Warmer winters come at a cost

This tree broke bud early last week, putting it, and any other blooming ornamental or fruit trees, at risk of damage if temperatures dip below freezing.
Debra A. Aleksinas
This tree broke bud early last week, putting it, and any other blooming ornamental or fruit trees, at risk of damage if temperatures dip below freezing.
For many, a mild winter and early spring are reasons to rejoice.
Not so much to environmentalists, health officials, and municipalities, who said temperatures in February and March that are more akin to May, combined with fierce and frequent rain in place of snowfall, are sources of concern.
It’s not just the Northwest Corner that is experiencing a shifting climate. On Friday, March 8, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) confirmed that the winter of 2023-2024 was the warmest in nearly 30 years of record keeping.
According to the NOAA, the lower 48 states averaged 37.6 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 5.4 degrees above average.
The root of the issue is tied to the effect climate has on the weather, said Tom Worthley, associate extension professor at the UConn Cooperative Extension Service and the University of Connecticut Department of Natural Resources and the Environment.
“For example, when you boil a pot of water,” he explained, “it doesn’t warm evenly, it becomes turbulent, and that’s kind of what we’re seeing with the weather.”
Worse potholes and infrastructure damage
Downsides to a nonwinter include early emergence of bears and other mammals from their cozy dens at a time when food is scarce; a premature budding of trees and native plants; longer season of ticks, fleas and mosquitoes; and extended mold and allergy seasons for people with asthma and other respiratory illnesses. Bird migration is also affected when seasons don’t line up.
An early spring also hurts the local economy by hampering winter sports and damaging infrastructure as towns grapple with the expense of repairing gaping potholes caused by freeze/thaw cycles and damage to washed-out roads and bridges from intense downpours.
Cornwall First Selectman Gordon Ridgway, who also operates an organic farm in town, noted that “there is a price to pay” for winter warming.
While town road crews have used fewer resources to treat roads this winter, that cost savings has been offset by more than $500,000 in damaged infrastructure, including a washed-out dirt road last July, flood damage to a retaining wall in West Cornwall and a recent landslide.
“That projected $500,000 is huge” and is a major hit to the town’s budget, said Ridgway, who noted that the loss is not covered by insurance.
“I’ve been the first selectman for 34 years, and this is the first time the town had to pay for the damages. We always got FEMA reimbursement and so the towns are on the hook for a lot of these repairs,” as the government’s focus shifts to major disasters.
“As a result,” said Ridgway, we’re looking at a significant tax increase to help replenish our reserve.”
Waking up too early
Black bears have emerged prematurely from hibernation, prompting discussion during an early March meeting of the North Canaan Board of Selectmen’s meeting.
Worthley confirmed that a sudden winter warmup is summoning hungry bears from their dens. Since it is too early for the large mammals to find an abundance of native plants and nuts for foraging, “they are going to be looking elsewhere for food, and that might be in the garbage can or bird feeder.”
Amphibians, too, are vulnerable to sudden cold. Frogs and salamanders, for example, begin to breed at the first sign of spring, so they, too, may emerge prematurely, only to be threatened by a hard freeze.
But by far the most unusual sight Worthley has experienced in his 40 years of working in the woods is the amount of movement of organic material underfoot.
“No matter how much rain the forest floor will absorb, I’ve never seen the leaves move across the surface, and that’s unusual,” said the environmentalist. “It could be due to the presence of earthworms where they don’t belong, and the intensity of precipitation.”
Also of concern is that an early, wet spring could extend the seasons for some pests, like ticks and mosquitoes. On the bright side, a rainy spring could keep destructive spongy moth caterpillars at bay.
Bears emerging prematurely from hibernation have limited foraging options, so they are on the hunt for trash cans and bird feeders.Debra A. Aleksinas
Timing can work against birds
Early blossoming in plants and trees can throw off the schedule of available insect food for birds. To understand why it matters, said Eileen Fielding, director of Sharon Audubon, consider neotropical migrant birds like scarlet tanagers, wood thrushes or many of the warbler species.
