On October 29th, almost a year to the day of the 2011 Halloween snowstorm, Hurricane Sandy, while crawling up the coast took a left turn at Atlantic City. Most hurricanes coming up the coast turn to the right and skirt by Montauk and Cape Cod. This storm’s uncharacteristic turn into New Jersey, built up a storm surge unlike any other for the New York harbor. Coastal neighborhoods on Staten Island, lower Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Nassau County were damaged, in some cases, beyond recognition.

There is one statistic that caught my interest that surfaced along the coast after the storm passed. Communities that had natural or man made dunes that were densely vegetated, received much less water damage than communities where dunes were either removed or never existed. Vegetated sand dunes, correctly positioned between coastal communities and the ocean, have the ability to absorb and deflect storm water surge. Heavily vegetated dunes are less likely to shift or move during periods of rough surf.

Fire Island is a barrier island paralleling the south shore of Long Island. The Fire Island National Seashore area of Sailor’s Haven/Sunken Forest is a perfect example of how a barrier island’s densely vegetated sand dunes and its unique ecosystem protect coastal communities along the south shore of Long Island during nor’easters and hurricanes.

In our area, high wind gusts knocked down trees and power lines. Power was out for seven to ten days. Just as the power came on, an early season snowstorm dropped six inches of snow less than a week after the hurricane. What next?

This year’s Thanksgiving feast, with all the turkey and leftover sandwiches, is history and now it’s time to think about the Christmas Eve fish and Christmas Day ham. The aroma of freshly baked cookies, pies, and cakes are a treat for the nose as well as the stomach. The scent of paperwhites (narcisis) and fresh cut balsam fir brings the outside in this holiday season.

Before the ground freezes and the snow piles up, make sure the garden beds
have a two to three inch layer of mulch to insulate the soil from frequent freezing and thawing which appears to be more the norm. Now is the time to shape the trees and shrubs so they are ready for next spring’s growth spurt and can handle heavy snow and ice this winter.

December is a clean, cold, star-filled night. Look hard and you will find the Great Bear low in the horizon at evening. Legend has it that the Great Bear is looking down from the sky to wash his paws in the deep lakes before the ice sets. Little Bear is also up there hanging by his tail from the North Star. To the west, Cygnos the Migrating Swan is in flight. To the east, the two dogs watch Orion the Hunter observing Taurus. Overhead is Pleiades Sisters. You remember the Pleiades Sisters; the shy sisters on the corner.

I recall, a few years back, taking a late evening walk on the 24th. It was a very clear, cold night and as I was trying to picture the constellations, I noticed a faint red glow coming out of the northeast. At first, I thought it was the northern lights. As the light got closer, I heard sleigh bells. Could it be? I believe it was. Have a very Merry Christmas and a joyous New Year.

by Pete | Permalink

During April, May and June, we were busy with spring cleanup, transplanting and planting. The vegetable garden is in and everything seems to be growing exceptionally well this year. We have had plenty of rain and when the sun came out, it was warm and inviting. The end of June gave us our first heat wave of the season; three days of temperatures in the nineties with high humidity. This hot, sticky weather came to an abrupt end with two to five severe thunderstorms. I say two to five because they were hit and miss. Some areas got six inches of rain and other areas only a half inch. That’s how thunderstorms work during the heat of summer.

July is a pruning time of the year. Most shrubs and trees have finished flowering by now so it’s time for a cut. I spend July pruning trees, shrubs, and perennials to create a visually pleasing landscape. Overgrown shrubs, especially along the foundation, can be drastically pruned back this time of year to bring new vigor to the plant. If you gradually prune an overgrown shrub several times in a season, you can slowly shape it into good form. It may take a few years to accomplish this but it’s worth the effort.

