February 12, 2018 - Waiting for Spring by Area Forester Lisa Deaton This great blue heron, like many of us, seems to be contemplating warmer weather. The daffodils in the eastern part of the state are getting ready to bloom. The squirrels are carrying mouthfuls of leaves from the forest floor and adding them to their nests in the trees. I tried to catch a photo of that, but squirrels move so fast. The... Read More
January 31, 2018 - by Area Forester Lisa Deaton Those Hidden Roots Homeowners often contact our local Department of Forestry or Virginia Cooperative Extension offices when they are worried that a yard tree might be diseased or dying. This loblolly pine (above) is located on the shore of a tidal creek that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The needles and branches in the top of the tree have been dying for the past several months. We... Read More
January 10, 2018 - by Area Forester Lisa Deaton Snack Bars for Birds Winter is a time of year when people start to notice damage to their trees. Yellow-bellied sapsuckers are a member of the woodpecker family, and they can drill an alarming number of holes into a single tree in search of sap and insects. This is a large yellow-poplar in Gloucester County. While the holes are... Read More
November 28, 2017 - by Area Forester Lisa Deaton ‘Tis the Season! Trees provide us with a colorful show every autumn, and then reveal yet more “decorations” once the leaves are gone. Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that grows in the tops of trees. The American holly berries are ripe. Partridgeberry is one of my favorites for its fall berries and white flowers in the spring. Running cedar can form quite a carpet,... Read More
November 21, 2017 - by Area Forester Lisa Deaton A Day of Double Takes It is still close enough to Halloween that I thought I saw a ghost in the woods last week. Upon looking closer, it was just a tarp, but it was hanging very high in this tree. It protected a hunter’s tree stand at one time. Then a bright red dot on a yellow-poplar caught my eye. I think it... Read More
November 14, 2017 - by Area Forester Lisa Deaton Mushrooms! When you work in the woods every day, it can be joyful to see something new. After the rain last week, quite a variety of mushrooms sprouted. The most unusual one I saw was hairy on top. These mushrooms were so tiny I almost missed them. This mushroom is keeping company with a small army of lichens, and perhaps fungi, on the decaying log... Read More
