 'stove that sits between my office oacl t" _Xj._ - ears are a hundred times bet- ter than mine and try as I would I couldn't hear her mys- terious noise. Since the stove is an airtight wood stove, I knew our visitor had to have come down the chimney. So after locating where the sound came from, we gently lifted off the lid of the stove. There amid the soot and debris was the most forlorn look- ing house sparrow you could ever imagine. Not wanting to have ,this dust machine flying around the house, Barbara grabbed ahold of him. He looked so pathetic in her hand. It looked more like a ball of ashes than a bird. Not wanting to waste a minute, she walked him over to the door, opened her hand, and off it flew. A more happy bird you couldn't have found. All our other chimneys have raccoon protectors on them and no bird or animal can get down them but I never thought of covering the chim- ney top of our wood stove. My first experience with birds down kids staying at my Uncle Henry's sum- mer cottage. We had come for the weekend with his family. When the door was opened a bird flew out. It was a big bird: our largest woodpeck- er, the flicker. It had come down the chimney and been trapped in the house. It had dashed itself against the windows and shattered all the curtains and shades. It even had found its way into a cabinet where a box of crackers provided its survival. Every window in the house was splattered and tattered. It just goes to prove we had better all cover our chimneys and stove pipes with protectors or someday face the consequences. P.S. — Just got a call from New Suffolk of a young wild turkey cross- ing the road there. Keep your eyes open. You never know what you might see. Thanks for the call, Frank. July 27; 2000 • The Suffolk Times • 7A nigh rfor s morns Some interesting reports have come in during the past few weeks and I'd like to share them with you. One in particular that was of great interest to me concerned dolphins. A caller whnce name I wasn't able to P-et left a Egg - laying season Suffolk Times photos by Paul Stoutenburgh Adult gypsy moths (left) are about 11/2 to 2 1/2 inches in length. Their hairy slate - colored bodies make them rather ugly looking. Egg masses (above), that should be destroyed, are buff colored and can be found underneath bark, under limbs of trees, behind shutters, boards, and just about anywhere there is protection from birds, mice phone message that he had seen a pod (derived Focus from numbers of ON peas in a pod) of bottlenose dol- NATURE phins off Bug by Pau Light southeast StoutenbuMi of Greenport. Wouldn't it be great if this was a sign of their returl to our local waters? I can remember seeing dolphins o porpoises in the Peconic Bays when was a kid. I must admit in those earl days I didn't know the differenc between a porpoise or a dolphir They're both members of the toothed whale family and are occasionally seen in the same locality. More often the dolphins are found offshore in the deeper waters while the porpoise is usually found in bays or rivers in the shallower water. Another distinction between the two is that dol- phins are the ones we see jumping out of the water and playfully following ships. The porpoise isn't so much of a jumper. And last- ly there's the size difference, porpoises being the smaller of the two — usually about six foot while the dolphins grow up to eight and a half. When we were first mar- ried some 50 years ago I took my new bride for a canoe ride out in the Sound and we paddled among 15 or 20 of these lovely creatures. They came so close to us we could hear them blow when they surfaced. In those days they were often seen working their way along the Sound shore. Then, of course, when I was in the service we often found them swim- ming around and in front of the ship as we steamed along. They seemed to have a magical way of effortlessly slip- ping in and out of the water. There again I'd hear the soft "puff' as they gracefully sprang out of the crystal- clear water for their breath of air. This was particularly evident on calm nights when my buddy "Guns" and I would sit and chat up on the bow of the ship. The stars seemed brighter and closer on those nights than any other time. Gypsies back again Another caller told of his house being invaded by small creepy crawl- ing things. After hearing the descrip- tion of these hairy caterpillars and seeing a few individuals crawling across my patio, I was sorry to inform him he was witnessing gypsy moths. If they were adults they were looking for a place to lay their creamy orange - colored egg masses. Their clusters of eggs can usually be found under the limb of a tree where the branch meets the tree. Around the home they can be found behind boards, shutters, and in and about any shaded place or protected area that can be found. It's during July and August that the eggs are laid. They then lie dormant from then on, through the winter. In early spring, when the trees first leaf out, they hatch out as hairy larvae. These tiny caterpillars go unnoticed by most (not by birds though), and start to live off the tender young leaves of the trees. They move from one tree to another by spinning long silken threads. Hanging by these threads, they're blown from tree to tree by the wind. As the caterpillars grow larger and larger they consume more and When natural controls such as birds, mice, disease, parasites and others can't keep the caterpillar population down, we get an invasion of gypsy moths that literally defoliate every- thing in t eir path. So far those natur- al controls have worked. Occasionally