“These are birds that winter in Central or South America or the Caribbean and come north to breed. Migrating is hugely expensive in calories, and risky, but it’s worth the trip,” said Fielding. “We may think of the tropics as buggy, but the northern latitudes provide an enormous flush of insect life every spring and summer when our trees leaf out and provide a feast for millions of fat, nourishing caterpillars and other insects.”
It’s perfect for raising young birds quickly, Fielding explained: “Each pair of breeding birds has to feed thousands of insects to their nestlings.”
Now imagine a warm spell causing trees to bud earlier than usual. In that case, she said, the insects may not synchronize with leaf-out, so there might be fewer insects. Or perhaps the birds arrive after the insects have peaked.
“There are a lot of variations on how the timing can work against birds.”
The impact isn’t all from earlier spring times. Other factors can affect insect availability or bird survival, Fielding noted.
For example, a scarlet tanager might be kept from foraging in the treetops for several days by heavy rain, long enough to threaten the survival of its young.
A winter wren, which prefers moist, shady places in the woods, might find that an intense period of drought dries up its habitat and makes its insect prey scarce, so it can no longer successfully raise broods where it used to.
Fielding fears that many birds could lose some or all of their Connecticut habitat.
Allergens, mold a growing concern
When trees, grasses and plants produce pollen prematurely, it extends the annual allergy season, according to Dr. J. Keith Joseph of Sharon Primary Care.
Exposure to pollen can trigger symptoms of sneezing, runny nose, itchy and watery eyes, headache and congestion.
“This is especially harmful for those with asthma and other respiratory issues like COPD. Pollen exposure can cause exacerbations of respiratory conditions in individuals who have an allergic reaction to pollen,” he explained.
As a result, said Joseph, increased discomfort can greatly impact emotional well-being, social life and daily activities. Individuals who enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking, walking, running or bike riding may have to limit their time outside to avoid exposure to allergens:
“This can make them feel frustrated and isolated, and lack of sleep due to congestion or itchy eyes can make individuals feel tired and irritable.”
Joseph suggested those affected keep windows closed if pollen levels are high, wash hands and change clothing after being outdoors, avoid touching their eyes, and seek a referral to an allergist for identification of triggers and targeted therapy.
Recent downpours have also caused flooding to homes and businesses, which often leads to the growth of harmful mold if left untreated.
“Mild winters can increase moisture in and around your home, which can stimulate mold growth and in turn can trigger allergic reactions.”
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in the coming decades, “changing climate is likely to increase flooding, harm ecosystems, disrupt farming and increase some risks to human health.”
In the meantime, noted Worthley, “we are living in a giant experiment, if you will.”
Join The Lakeville Journal for a community celebration, featuring local nonprofits and businesses, festive family fun, great food, and engaging activities.
What to Expect:
See you at the Lakeville Journal Street Fair!
If you have any questions, please email streetfair@lakevillejournal.com
Cobbler n’ Cream
5 to 7 p.m.
Freund’s Farm Market & Bakery | 324 Norfolk Rd.
Canaan Carnival
6 to 10 p.m.
Bunny McGuire Park
Canaan Carnival
6 to 10 p.m.
Bunny McGuire Park
Cocktail Party
5 to 7 p.m.
Douglas Library | 108 Main St.
Canaan Carnival
6 to 10 p.m.
Bunny McGuire Park
Boot Drive
8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
North Canaan Fire Co. | 4 E. Main St.
3rd Annual Fly-In
8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Triumph Airfield | 547 W. Main St.
Canaan Railroad Station Museum
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Canaan Union Station
New England Accordion Connection
9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Canaan Union Station
Canaan Carnival
3 to 10 p.m.
Bunny McGuire Park
Berkshire Resilience Brass Band
5 to 8 p.m.
Canaan Union Station
Barbecued Chicken Dinner
5 to 7 p.m.
