A few goings on.
First the cotton tail bunnies have started to show themselves finally. I typically see then as soon as spring hits but now they are coming out.
Yesterday two adults in my yard. Here is a good photo of one of them.
Down the street, clearly a different family, there are 4 baby cottontails that come out to eat on the grass. Can't tell from the photos but they are ony about 1/3 the size of an adult.
While we were away on vacation something has made a mess of the stone wall by the driveway and the house. What a pain. It dug in and caused an avalanche. Since our return I've been seeing a small ground hog/woodchuck/whistle pig in the yard. He is my prime suspect though I see no foot prints in the dirt. I suspect that after the avalanche he gave up on that spot.
And finally the caterpillars and my trees! Before we left for vacation the invasive European gypsy moth caterpillars had been decimating my oak trees.
Below one tree that overhangs the top of my driveway the caterpillar poop is just sick.
Fortunately the oak trees appear to be sprouting new leaves where they had been totally denuded of leaves.
Now we have the moths all over. I can't whack a bush without 2 dozen flying out. Here is one of the monsters.
And there are more to come. They are quickly coming out of their metamorphose. I see these under every large branch of any of the chewed up trees. Not a good sign for next year.
In previous years we had been hit by the invasive green winter moths that have killed many of my smaller ash trees. We didn't have a problem with them this year. But now these.
http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/hungry-caterpillars-destroy-trees-new-england
First the cotton tail bunnies have started to show themselves finally. I typically see then as soon as spring hits but now they are coming out.
Yesterday two adults in my yard. Here is a good photo of one of them.
Down the street, clearly a different family, there are 4 baby cottontails that come out to eat on the grass. Can't tell from the photos but they are ony about 1/3 the size of an adult.
While we were away on vacation something has made a mess of the stone wall by the driveway and the house. What a pain. It dug in and caused an avalanche. Since our return I've been seeing a small ground hog/woodchuck/whistle pig in the yard. He is my prime suspect though I see no foot prints in the dirt. I suspect that after the avalanche he gave up on that spot.
And finally the caterpillars and my trees! Before we left for vacation the invasive European gypsy moth caterpillars had been decimating my oak trees.
Below one tree that overhangs the top of my driveway the caterpillar poop is just sick.
Fortunately the oak trees appear to be sprouting new leaves where they had been totally denuded of leaves.
Now we have the moths all over. I can't whack a bush without 2 dozen flying out. Here is one of the monsters.
And there are more to come. They are quickly coming out of their metamorphose. I see these under every large branch of any of the chewed up trees. Not a good sign for next year.
In previous years we had been hit by the invasive green winter moths that have killed many of my smaller ash trees. We didn't have a problem with them this year. But now these.
http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/hungry-caterpillars-destroy-trees-new-england