there are pockets of gypsy moths just as my caller had in Greenport. Then and only then a licensed insecticide sprayer might be called in to take care of the local pocket of infestation. Massive spraying has never worked. Back to our life cycle of the gypsy moth. Once the caterpillar has grown to adulthood it seeks a place to pupate. This is the stage where the caterpillar wraps itself in a cocoon and rests while a magical transformation takes place. It changes from a rather ugly caterpillar into a brownish moth. The male and female mate, she lays her eggs and both die. No gypsy moth winters over, only the eggs she laid in July or August carry on. The one thing you can do to save individual trees is to tie a piece of burlap or rag around a tree trunk, let- ting one half hang over the other. Gypsy moths look for a place to hide when not eating and go under the burlap. Then all you have to do is lift up the burlap and "squash" them. Rising from the ashes My next call came from down the hall. Barbara had been hearing some- thing in the kitchen all day and finally she located where the sound was com- ing rrom. 1he most logical place would be under the sink where occasionally a mouse seems to find its way, but no, it turned out to be in our wood stove that sits between my office and the kitchen. Her ears are a hundred times bet- ter than mine and try as I would I couldn't hear her mys- terious noise. Since the stove is an airtight wood stove, I knew our visitor had to have come down the chimney. So after locating where the sound came from, we gently lifted off the lid of the stove. There amid the soot an debris was the most forlorn look- ing house sparrow you could ever imagine. Not wanting to have this dust machine flying around the house, Barbara grabbed ahold of him. He looked so pathetic in her hand. It looked more like a ball of ashes than a bird. Not wanting to waste a minute, she walked him over to the door, opened her hand, and off it flew. A more happy bird you couldn't have found. All our other chimneys have raccoon protectors on them and no bird or animal can get down them but I never thought of covering the chim- ney top of our wood stove. My first experience with birds down a chimney happened when we were kids staying at my Uncle Henry's sum- mer cottage. We had come for the weekend with his family. When the door was opened a bird flew out. It was a big bird: our largest woodpeck- er, the flicker. It had come down the chimney and been trapped iki the house. It had dashed itself against the windows and shattered all the curtains and shades. It even had found its way into a cabinet where a box of crackers provided its survival. Every window in the house was splattered and tattered. It just goes to prove we had better all cover our chimneys and stove pipes with protectors or someday face the consequences. P.S. — Just got a call from New Suffolk of a young wild turkey cross- ing the road there. Keep your eyes open. You never know what you might see. Thanks for the call, Frank. July 27; 2000 • The Suffolk Times • 7A nigh rfor s morns Some interesting reports have come in during the past few weeks and I'd like to share them with you. One in particular that was of great interest to me concerned dolphins. A caller whnce name I wasn't able to P-et left a Egg - laying season Suffolk Times photos by Paul Stoutenburgh Adult gypsy moths (left) are about 11/2 to 2 1/2 inches in length. Their hairy slate - colored bodies make them rather ugly looking. Egg masses (above), that should be destroyed, are buff colored and can be found underneath bark, under limbs of trees, behind shutters, boards, and just about anywhere there is protection from birds, mice phone message that he had seen a pod (derived Focus from numbers of ON peas in a pod) of bottlenose dol- NATURE phins off Bug by Pau Light southeast StoutenbuMi of Greenport. Wouldn't it be great if this was a sign of their returl to our local waters? I can remember seeing dolphins o porpoises in the Peconic Bays when was a kid. I must admit in those earl days I didn't know the differenc between a porpoise or a dolphir They're both members of the toothed whale family and are occasionally seen in the same locality. More often the dolphins are found offshore in the deeper waters while the porpoise is usually found in bays or rivers in the shallower water. Another distinction between the two is that dol- phins are the ones we see jumping out of the water and playfully following ships. The porpoise isn't so much of a jumper. And last- ly there's the size difference, porpoises being the smaller of the two — usually about six foot while the dolphins grow up to eight and a half. When we were first mar- ried some 50 years ago I took my new bride for a canoe ride out in the Sound and we paddled among 15 or 20 of these lovely creatures. They came so close to us we could hear them blow when they surfaced. In those days they were often seen working their way along the Sound shore. Then, of course, when I was in the service we often found them swim- ming around and in front of the ship as we steamed along. They seemed to have a magical way of effortlessly slip- ping in and out of the water. There again I'd hear the soft "puff' as they gracefully sprang out of the crystal- clear water for their breath of air. This was particularly evident on calm nights when my buddy "Guns" and I would sit and chat up on the bow of the ship. The stars seemed brighter and closer on those nights than any other time. Gypsies back again Another caller told of his house being invaded by small creepy crawl- ing