On Sundays, we’ve been enjoying the hiking trails in the lush hardwood and coniferous forests that we have the good fortune to have in our area.  However, an unfortunate byproduct of our global commerce has been the accidental introduction of species of weeds and insects, that pose threats to these forests.

Asian long-horned beetle adults with dime and exit holes. Click the image to visit the NY Invasive Species website.

One of these insects, the Asian Longhorned Beetle, has already killed multi thousands of maples, and other hardwoods, in northeast US and southeast Canada.  Infestations exist in New York City, Long Island, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Toronto and Ohio.  Although this beetle has not yet been found in our area, as you can see, it’s all around us.  Not only is the maple one of our most common forest trees, we also got to enjoy the commercial value of the sugar maple, a few weeks ago.

If this beetle should get to our area, it can be eradicated by aggresive action, as long as the infestation is caught early, and hasn’t become too massive.  This is why all us hikers need to know how to detect it.  There will be 2 places, this week, where Georgia and I, who worked on this eradication project before we retired, will show you what you need to know, using powerpoint slides, specimens and literature you can take with you on your hikes.

1. Tuesday, at the Historical Society meeting at the Springwater Town Hall.  Pot luck dinner at 6:30.  Bring a dish to pass, and your place setting.

2. If it’s more convenient for you, on Wednesday, we’ll be giving the same program, at the Adirondack Mountain Club meeting, at the Eisenhart Auditorium, Rochester Museum Science Center, on East and Goodman Aves.  The meeting starts at 7:30 but, we’re also giving a short workshop on the Emarald Ash Borer, before the meeting, at 6:45.

By the time we resume our Sunday hikes, after a week’s hiatus, it should be warm enough for our songbirds to return from their winter residences, and begin planning the production of another generation.

For most birds, both genders return together.  One notable exception is the redwinged blackbird, a common inhabitant of our wetlands.  The cock is one of the first birds to return.  We should be able to see, and hear them, in wet areas.  The hens return a few weeks later and, by then, the cocks have established a breeding territory, and are singing to notify the hens of their presence.  After she finds a cock who’se attractive to her, a brief courtship procedure seals the bond, and serious nest building begins.

Birds can be monomorphic (one form), where both genders look alike, or dimorphic (2 forms), where the genders have different plumage.  The redwinged blackbird is a good example of the latter.  The cock’s feathers are jet black, except for a red spot on his wing, with a yellow border, which gives this bird its name.  The hen is a mottled brown.

The redwinged blackbird, and many other birds, are always dimorphic.  Some, just during the breeding season.  As the cock molts his feathers during the summer, by fall, he looks just like the hen, as in some warblers.  Others may be very subtly dimorphic, the familiar robin being a good example.  The feathers, on the cock’s head, are a very slightly darker shade of grey, than those on his back.  The hen’s head featherss are the same as her back.  See if you can tell the difference, when you see them.

Because the cocks are decked out in their colorful breeding plumage, and are singing their unique songs to attract hens, the next 2 months are the best time to learn birds.  On the naturalist hikes, we will try to identify the birds we encounter, by sight and sound, and make a list for each hike.  While birds are less active in mid afternoon, we should still be able to find some.

During this week, in our northern hemisphere, the winter season will officially end, and give way to spring.  This is known as the vernal equinox, when, in the earth’s revolution around the sun, neither pole is tilted toward the sun, which passes over the zenith in the sky, at the equator, and days and nights are each 12 hours long, all over the world.

The same thing happens around this time, in September, the autumnal equinox.  The 23 degree tilt of the earth’s axis is what causes seasons.  In winter, the sun is lower in the sky.  Its heat has to pass through more air, which reduces the amount of heat reaching the surface.  In summer, with it being high in the sky and its heat going through less air, we get more of it.

During the 2 equinoxes, the sun is in the same position in the sky.  You would, therefore, expect that the climate in March and September would be about the same.  Yet, we all know that it’s much warmer in September (about 74), than it is in March (about 45) (see chart).  As I’m writing this, a winter storm is dumping snow at my doorstep.  In September, we’re still planning outside barbecues and swimming in the lake.  Why then, is September so much warmer, than March?

The answer is that water is a poor conductor of heat, and the air, in this part of the world, is quite humid.  This humid air resists the heat of the sun, as it rises higher in the sky, from December to June.  But, the humidity also holds the heat in, as the sun gets lower from June, to December.  The phenomenon is called seasonal lag.  In the desert, where the air is dry, it’s very hot during the day, and freezing cold, at night, as any GI, who’se been to Iraq, can tell you.

So, time to put away the skis and get out the kayaks, as we enjoy the gradual return of the warm season, together, on Sunday afternoons.

Ever see a comet before?  You’ll have a chance, this week, to see a bright one, with a long tail  For 3 nights, Tuesday to Thursday, if any of those nights are clear, the waxing crescent moon will help you find it.  Go to a spot where you have a clear view of the western horizon, not later than 45 minutes after sunset.  On Tuesday, it will be close to a tiny sliver crescent moon.  On the next nights, the moon will be bigger and higher and the comet will be below it.  There’s lots of information about comets, in books and on the internet.

Overhead, and slightly to the west, is the constellation Orion, and the big planet, Jupiter.  On Sunday, Jupiter will be big and bright, and close to the moon.