The dirt on soil — it is a precious thing

A slope that is eroding. Roots of a white pine, removed as a result of the erosion, shown dangling below.
Dee Salomon
A slope that is eroding. Roots of a white pine, removed as a result of the erosion, shown dangling below.
As of this writing, I have seen far fewer Asian jumping worms on our property than over the past four years. My hands are in the soil every day so I would know. The leaf litter still looks mostly intact and the telltale coffee grounds signature are largely absent. I know it is still too early to be optimistic but I find it odd. I have written before about the infestation and about the damage the worms have done to the property over the past few years (https://www.theungardener.com/articles/dont-look-down). But where have they gone? One might think it correlates to the excessive rain but Peter Groffman from the Cary Institute explained that it is an entirely ‘normal’ process of integration. When the worms colonize an area their populations explode and then they settle in and populations reduce and spread– the food they have devoured is no longer there, also predators become familiar with them as a new food source. This is what is happening here.
One continuing effect of worm invasion is erosion. Over the past several years the worms have loosened the soil. This, compounded by the rain has caused extensive soil erosion, most notably on the sides of a ravine where the soil washed into a stream and then into the Housatonic, taking with it several trees. We felled a massive white pine that was about to topple and take with it a huge chunk of soil that would have then washed away. Dr. Jane Lucas, a soil and microbial ecologist from the Cary Institute is concerned about situations like this. “We are losing soil at a concerning clip- whether by heavy rain that causes topsoil to erode, by compaction from driving on dirt roads, and by leaving bare to dry out. Soil, created over many years, is a precious thing. It is alive, with a microbiome that, like our gut microbiome, contains many of the bacteria, fungus, and other organisms (like invertebrates and viruses) that are the basis for the health of trees and other plants.”
Remembering that soil is alive will guide your actions to keep your soil from degrading. Dried out soil is unhealthy; so is water-logged soil. Soil should stay covered and better to keep soil covered with plants rather than mulch, but mulch is better than leaving it bare. Think twice (or thrice!) about using pesticides or herbicides as these have the unwanted effect of destroying the microbes and other living elements needed for healthy soil. Rather than fertilizing your plants, you want to feed your soil, specifically feeding the microbiome, to keep it healthy and your plants healthy. Compost should not be used in place of soil but can be a useful amendment to soil as organic matter in the form of decaying plant material can help soil retain water and nutrients, reduce erosion, and attract beneficial organisms to the soil.
One person thinking a lot about soil health is Jeff Lynch, formerly grounds manager at Chanticleer who returned to his former hometown this spring to run the gardens at Wethersfield. If you have visited Wethersfield you will recall the several variations of beech trees that have been a signature of the garden. Recently the clipped columns of weeping beech and the allée of beech had to be removed due to beech die-back. Jeff has prioritized soil health at Wethersfield to support trees, both the remaining yet vulnerable beech and other trees and plants. He mixes a custom formula himself which, for the average homeowner might not be practical, but there are products available that have a mixture of fish, kelp and humates similar to what Jeff mixes himself for Wethersfield You can find a selection at Arbico.com
While healthy soil won’t itself cure tree and plant diseases it will support trees in times of stress which can help keep a vulnerable tree alive. (On beech specifically, Jeff and many arborists have been using PolyPhosphite 30 or other phosphite products as a drench during the growing season. https://web.uri.edu/ipm/2022/06/beech-leaf-disease-treatment/ is a helpful from University of Rhode Island) Given current issues with beech, hemlock and now sugar maples, which are losing leaves early either due to scorch or a fungal disease such as anthracnose, perhaps the best thing we can do now is to make and keep healthy soil.
A soil test is a good way to start. There are plenty of labs to choose from; Cornell College of Agriculture offers several levels of testing. Jeff directed me to a new biological test that you can do yourself; it goes a step further than most soil tests to analyze microbes in the soil. The Microbiometer soil test kit measures the microbial biomass and the fungal to bacterial ratio. It is available on their website, www.microbiometer.com.
Dee Salomon ‘ungardens’ in Litchfield County.
SALISBURY — Amanda Cannon, age 100, passed away Oct. 15, 2025, at Noble Horizons. She was the wife of the late Jeremiah Cannon.
Amanda was born Aug. 20, 1925, in Brooklyn, New York the daughter of the late Karl and Ella Husslein.
She was widowed at the age of 31 and worked as a bookkeeper for the Standard Oil Company and other oil companies in New York City until she retired at age 72.
