by Carl Gold During a late fall or winter hike have you ever heard a rattling sound without being able to tell the source? Maybe for a minute your primordial brain thought it was a rattlesnake until your rational brain reminded you that there are no rattlesnakes in the Baltimore Metropolitan area (there are timber rattlesnakes in Maryland but they are found mostly in Maryland’s four western counties – Frederick, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett). If you were lucky enough to be caught in the rain when the rattling increased maybe you thought of a long-lost […]
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Let’s Remove Vines and Save our Tree Canopy!
With evidence mounting everywhere, we finally seem to be taking climate change seriously. In Maryland, we are blessed with an extensive tree canopy, which helps to mitigate the damaging effects of climate change. Through photosynthesis, trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, use the carbon for their growth, and release oxygen back into a cooler atmosphere. We are experiencing a growing interest in planting trees that seems to be a worldwide movement. Some local examples: The State of Maryland, through the 2021 Tree Solutions Now Act, plans to plant 5 million trees by 2031. In […]
Continue readingCome on, Get Sappy: Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and Why Everyone Should Bird
I didn’t used to think birdy thoughts on a regular basis. Like most people, I didn’t own a pair of good binoculars or know much about birds. After retiring, however, I signed up for a birding class, got a pair of excellent, yet affordable Vortex Diamondback 10 x 42 binoculars, and gained awareness, Matrix-style, of a new reality. Through numerous outings with instructor Marty Brazeau to local natural areas such as Loch Raven, Cromwell Valley, Oregon Ridge, Marshy Point, and with the help of free birding apps like the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Merlin Bird […]
Continue readingLeave the Leaves: Less Work, More Ecological Benefit
By Adreon Hubbard of Idlewydle One of the things I appreciate about Idlewylde is the many yards filled with trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants in addition to the more traditional mowed grassy areas. The 3rd annual Idlewylde Fall Yard Tree Program through Blue Water Baltimore saw 19 native trees planted in October, including Bald Cypress, Black Gum, Fringetree, Willow and Northern Red Oak, Redbud, River Birch, Sweetbay Magnolia, Sycamore, and Tuiliptree. Yay! Most people seem to agree that trees provide many benefits, including shade, cooling, cleaner air, stormwater and erosion control, pollutant filtering, habitat, and […]
Continue readingWhere Do Our Storm Drains Lead?
Today I gathered the colorful fall leaves along the curb to put in my compost bin. Not only will I have black gold after the leaves decompose to rich soil, those leaves will also no longer be washed into our storm drains when it rains. It is illegal to rake or blow leaves into the street and this is why: The storm drains in our neighborhoods are piped to the nearest stream, then to the Herring Run, to Back River and ultimately to the Chesapeake Bay. Whatever goes into the storm drain goes into our […]
Continue readingYou Just Can’t Hack It: Correct Pruning for Healthy Trees
By Adreon Hubbard On my walks through the neighborhood, I’ve noticed street and yard trees with various issues that might have been prevented through correct pruning. Our trees are subjected to many stressors beyond our control, but pruning when a tree is young is something the average person can do (even an arthritic retiree such as myself) to help the tree withstand these threats and live a longer, healthier life. Pruning also provides a fun outdoor workout and sense of accomplishment. Having just completed my TreeKeeper Pruning Certification, I am excited to share some tips […]
Continue readingBefore You Build, Think About Your Trees!
Planning a construction project at your house? First, consider your trees. They provide you with beauty, shade, and higher property value, so try to plan around them if you can. Design your new room with a view of your tree and the bird house or the feeder and the squirrel’s acrobatics, and the ever-changing display of leaves and branches throughout the season. To preserve the trees you already have, protect the roots. Tree roots can be damaged easily in the process of home renovation. Weakened roots can lead to slow death for the tree that […]
Continue readingQuestions About Tree Care? You’re Not Alone
By Margaret Roach, New York TimesAug. 4, 2021 The biggest plants in our gardens often get the smallest share of our attention. And it’s not because trees don’t need or want attention — or because we intend to neglect them. Maybe it’s because they look so strong, holding most of their foliage overhead and not making their needs known near ground level, where we are busy paying attention to everyone else. Or maybe we just don’t have much tree-care confidence. At The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Ill., Julie Janoski and her Plant Clinic colleagues respond to gardeners’ and green-industry professionals’ […]
Continue readingSaving the planet can begin in your own backyard
Searing heat waves, recurring downpours, and the news that insect and bird populations are declining precipitously all indicate that the climate crisis has already crossed our doorstep. While our government works out local, national, and global solutions, there are many proactive things we can do in our own yards. Growing native plants and trees is a relatively simple act that could have a significant positive impact on our environment. Many people don’t realize that 90% of the insects that live in our neighborhoods can only digest the plants that they have co-evolved with for thousands […]
Continue readingSpending the day in Eastern Baltimore County is an exercise in undiscovered pleasures
By Carl GoldIn Marshy Point State Park I start the day very early at Hammerman Beach. Years ago, an agreement was reached to allow long distance swimmers to train outside the ropes before the beaches open for public use. My cure for Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD) begins, however, before I set foot in the water. I glance down and see fern moss near the base of the osprey nest in the parking lot. Emerald cushions with spores ready to explode with new single cell life cover the ground, inches away from asphalt. To the left […]
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