After a warm spell, last night and today some five inches of snow arrived. Roving our locale, we spotted this female hooded merganser diving after minnows in Smiley's Pond, as were her siblings and a mate, who dove just before the photo. Their serrated and narrow bills make them excellent hunters.
This American elm luxuriates as a centerpiece atop Baldwin Hill. The storm added much contrast when it plastered the northeast side of the tree. Once abundant in woods, hedgerows, and town centers, our majestic elms were reduced to one in ten by the elm bark beetle. Originally from Asia, the beetle first found its way to Europe on trading ships, where it came to be known as the Dutch elm beetle, and then to the US, where during the last 50 years of the past century a great many elms died from the beetle-borne fungus. Still, perhaps a hundred thrive within a five-mile radius of us. This one has little competition, and may benefit much from modern farming practices carried out over its roots.
After a warm spell, last night and today some five inches of snow arrived. Roving our locale, we spotted this female hooded merganser diving after minnows in Smiley's Pond, as were her siblings and a mate, who dove just before the photo. Their serrated and narrow bills make them excellent hunters.
This American elm luxuriates as a centerpiece atop Baldwin Hill. The storm added much contrast when it plastered the northeast side of the tree. Once abundant in woods, hedgerows, and town centers, our majestic elms were reduced to one in ten by the elm bark beetle. Originally from Asia, the beetle first found its way to Europe on trading ships, where it came to be known as the Dutch elm beetle, and then to the US, where during the last 50 years of the past century a great many elms died from the beetle-borne fungus. Still, perhaps a hundred thrive within a five-mile radius of us. This one has little competition, and may benefit much from modern farming practices carried out over its roots.
1 comment:
lovely pic of the tree :)
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