things. After hearing the descrip- tion of these hairy caterpillars and seeing a few individuals crawling across my patio, I was sorry to inform him he was witnessing gypsy moths. If they were adults they were looking for a place to lay their creamy orange - colored egg masses. Their clusters of eggs can usually be found under the limb of a tree where the branch meets the tree. Around the home they can be found behind boards, shutters, and in and about any shaded place or protected area that can be found. It's during July and August that the eggs are laid. They then lie dormant from then on, through the winter. In early spring, when the trees first leaf out, they hatch out as hairy larvae. These tiny caterpillars go unnoticed by most (not by birds though), and start to live off the tender young leaves of the trees. They move from one tree to another by spinning long silken threads. Hanging by these threads, they're blown from tree to tree by the wind. As the caterpillars grow larger and larger they consume more and When natural controls such as birds, mice, disease, parasites and others can't keep the caterpillar population down, we get an invasion of gypsy moths that literally defoliate every- thing in t eir path. So far those natur- al controls have worked. Occasionally there are pockets of gypsy moths just as my caller had in Greenport. Then and only then a licensed insecticide sprayer might be called in to take care of the local pocket of infestation. Massive spraying has never worked. Back to our life cycle of the gypsy moth. Once the caterpillar has grown to adulthood it seeks a place to pupate. This is the stage where the caterpillar wraps itself in a cocoon and rests while a magical transformation takes place. It changes from a rather ugly caterpillar into a brownish moth. The male and female mate, she lays her eggs and both die. No gypsy moth winters over, only the eggs she laid in July or August carry on. The one thing you can do to save individual trees is to tie a piece of burlap or rag around a tree trunk, let- ting one half hang over the other. Gypsy moths look for a place to hide when not eating and go under the burlap. Then all you have to do is lift up the burlap and "squash" them. Rising from the ashes My next call came from down the hall. Barbara had been hearing some- thing in the kitchen all day and finally she located where the sound was com- ing rrom. 1he most logical place would be under the sink where occasionally a mouse seems to find its way, but no, it turned out to be in our wood stove that sits between my office and the kitchen. Her ears are a hundred times bet- ter than mine and try as I would I couldn't hear her mys- terious noise. Since the stove is an airtight wood stove, I knew our visitor had to have come down the chimney. So after locating where the sound came from, we gently lifted off the lid of the stove. There amid the soot an debris was the most forlorn look- ing house sparrow you could ever imagine. Not wanting to have this dust machine flying around the house, Barbara grabbed ahold of him. He looked so pathetic in her hand. It looked more like a ball of ashes than a bird. Not wanting to waste a minute, she walked him over to the door, opened her hand, and off it flew. A more happy bird you couldn't have found. All our other chimneys have raccoon protectors on them and no bird or animal can get down them but I never thought of covering the chim- ney top of our wood stove. My first experience with birds down a chimney happened when we were kids staying at my Uncle Henry's sum- mer cottage. We had come for the weekend with his family. When the door was opened a bird flew out. It was a big bird: our largest woodpeck- er, the flicker. It had come down the chimney and been trapped iki the house. It had dashed itself against the windows and shattered all the curtains and shades. It even had found its way into a cabinet where a box of crackers provided its survival. Every window in the house was splattered and tattered. It just goes to prove we had better all cover our chimneys and stove pipes with protectors or someday face the consequences. P.S. — Just got a call from New Suffolk of a young wild turkey cross- ing the road there. Keep your eyes open. You never know what you might see. Thanks for the call, Frank. July 27; 2000 • The Suffolk Times • 7A nigh rfor s morns Some interesting reports have come in during the past few weeks and I'd like to share them with you. One in particular that was of great interest to me concerned dolphins. A caller whnce name I wasn't able to P-et left a Egg - laying season Suffolk Times photos by Paul Stoutenburgh Adult gypsy moths (left) are about 11/2 to 2 1/2 inches in length. Their hairy slate - colored bodies make them rather ugly looking. Egg masses (above), that should be destroyed, are buff colored and can be found underneath bark, under limbs of trees, behind shutters, boards, and just about anywhere there is protection from birds, mice phone message that he had seen a pod (derived Focus from numbers of ON peas in a pod) of bottlenose dol- NATURE phins off Bug by Pau Light southeast StoutenbuMi of Greenport. Wouldn't it be great if this was a sign of their returl to our local waters? I can remember seeing dolphins o porpoises in the Peconic Bays when was a kid. I must admit in those earl days I didn't know the differenc between a porpoise or a dolphir They're both members of the toothed whale family and are occasionally seen in the same locality. More often the dolphins are found offshore in the deeper waters while the porpoise is usually