Category Archives: Wildlife Habitat

Critical Habitats in Connecticut

Posted on October 16, 2012 by sigrungadwa

Introduction I am often asked, just what is a critical habitat, and is it protected or not?   My answer is drawn from  a hybrid  DEEP document  (map plus explanations and keys)  called “Critical Habitats” last revised in 2011.  Recently retired … Continue reading →

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Rich and Poor in the Plant World – Part 1

Posted on October 14, 2012 by sigrungadwa

My much-loved,  old, heavy botanical manuals (e.g. Fernald and Britton and Brown)  always include a sentence or two about the habitat where a plant is found, as well as exceedingly detailed morphological descriptions.  “Found in rich soil” is a frequent … Continue reading →

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Transplanting Soil Blocks, a Biodiversity Rescue Tool

Posted on June 17, 2012 by sigrungadwa

This past Spring (May and June 2012) a group in south central Connecticut transplanted many blocks of peat soil, about 20″ X 20″, with very rare Adder’s Tongue Fern (Ophioglossum pusillum).  This is  an attempt to salvage the population from … Continue reading →

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Trace Minerals & Toxins: GMO Concerns

Posted on March 18, 2012 by sigrungadwa

Why does food grown organically seem to taste better than conventionally grown food. Is this my imagination or due to some real difference? I read that levels of trace minerals (micro-nutrients) were usually lower in non-organic food. This makes sense … Continue reading →

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Water Woes on Drumlins

Posted on January 21, 2012 by sigrungadwa

What is a drumlin anyway?  A gremlin with an aptitude for percussion?   Seriously, a rounded, elongated hill in the Connecticut landscape is probably a “drumlin”. The best known is Horsebarn Hill on the eastern side of the UConn campus at … Continue reading →

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The Red Menace

Posted on August 1, 2011 by sigrungadwa

Euonymus alata, also known as burning bush, is at least a clear-cut villain, unlike  some of the other invasives.    I recall spending a long June day collecting vegetation data in an an immense Euonymus thicket, a former estate  in Wilton. … Continue reading →

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Origins of the Traprock Ridges

Posted on July 28, 2011 by sigrungadwa

The extensive ridgetop hiking trails in central Connecticut are fairly well known, with their fine views, blueberries, and sunflowers, e.g the trails on East Rock, West Rock, Mount Higby, the Hanging Hills,  Cathole Mountain, and Ragged Mountain.  However, remarkably few … Continue reading →

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Rose Maze

Posted on July 22, 2011 by sigrungadwa

Yesterday at dusk I was near downtown Wilton, at the site of a future apartment building.  I was trying to get out of  an approximately  2-acre thicket of invasive shrubs and vines, after characterizing them. It was raining hard, so … Continue reading →

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Far-Travelling Toxins

Posted on June 25, 2010 by sigrungadwa

  Very High Toxin Concentrations found in Arctic Whales The link  below is  an article sent by a colleague on the surprisingly high levels of toxins, found in arctic whales.   Concentrations of toxic heavy metals like cadmium and chromium, were … Continue reading →

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Ailing from Indoor Air Pollution? Go Outside!

Posted on June 12, 2010 by sigrungadwa

This afternoon I heard on public radio (Faith Middleton Show) that  health problems from indoor air pollution are worst in the most energy efficient, air-tight homes (LEED- certified).  I also heard that on average Americans spend less than 95% of … Continue reading →

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