Have you heard about all the non-native invasive species in Lake Champlain? These include 50 species of plants, animals and pathogens that were introduced to the Lake Champlain Basin.
Believe it or not, every big tree was once a little tree and, before that, a seed. Yes, those massive trunks and branches that took decades or centuries to grow were once acorns lying on the ground or aspen seeds blowing in the wind. While we value our big trees, we often forget the small trees and seeds we see today are what will become the massive maples and oaks that our great-grandchildren will admire.
In recent years sandhill cranes have been observed in Vermont. So, what’s the big deal? Well, among other things, sandhills (Antigone canadensis) are the oldest species of bird on earth; fossil records date them to about ten million years. And cranes can dance!
In walking the woods of Chittenden County, landscape-level trends become increasingly apparent. One surprise has been evidence of an over-abundance of white-tailed deer on the landscape and the negative influence of deer on young trees (“regeneration”) in the forest.