St. Martin of Tours | 4 Main St.
Canaan Fireman’s parade
6 p.m.
Rosa setigera is a native climbing rose whose simple flowers allow bees to easily collect pollen.
After moving to West Cornwall in 2012, we were given a thoughtful housewarming gift: the 1997 edition of “Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs.” We were told the encyclopedic volume was the definitive gardener’s reference guide — a fact I already knew, having purchased one several months earlier at the recommendation of a gardener I admire.
At the time, we were in the thick of winter invasive removal, and I enjoyed reading and dreaming about the trees and shrubs I could plant to fill in the bare spots where the bittersweet, barberry, multiflora rose and other invasive plants had been.Years later, I purchased the 2011 edition, updated and inclusive of plants for warm climates.
On the cover of the new edition, a quote from Adrian Higgins of The Washington Post boasts, “Michael Dirr is the oracle of ornamental horticulture. I trust his judgements implicitly.”I heartily disagree with Mr. Higgins:I blame this book — and my poor use of it — for some of my worst tree and shrub choices.
I realize some readers might find this declaration inflammatory. The book still occupies a place of high regard among experienced and novice gardeners alike, so please allow me to explain.
In addition to giving the reader his opinion on the aesthetic worthiness of the woody plants included in the book, Mr. Dirr makes good on the book’s title with a review of each species’ hardiness. What makes a tree hardy?It thrives in its intended site, resisting disease with leaves and bark not readily eaten by insects and other critters.
Non-native plants make up the majority of the recommended hardy plants in the book.And here is why:Native trees and shrubs are, by evolution’s design, food source and host to our native fauna — critters large and small. There is no substitute equal to the fauna’s co-evolved flora.A native caterpillar cannot eat a kousa dogwood leaf, as it has not evolved to digest it.Non-native plants seemingly have the advantage if the lens we look through values pristine, uneaten leaves.
In the days when there were sufficient thriving ecosystems to maintain local habitats, a non-native specimen tree here and there was just fine.But where we live in Northwest Connecticut, our woods, meadows, marshes and other natural areas have, for a couple of decades, been severely compromised by invasives that have almost entirely removed the food sources for native insects. It is up to us — now — to plant native plants to save the food chain.Without insects, not only will native animals die, but human food sources will also be at risk.
The security of our food pipeline seems a worthy exchange for some caterpillar-eaten leaves — and to be clear, we’re not talking about non-native infestations such as spongy moth, but rather native caterpillars, which are the singular food source for nesting birds.
My issue is that, in being a trusted source for plant selection, Dirr’s book should give equal — if not prioritized — space to information on ecological impact.For example, it would be good to know when selecting a tree, that a native oak provides food and other ecosystem services to more than 400 native animal species, while a native tulip poplar supports fewer than 30 — though that includes the Eastern tiger swallowtail. Including information on the birds and insects attracted to a given plant would enable reader to weigh these factors in choosing what to grow.But this information is not mentioned at all.
Dirr makes no mention of the role some of these plants have played in the degradation of our natural areas — an omission that is highly relevant, as many of the plants featured in his book are, in fact, invasive culprits. Plants like barberry, porcelain berry and tree of heaven are showcased for consideration alongside native plants without recognition of the devastating infestations they can manifest. Tree of Heaven is now responsible for hosting the spotted lanternfly, which is devastating crops.
Similarly Euonymous alatus (winged euonymous) and Actinidia arguta (hardy kiwi) — two highly invasive plants touted in the book — have been banned or are close to being banned for sale from nurseries in the state of Massachusetts. To his credit, Dirr does point out the invasive nature of Ligustrum sinense (Chinese privet), calling it “a terrible and devastating escapee that terrorizes floodplains, fencerows and even open fields, reducing native vegetation to rubble.” Yet Japanese honeysuckle gets an understated warning, with Dirr describing this massively invasive shrub as “bullying their way into understory and open areas.”