In July, the lawn has finally slowed down because it’s getting drier and hotter. Lawns prefer moist, cool weather. During the heat of the summer, many broadleaf plants will colonize in our lawn. It’s this time of year that the clover becomes more pronounced. I enjoy clover. It tolerates dry conditions, produces a flower that bees use to make honey and fixes nitrogen from the air and releases it into the soil. Violets are another broadleaf I welcome into my lawn. When they flower in June, it gives some welcome color to the boring blades of green.

It’s time to raise the height of cut on the lawn. Four to five inches is a comfortable height during the dry summer. The lawn is less likely to burn if mowed higher. Also, we will not need to water at this height. Lawns fade for a number of reasons; excessive heat, dry conditions, soil compaction and shade are the top reasons lawns fail. In autumn, before a good rain is expected, over-seed the lawn with a mix of rye, fescue, and bluegrass. This blend is more adapted to our climate conditions.

July is the Japanese beetle hatch. Be ready when these beetles emerge. They are hungry and need to be controlled. July is aphids, mites, adelgid, mealy bugs, and powdery mildew. Most bugs can be controlled by mechanical methods, oil spray or soap application. Powdery mildew and many fungus problems can be treated by pruning to allow more air flow around and through the plant. Also, baking soda mixed with water makes an effective spray for powdery mildew and a cotton swab dipped in alcohol can take care of small areas of mealy bugs.

July is the flowering linden tree (or basswood). The linden tree flowers in July and the small, white flowers are full of nectar...so much nectar that the tree will drip of nectar at times. Early Native Americans used basswood to build dugout canoes, cups, bowls, and other utensils. The linden is a good street tree as well as a yard specimen or hedge row tree.

July is in mid-summer form and features flowers such as native honeysuckle, butterfly weed, swamp milkweed, jewel weed, black-eyed Susan, heliopsis, bee balm, coreopsis, blue chicory, clethra, hypericum, potentilla, helenium, and phlox.

July can be a refreshing swim in Green Mountain Lake, taking in a softball game at Murrow Park on a balmy evening, a round of golf on Dutcher at sunset, a Sunday morning hike on the Appalachian Trail at the boardwalk due west of the Metro North train stop to check out the beaver hut. Getting out in the yard or nearby meadow to pick a wild flower bouquet is a simple way to enjoy what July has to offer. Stay cool.

by Pete | Permalink

Throughout May & June Nature goes into labor. Fawns are born in meadows and wood lots. They are born the size of large rabbits and basically stay motionless the first couple days with no scent. Coyotes will walk only a few feet from a fawn without picking up its scent. After about a week fawns start to follow mom. At this point their legs are strong and fast enough to outrun most predators. If there is plenty of food and cover doe’s will have twins. In areas where there is an over population of deer or in mountain areas, where food is scarce, doe’s will have only one offspring.

Turtles are making their way out of the swamp to bury a clutch of eggs, snapping turtles are most noticeable. Many tend to cross roads and driveways to reach a comfortable nesting site. I’ve seen many turtles crossing River Road, Dodge Road and West Dover Road answering natures call. Please yield to their slow crossing.

Ducks, Swans and Geese are leading their clutch across ponds, lakes and swamps. Their diet of aquatic vegetation can be found growing in most water ways this time of year. The Turkey hatch has begun as I saw my first clutch about a week ago. Mom will get her clutch up in the trees as soon as possible; it’s safer up there at night. Turkeys are bug and seed eaters, their young will triple in size over the next month.

June is a grass month. The grass and hay is growing an inch a day. Mowing the lawn once a week does not seem to be enough. Mowing the lawn high, 3 inches or higher, is healthier for the lawn. This height will keep the ground leaf weeds at bay and tall grass will shade the soil and keep it moist. Leave clippings on the lawn as they add much needed nitrogen to the soil as they decompose. Wait until the end of the month to hay the meadow as wildlife is feeding on the tender green shoots and using the high grass for cover and nesting.

