by Roland D. Hallee The browntail moth continues to be in a lot of conversations. Now that the caterpillar is all but gone, the moth is abundant, and is the carrier of the next generation. That is why experts say they need to be dealt with now before the next round of caterpillars are hatched. […]
by Roland D. Hallee One night last week, after I did my usual bedtime reading, and my wife was playing the mind games on her tablet, I turned out the light and rolled over to get some sleep. Suddenly, my wife said, “there’s a lightning bug in here.” I looked up, and sure enough, there […]
by Roland D. Hallee One of the things I enjoy doing at camp on a Saturday morning is grabbing a cup of coffee and sitting on my deck, focusing on the bird feeders. There is much activity around there, not just the birds, but the squirrels and chipmunks, and the occasional cat that comes around […]
by Roland D. Hallee Last week, I received an email from a colleague, and follower of this column, asking the question, “Why don’t deer and moose get their antlers caught in trees?” Well, it isn’t uncommon to find deer with their antlers caught in trees. But it usually occurs following adverse conditions, especially from flooding […]
by Roland D. Hallee Well, the first June bug of the year made its appearance at camp on Saturday, May 29, at 10:30 p.m. We were, after all, still in May. To date, however, I have only seen three. I remember one summer, around 2002, we were literally swarmed one night while sitting around a […]
by Roland D. Hallee On my way back to camp after having run some errands in town, I was driving the Bog Road, in Vassalboro, coming in from Rte. 201. Upon cresting a hill, I notice something in the road: it was a snapping turtle. I have seen many over the last couple of weeks […]
by Roland D. Hallee While sitting on the deck at camp one lazy afternoon recently, one of our friends asked, “Why don’t we hear Whip-poor-wills anymore?” Interesting question. Besides the fact that whip-poor-wills are strictly nocturnal – that meaning they are active at night when I’m sleeping (something that seems to be happening earlier all […]
by Roland D. Hallee Last week, a reader dropped by my office to tell me a nature story that is, to say the least, unusual. Betsy, a China resident, told me about an oak tree on her property that is a considerable distance from their home. In the branches of this particular tree were multiple […]
by Roland D. Hallee There is nothing like beating a subject to death. But, in this case, it’s worth every word. You have to be living in a cave not to know that deer ticks are at an all time high. They are everywhere. Friends and family have told me stories about their encounters with […]
by Roland D. Hallee Have you ever heard of clover mites? Neither had I. Until, that is, a couple of weeks ago when a friend told me of her encounter with some. So, let’s take a closer look at them. First of all, clover mites flourish in early spring. This dark reddish-brown pest, which is […]