The latest edition of Dirr’s book devotes seven pages of copy and photos to various Berberis species, about which Dirr waxes poetic. He notes the addition of “30 new cultivars” in the latest revision and complains that “this species is under assault for its aggressive invasive nature.” He refers to Berberis thunbergii — Japanese barberry, the most invasive of them all — as “the species of major importance in garden commerce.” This plant has already been outlawed for sale in New York, Pennsylvania, New Hamphsire and Maine.A few weeks ago, a bill was passed in Connecticut recognizing the harm of a broad group of invasive plants. Under this new legislation, barberry will be phased out from sale or transport by October 2028.
In understating the invasive nature of many non-natives and de-prioritizing the importance of native species, Dirr’s widely used reference may be partly responsible for many a devastated woodland, forest, meadow and marsh in New England — if not across the U.S.Certainly, the evolution of species, and scientific knowledge about the environment, is changing faster than new editions of books can be printed. I can only hope that if a new edition of Mr. Dirr’s reference book is in the works that it will account for this criteria we now know to be vital in plant selection.
Which brings me back to that quote on the cover from The Washington Post and the larger issue it suggests:Should “ornamental horticulture” get a pass when it comes to ecological survival?I think we can agree — it should not.The consequences are simply too destructive.
Dee Salomon ‘ungardens’ in Litchfield County.
Foxtrot Farm & Flowers’ historic barn space during UAW’s 2024 exhibition entitled “Unruly Edges.”
Art lovers, mark your calendars. The sixth edition of Upstate Art Weekend (UAW) returns July 17 to 21, with an exciting lineup of exhibitions and events celebrating the cultural vibrancy of the region. Spanning eight counties and over 130 venues, UAW invites residents and visitors alike to explore the Hudson Valley’s thriving creative communities.
Here’s a preview of four must-see exhibitions in the area:
1. Wassaic Project (37 Furnace Bank Road, Wassaic)
“So It Goes” is a powerful group exhibition curated by Eve Biddle, Bowie Zunino, Jeff Barnett-Winsby, and Will Hutnick. The title, drawn from Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse-Five,” signals a reckoning with how we process the horrors of the world. Through play, reflection, and immersive scale, 43 artists respond with urgency and imagination. Installations can be seen throughout the town of Wassaic at Maxon Mills, Gridley Chapel, and Luther Barn, each space transformed by this deeply thoughtful show.
2. Foxtrot Farm & Flowers (6862 Route 82, Stanfordville)
“Queer Bestiary,” a group show curated by Charlotte Woolf, is inspired by Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian’s book “Forest Euphoria.” The exhibition investigates queer ecology and human relationship to land through the work of 10 artists using painting, sculpture, textiles, and photography. The exhibit is accompanied by a variety of interactive experiences including tattoo pop-ups, karaoke, book readings, and pick-your-own flowers.
3. ChaShaMa North/ChaNorth (2600 Route 199, Pine Plains)
ChaShaMa North (ChaNorth) will have open studios all weekend and has partnered with Paradice Palase, a platform for emerging artists, to mount a site-specific sculpture exhibition featuring 20 artists entitled “Alone, You Are Heard.” On Saturday evening, July 19, stop by for Weird Music Night for an audio-visual synthesis of experimental music, performance art, and unexpected happenings. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience an eclectic lineup of acts that redefine the boundaries of performance.
4. Millbrook Arts Project(3 Friendly Lane, Millbrook)
The Millbrook Arts Project is hosting a curated exhibit entitled “Generated Utility” at the newly renovated gallery at the village library. The exhibit will feature the work of artists Natalie Beall and Kathy Greenwood. Additionally, visitors will have access to 12 open artists studios across town. The weekend culminates in a free outdoor concert on Saturday evening at 6 p.m. at the Millbrook Bandshell. Enjoy the Indie-Folk sounds of Strawberry Runners and She Keeps Bees.
For more information and a complete list of participating artists and locations, visit: upstateartweekend.org