pike's hikes

Nature News: Yellow-bellied sapsuckers really have yellow bellies Published May 22 2019  seacoastonline.com/Portsmouth Herald/the York Weekly/Fosters Daily Female yellow-bellied sapsucker lacks red throat.  Sue Pike photo I had hummingbirds show up in my yard well before many of the flowers had bloomed - usually once the quince bloom you can count on seeing ruby-throated hummingbirds shortly thereafter. This year the hummingbirds were first. While I don’t know for sure where they were getting their sugar supply (perhaps hummingbird feeders) an interesting fun fact is that hummingbirds will often follow yellow-bellied sapsuckers in their migration north. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology” “The sapwells made by Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers attract hummingbirds, which also feed off the sap flowing from the tree. In some parts of Canada, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds rely so much on sapwells that they time their spring migration with the arrival of sapsuckers. Other bi...

Nature News: Ruby-throated hummingbirds a tiny marvel Published June 11 2019  seacoastonline.com/The York Weekly/The Portsmouth Herald/Fosters Daily Ruby-throated hummingbird enjoying the sun   Sue Pike photo What can beat its wings over 53 times per second, can hover, fly backward, forward and sideways, has pea-sized eggs, has a heart rate of over 1,200 beats per minute and can live for up to 10 years? Only one New England bird fits this description: the ruby-throated hummingbird. These diminutive birds, little more than feather-covered flight muscles, are one of the most fascinating birds to visit our yards. I was recently asked about feeding hummingbirds. Hummingbird food mixes are available at many stores, and they’re expensive, brightly colored with red dye (a totally unnecessary additive), and supplemented with unnecessary nutrients and vitamins. Flower nectar really is just sugar water, and research indicates that it is the fuel hummingbirds use to p...

Nature News: Cedar apple rust an interesting fungus Published June 18 2019 seacoastonline.com/Fosters Daily/Portsmouth Herald etc Cedar apple rust is a fungus that requires two hosts to grow photo by Dave Betournay I was recently sent a photo of what looked like some sort of alien growth on a cedar tree, described by the proud owner of this tree as gelatinous tree anemones.  This is an apt description as they do resemble arboreal sea anemones and is a much more interesting descriptor than ‘cedar apple rust’. While these definitely aren’t aliens they are in that category of life that often takes on bizarre forms-the fungi. The USDA describes this fungus as follows in their ‘Plant of the Week’ blog (though these aren’t plants, they do infect plants)  “ Cedar apple rust is a member of the family Pucciniaceae, a group of fungi that contains many species that usually require two or more hosts to complete the life cycle. Members of this family are known as rusts...