Welcome to the Vinalhaven sightings Report – March 9th,
2017
MCT/VLT approved!
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| nicu |
Upcoming events – Huber full moon hike and bonfire – Hey – tomorrow night is the night (Friday 3/10) is the
date for the hike. Meet at 5pm at Skoog to carpool. Sounds like much of the
trail is free of snow, so it will be more of a hike. Looks like good weather,
maybe some snow. Bring a flashlight, a mug for hot chocolate, a stomach for
some smores and we’ll take it from there! Should be lots of fun!
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| when I was young my brother told me that foam in fresh water was frog spit. this is frozen frog spit |
Business – congratulations! - to the Vinalhaven Girls Basketball team on their class D State Championship! What an achievement! First time ever!
contact us with nature sightings – be a stud and let folks know what you’ve been seeing, and see what you’ve been taking pictures of! vinalhavensightings@gmail.com is the place to share! See you there.
contact us with nature sightings – be a stud and let folks know what you’ve been seeing, and see what you’ve been taking pictures of! vinalhavensightings@gmail.com is the place to share! See you there.
Daylight savings time – Elizabeth
Campbell, MCHT Office Administrator
was kind enough to send me a reminder that this Sunday morning at 2 am clocks get set ahead (Spring ahead,
remember). It was a very kind gesture, and one that was thanked immediately
since changing clocks was way off my radar. So thanks Elizabeth! And don’t be
late by not changing your clocks!
Personal Sightings – weather and
sickness limited my journeys to Vinalhaven over the last few weeks. I apologize
for not having more to share that is island specific. What’s your excuse?
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| otter slides photo by Niall Conlan |
Sightings- Otter slides at Zeke’s Point – Good man
Niall Conlan was kind enough to share
this photo of some otter slides he came across on one of his many journeys
around the island.
Niall also has been kind
enough to plow many of the parking areas
for both MCHT and VLT this past month – keeping the access clear is huge
for wintertime outside enjoyment. Thank you so much Niall – your efforts are
much appreciated.
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| it's always good to see Mike Windsor |
Things to look for – Spring is upon us – other than
the snow storm forecast for Tuesday next week! – and signs are already pouring
in – Pussy Willows are in bloom, Cardinals, Chickadees and Brown Creepers are all
singing, and I somehow got to hear a very early Spring Peeper (froggy)
on 3/1 – in my back yard! By far the
earliest I have heard in Maine.
Woodcocks should be next! Get out there at dusk and listen! And then report
what you hear!
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| two of many brown tail moth webs out on Lane's |
Stewardship – Brown-tail Moth (Euproctis chrysorrhoea) – or
“oh damn, another jerky moth to deal with” or "I walked at lane's and all I got was this itchy rash!"
When you get an email from VSR favorite Maine State Forester Morten
Moesswilde, you read it. Just like you would any other email that you
received that day.
Well, Morten tipped off a few
folks about his finding of a handful of Brown-tail
Moth webs that he had found out on Lane’s
Island. VLT Executive Director
Linnell Mather and the MCHT Regional
Steward (me – the royal “me”) headed out to Lane’s to clip and snip the handful that Morten had found. We were instructed to gather the webs and
then either burn them or soak them in soapy water. Squishing was not an option
for fear of not squishing them all.
Here’s some interesting stuff
about brown tail moth from Maine.gov –
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| brown tail moths don't stand a chance when Linnell has her "long stick cutty thing" working! she is a pro. literally |
“Life History
The brown tail moth produces one generation a year. It has four life stages;
egg, larval, pupal, and adult. The larval stage lasts for nine months, from
August through June. In the fall, colonies of larvae build winter webs in trees
constructed from a single leaf wrapped tightly with large amounts of white
silk. A colony consists of 25 to 400 or more larvae. The larvae overwinter
within two to four inch long winter webs situated far out on branch tips. Webs
are found most often on red oak or apple trees.
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| I like ice |
History
The brown tail moth was accidently introduced into
Somerville, Massachusetts from Europe in 1897. By 1913, the insect had spread
to all of the New England states and New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The
population then dropped, for reasons that are not entirely clear, until there
was just a residual population limited to Cape Cod and a few islands off the
Maine coast in Casco Bay. Occasional outbreaks occurred on the mainland during
twentieth century until the 1990’s when brown tail became a perennial problem
along the southern Maine coast.
Damage
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| this raccoon had nothing to do with brown tail moths I like raccoons more than I like squirrels |
The larval stage (caterpillar) of this insect feeds on the foliage of many hardwood trees and shrubs particularly: oak, shadbush, apple, cherry, beach plum, and rugosa rose. Larval feeding causes reduction of growth and occasional mortality of valued trees and shrubs.
While feeding damage may cause some concern, the primary human impact from
the brown tail moth is the result of contact with poisonous hairs found on the
caterpillars. Contact of these hairs with human skin causes a rash similar to
poison ivy that can be severe on some individuals. People can also experience
respiratory distress from inhaling the microscopic hairs that blow around in
the air.”
So it’s interesting that the main concern with this moth is
not necessarily the damage to a forest they may invoke, but rather the rash
that is the result-
Check these articles from the
Portland Press Herald about rashes (uncomfortable topic)
“They came, they ate, they
made many itch” - http://www.pressherald.com/2016/06/24/browntail-moth-invasion-they-came-they-ate-they-made-many-itch/
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| we were pretty happy to have these guys removed photo by Linnell Mather. |
So these guys sound pretty awful. Linnell and I ended up
snagging a bucket full and I walked through so much blackberry that I am pretty
sure my raincoat is not waterproof anymore and my pants had several new holes
in them. But it was worth it!
So when you don’t get burned by “toxic hairs” this summer at
Lane’s you can thank Linnell, myself and Morten.
Have you been burned by the caterpillars or known someone
who has? Have you been seeing the webs in your neighborhood? Let us know!
some shots of the local (Tenants Harbor) fisher in my back yard. Can't afford to feed it anymore!
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| I love the twisting body in this one |
and leif working on his pinewood derby car.
we'll see you out there! maybe even tomorrow.
good times and happy health. my family and I are finally starting to feel better. yahoo!