Amanda moved to Noble Horizons in 2013 to live near her daughter Diane and son-in-law (the late) Raymond Zelazny.
She enjoyed her time in the Northwest Corner and was an avid nature lover, albeit considered herself a native New Yorker as she was born and resided in NYC for 88 years.
She was a faithful parishioner of St. Mary’s Church in Lakeville and attended Mass regularly until the age of 99.
Amanda was the grandmother of (the late) Jesse Morse and is survived by her daughter, Diane Zelazny, her grandsons, Adam Morse, Raymond Morse and his wife Daron and their daughter and her great granddaughter Cecelia Morse.
A Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Thursday, Oct. 23, 11 a.m. at St Mary’s Church in Lakeville, Connecticut.
Memorial donations may be made to St. Mary’s Church.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
LAKEVILLE — Barbara Meyers DelPrete, 84, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, at her home. She was the beloved wife of George R. DelPrete for 62 years.
Mrs. DelPrete was born in Burlington, Iowa, on May 31, 1941, daughter of the late George and Judy Meyers. She lived in California for a time and had been a Lakeville resident for the past 55 years.
Survivors, in addition to her husband, George, include son, George R. DelPrete II, daughter, Jena DelPrete Allee, and son Stephen P. DelPrete. Grandchildren; Trey, Cassidy, and Meredith DelPrete, Jack, Will and Finn Allee, and Ali and Nicholas DelPrete.
A Funeral Mass was held at St. Mary’s Church, Lakeville, on Saturday, Oct. 4. May she Rest in Peace.
Ryan Funeral Home, 255 Main St., Lakeville, is in care of arrangements.
To offer an online condolence, please visit ryanfhct.com
SHARON — Shirley Anne Wilbur Perotti, daughter of George and Mabel (Johnson) Wilbur, the first girl born into the Wilbur family in 65 years, passed away on Oct. 5, 2025, at Noble Horizons.
Shirley was born on Aug. 19, 1948 at Sharon Hospital.
She was raised on her parents’ poultry farm (Odge’s Eggs, Inc.).
After graduating from Housatonic Valley Regional High School, she worked at Litchfield County National Bank and Colonial Bank.
She married the love of her life, John, on Aug. 16, 1969, and they lived on Sharon Mountain for more than 50 years.
Shirley enjoyed creating the annual family Christmas card, which was a coveted keepsake.She also enjoyed having lunch once a month with her best friends, Betty Kowalski, Kathy Ducillo, and Paula Weir.
In addition to John, she is survived by her three children and their families; Sarah Medeiros, her husband, Geoff, and their sons, Nick and Andrew, of Longmeadow, Massachusetts, Shelby Diorio, her husband, Mike, and their daughters, Addie, Lainey and Lyla, of East Canaan, Connecticut,Jeffrey Perotti, his wife, Melissa, and their daughters, Annie, Lucy and Winnie, of East Canaan. Shirley also leaves her two brothers, Edward Wilbur and his wife Joan, and David Wilbur; two nieces, three nephews, and several cousins.
At Shirley’s request, services will be private.
Donations in her memory may be made to the Sharon Woman’s Club Scholarship Fund, PO Box 283, Sharon, CT 06069.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
MILLERTON — Veronica Lee “Ronnie” Silvernale, 78, a lifelong area resident died Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, at Sharon Hospital in Sharon, Connecticut. Mrs. Silvernale had a long career at Noble Horizons in Salisbury, where she served as a respected team leader in housekeeping and laundry services for over eighteen years. She retired in 2012.
Born Oct. 19, 1946, at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, she was the daughter of the late Bradley C. and Sophie (Debrew) Hosier, Sr. Following her graduation from high school and attending college, she married Jack Gerard Silvernale on June 15, 1983 in Millerton, New York. Their marriage lasted thirty-five years until Jack’s passing on July 28, 2018.
Ronnie is survived by her daughter, Jaime Silvernale (Wm. MacDaniel, Sr.) of Millerton, her beloved grandson, Wm. MacDaniel, Jr.; two special nieces, Shannon and Rebecca and a special nephew Sean Hosier. In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased by her brother, Bradley C. Hosier, Jr. and her dear friend Ruth Fullerton of Millerton.
Visitation was private. A celebration of Ronnie’s life will be held in the future. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546. To send an online condolence to the family or to plant a tree in Ronnie’s memory, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com