found in bays or rivers in the shallower water. Another distinction between the two is that dol- phins are the ones we see jumping out of the water and playfully following ships. The porpoise isn't so much of a jumper. And last- ly there's the size difference, porpoises being the smaller of the two — usually about six foot while the dolphins grow up to eight and a half. When we were first mar- ried some 50 years ago I took my new bride for a canoe ride out in the Sound and we paddled among 15 or 20 of these lovely creatures. They came so close to us we could hear them blow when they surfaced. In those days they were often seen working their way along the Sound shore. Then, of course, when I was in the service we often found them swim- ming around and in front of the ship as we steamed along. They seemed to have a magical way of effortlessly slip- ping in and out of the water. There again I'd hear the soft "puff' as they gracefully sprang out of the crystal- clear water for their breath of air. This was particularly evident on calm nights when my buddy "Guns" and I would sit and chat up on the bow of the ship. The stars seemed brighter and closer on those nights than any other time. Gypsies back again Another caller told of his house being invaded by small creepy crawl- ing things. After hearing the descrip- tion of these hairy caterpillars and seeing a few individuals crawling across my patio, I was sorry to inform him he was witnessing gypsy moths. If they were adults they were looking for a place to lay their creamy orange - colored egg masses. Their clusters of eggs can usually be found under the limb of a tree where the branch meets the tree. Around the home they can be found behind boards, shutters, and in and about any shaded place or protected area that can be found. It's during July and August that the eggs are laid. They then lie dormant from then on, through the winter. In early spring, when the trees first leaf out, they hatch out as hairy larvae. These tiny caterpillars go unnoticed by most (not by birds though), and start to live off the tender young leaves of the trees. They move from one tree to another by spinning long silken threads. Hanging by these threads, they're blown from tree to tree by the wind. As the caterpillars grow larger and larger they consume more and When natural controls such as birds, mice, disease, parasites and others can't keep the caterpillar population down, we get an invasion of gypsy moths that literally defoliate every- thing in t eir path. So far those natur- al controls have worked. Occasionally there are pockets of gypsy moths just as my caller had in Greenport. Then and only then a licensed insecticide sprayer might be called in to take care of the local pocket of infestation. Massive spraying has never worked. Back to our life cycle of the gypsy moth. Once the caterpillar has grown to adulthood it seeks a place to pupate. This is the stage where the caterpillar wraps itself in a cocoon and rests while a magical transformation takes place. It changes from a rather ugly caterpillar into a brownish moth. The male and female mate, she lays her eggs and both die. No gypsy moth winters over, only the eggs she laid in July or August carry on. The one thing you can do to save individual trees is to tie a piece of burlap or rag around a tree trunk, let- ting one half hang over the other. Gypsy moths look for a place to hide when not eating and go under the burlap. Then all you have to do is lift up the burlap and "squash" them. Rising from the ashes My next call came from down the hall. Barbara had been hearing some- thing in the kitchen all day and finally she located where the sound was com- ing rrom. 1he most logical place would be under the sink where occasionally a mouse seems to find its way, but no, it turned out to be in our wood stove that sits between my office and the kitchen. Her ears are a hundred times bet- ter than mine and try as I would I couldn't hear her mys- terious noise. Since the stove is an airtight wood stove, I knew our visitor had to have come down the chimney. So after locating where the sound came from, we gently lifted off the lid of the stove. There amid the soot an debris was the most forlorn look- ing house sparrow you could ever imagine. Not wanting to have this dust machine flying around the house, Barbara grabbed ahold of him. He looked so pathetic in her hand. It looked more like a ball of ashes than a bird. Not wanting to waste a minute, she walked him over to the door, opened her hand, and off it flew. A more happy bird you couldn't have found. All our other chimneys have raccoon protectors on them and no bird or animal can get down them but I never thought of covering the chim- ney top of our wood stove. My first experience with birds down a chimney happened when we were kids staying at my Uncle Henry's sum- mer cottage. We had come for the weekend with his family. When the door was opened a bird flew out. It was a big bird: our largest woodpeck- er, the flicker. It had come down the chimney and been trapped iki the house. It had dashed itself against the windows and shattered all the curtains and shades. It even had found its way into a cabinet where a box of crackers provided its survival. Every window in the house was splattered and tattered. It just goes to prove we had better all cover our chimneys and stove pipes with protectors or someday face the consequences. P.S. — Just got a call from New Suffolk of a young wild turkey cross- ing the road there. Keep your eyes open. You never know what you might see. Thanks for the call, Frank.