June smells great. The warm winter weather has lead to some colorful late spring flowers, Iris look great and Roses look better. The Rhododendron flower lasted a bit longer this spring because of the cool rain. In general most trees and shrubs look good, are healthy and are providing beautiful flowers thanks to our milder than normal winter.

June is still a good time to plant. Finish planting the vegetable garden and add a few native edibles to the landscape. Along hedgerows my first choice would be the Red Raspberry. This Kane will spread into the forest glen in a few years. As a ground cover try a few varieties of Strawberry. They are a lot more fun than Myrtle and will spread quickly. Beach Plum is another native I would plant in the shrub border. It’s a slow growing plant that reaches six feet tall. This shrub has a beautiful spring flower and is covered with fruit in the fall. This native Plum prefers light well drained soil and will not grow in heavy soils.

Blueberry shrubs can be planted in most any acidic soil. I’ve seen it grow on the edge of a swamp and on rocky hill tops. Blueberries come in two sizes, standard size will grow 6ft to 8ft tall and Low bush varieties stay short and make a tasty ground cover.

Grapes are native vines that will produce fruit in early fall for us as well as wildlife. Easy to grow and train, Grapes can be grown on an arbor or terrace. It’s easy to prune and maintain and will fruit for years if properly maintained.

by Pete | Permalink

It appears that many flowers in our area open in May. May is germination. May is renewal. May is the first month of the year with intense sunlight. May is rapid growth. May is in full bloom.

May smells as good as it looks. By Mother’s Day, the scent of the lilac can be found in most every farm house yard in our area. A native of Persia, the lilac was brought to Europe in the sixteenth century. Early American colonists were so fond of its flower that just about every yard from Maine to Maryland has a light lavender or white variety. Whether straddling the root cellar entrance or holding up the hedgerow, this flower is as handsome as it is fragrant.

Have you noticed how beautiful the flowering dogwoods (Cornus florida) are this spring? The flowering dogwood is a strong zone 6 native and can be found comfortably naturalizing the hillsides as close as northern Westchester County. As this tree migrates into our area, our cold winters are a bit harsher for this understory hardwood and generally its flowers are not as numerous as they are just to our south. This year tells another story. Our extremely warm winter and early spring has created one of the most beautiful dogwood displays in recent memory. The red flower variety looks good, the white flower looks better and the pink dogwood looks the best of all. For some reason, the pink flowering dogwood looks particularly vibrant this spring.

Another eastern native putting on a beautiful show this spring is the eastern redbud (Cersis canadensis). The eastern redbud has small, bright purple-pink flowers running along the limbs and branches before the leaves emerge. Some redbuds took a hit during in last October’s snowstorm, but the trees that were damaged can be pruned back into good form.

Before the tree canopy shades the forest floor, take a hike in the woods to enjoy the flowering bloodroot, trillium, columbine, woodland phlox, violets, jack-in-the-pulpit and chokeberry. The forest floor is wild this time of year.

March and April were dry, warm months so ticks are out in full force. When hiking, stay on the trail, wear light clothing and check one another thoroughly after the hike. If a tick is found under the skin, apply liquid soap to a cotton ball and set this on the tick area. After a minute, the tick will back out into the soap. It works every time.

Annuals and tender vegetables can be set out into the garden by Memorial Day. If a frost is forecasted after these tender plants are in the ground, wetting the foliage at sunset should be more than enough protection from temperatures a few degrees below freezing. If a hard frost is in the forecast, a covering may be necessary. Light plastic or a blanket is good. Prop it up off the ground with sticks if plants are six inches or higher.

The beautiful spring weather is here. Getting out in the garden and working the soil feels good. Working the warm, moist soil between our fingers, adding compost, mulching and weeding gives us a sense of satisfaction. Our relationship with the soil and plants coupled with the sun on our backs and listening to the sounds of nature is what it’s all about. Our kinship with nature and treating her with respect goes a long way in maintaining a healthy body, mind and spirit. Keep it down and dirty.

by Pete | Permalink