Welcome to the Watch the Birds blog!

Hello and Welcome to the "Watch the Birds" blog, straight from the Green Mountains!

My name is Madeleine and since the age of nine, I have been writing a bird column, documenting bird activity and discoveries from my backyard. My beloved grandmother ignited my passion for birds at an early age, showing me the beauty and bounty of nature and the avian world. Now, an avian enthusiast and full-time student, I continue to explore and appreciate the world of birds around me.

Since 2001, I have written a seasonal bird column for the Manchester Journal, the weekly publication for the Northshire area of Southern Vermont. My very first column was published in another area publication the summer of 2000, when I was nine years of age. The following summer, I switched to the Journal, where I continue to publish.

Friday, July 8, 2011

What are those purple boxes?


Has anyone been wondering what those purple boxes hanging in trees are? At first glance, they look like oddly-placed birdhouses; however, these boxes have been proliferating along roads in Vermont, as well as in neighboring Massachusetts.

The purple boxes are traps designed to monitor the presence of the Emerald Ash Borer, an insect that attacks ash trees and that was introduced to the US from Asia in 2002. Emerald Ash Borers can devastate trees, especially ash trees. They have been found in the Northwest and Canada, the highest populations being in Michigan and Ohio.

For additional information about the Emerald Ash Borer, please visit the official prevention and control site at http://www.emeraldashborer.info/index.cfm

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