Back to Biology Class

The other week I signed up for my first adult continuing education class held at Commack High School.  Although I never attended Commack H.S., it is an eerie feeling to walk through the empty, locker-lined halls as your own memories of high school creep up on you.  The night of my first class I felt like a freshman again hurrying through the labyrinth of corridors trying to find the correct classroom and hoping that the teacher wouldn’t notice as I snuck in late.  I scurried past the language hall, the history wing, the art classrooms, and, after getting myself completely turned around, past the science department.  Ah yes, I thought to myself, the good old science department.  Where everything a high school student ever needed to know about science could be learned in Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry, or Physics class.  Or could everything be?  I remember learning about the solar system in Earth Science, the inner workings of the digestive system in Biology, the components of the atom in Chemistry, and the law of gravity in Physics. 

Photo: Back to class

I was a hard-working student and excelled in all these classes.  But looking back now, I realize how much was left out of my and my classmates’ high school science education.  So many basic questions remained unanswered such as, Where does our food come from?  Where does our water come from?  How do you plant a tree?  What used to be on Long Island before strip malls and subdivisions?  I don’t mean to be overcritical of my high school (which is a School of Excellence I am reminded).  I am just raising the question of why are we pushing our kids to learn quantum mechanics and DNA gel electrophoresis when so many of them don’t know how to plant a seed?  And so, before I get too carried away, I am dedicating this article to one of our most basic biology questions…

What makes a fruit a fruit?  A fruit is the part of a flowering plant that houses the plant’s seeds.  Botanically speaking, the fruit is the part of a plant that develops from the ovary.  After the eggs are fertilized inside the ovary, they develop into seeds and the fruit ripens.  In common, everyday language, fruits must be sweet, but in the botanical definition, they do not have to be.  So pumpkins, corn, tomatoes, and chili peppers are all really fruits because they are flowering plants (not all plants are flowering) and they enclose the seeds of the plant.   

Photo: Eible, but not sweet - Red Chokecherry

Many fruits are edible because it is the plant’s tricky way of enticing people and other plant eaters to ingest the fruit and disperse its seeds.  Why does a plant want to disperse its seeds?  Because if all the seeds fell in one place and started growing beneath the mother plant, there would not be enough water, sunlight and nutrients for all of them.  And, of course, the plant wants to produce as many baby plants as possible.  Some plants use other tactics to disperse their seeds like wind, water, or being sticky and being carried on the fur of animals.  The seeds, not the fruits, are what give rise to other plants.  So plant some seeds in your yard in the spring and see what happens.

Photo: Surprisingly edible - Kousa Dogwood fruits

As I tried to navigate the maze of Commack H.S. the other night, I walked past posters for student clubs, student-painted murals, and athletic department trophy cases.  I hoped that these students were already learning answers to basic science questions and that our schools are teaching them the foundation for a sustainable and “green” future.

Easy as apple pie?

It’s mid-October and the fall season is now fully upon us. To some that may mean winter and ski season are just around the corner, but to me, fall means FOOD.  When I think of fall, I think of harvest and all the bountiful food that comes with it.  To me, fall means cinnamon pumpkin pie, acorn squash drizzled with maple syrup, roasted corn on the cob, salty pumpkin seeds, shiny red candy apples, and of course, enough chocolate and candy to give you a stomach ache for two weeks.  Fall is the one time of the year when eating is celebrated and gluttony is expected, and I love it! 

Photo: Bountiful Harvest at Bayview Farms

Fall also means apple picking.  Orchards brimming with bright red fruits entice even the most devoted city people to come out and enjoy the pleasure of harvesting their own food.  The other week, while out the North Fork wine tasting with my boyfriend Kevin’s family, we passed an apple orchard.  Kevin and I, and his sister Suzanne and her boyfriend Scott, pleaded like little kids with their dad, Clif, to stop the car.  Although we didn’t go apple picking since it was already late in the afternoon, the conversation quickly changed to apples.  We debated with great gravity whether apple cider tasted better warm or cold, which family member made the best apple pie, and what was the best variety of apples (Macoun was my choice!).  “It would be so awesome if we had our own apple tree and could pick fresh apples whenever we wanted,” Suzanne thought aloud.  “Yes!  Let’s do it!” Scott interrupted enthusiastically.  “We already have a mulberry tree growing in our backyard, so how hard could apples be?”

Photo: Wine Tasting on the North Fork

Well, my friends, I hate to break it to you, but growing an apple tree is not as easy as pie.  Growing up, my family had a crabapple tree and a pear fruit tree in our backyard, planted by the previous owners.  The crabapples were inedible, but the low-branching tree was great for climbing, so I was a bit upset when my dad cut it down when I was 10 years old.  Not soon after, he also cut down the pear tree, which we were all glad to see go, since its fruits were brown and mushy and had the texture of gritty sand.  In their place, my dad planted two spectacular apple trees – a rare ‘Early Blaze’ apple tree and a more popular ‘McIntosh’ apple tree.  I remember being amazed that the white spring flowers could really turn into tiny little green fruits which got bigger and bigger and then suddenly turned a flushed red in the autumn.  The first few years were great – we had enough apples for school snacks and my mom even made some delicious apple pies.  I felt like we were real farmers and I bragged at lunch to my Garden City schoolmates that yep, I GREW this apple myself! 

But like real farmers, our apple trees were not immune to pest problems.  In the heart of the suburbs, it only took a couple seasons for the worms to find our apple trees.  Our once crisp apples were now brown-spotted and distorted and were criss-crossed by brown twisted tunnels of rot on the inside.  Tiny apple maggots had made our fruits inedible.  Sometimes we’d cut open a seemingly healthy apple and inside was a large brown cavity of decay.  The larvae of fruit moths were to blame.  My dad tried spraying the trees with insecticides but nothing worked – the timing of the spray was incorrect or the insecticide he used wasn’t effective against the apple maggots and oriental fruit moths.  Any healthy apples that did miraculously form, we couldn’t eat anyway until my mom meticulously scrubbed them of any trace of insecticide.  Eventually my dad gave up on the apple trees, and the Alvey Fruit Farm was no more.  

I now have a great appreciation for the orchard growers who supply our food stores and farms stands with fresh, healthy apples.  I have an even greater appreciation for the fruit farmers who’ve decided to eliminate insecticide sprays and try other methods of pest control.  How they get any healthy apples is a miracle in and of itself.  So, Suzanne and Scott, my suggestion would be to stick to apple picking and leave the growing to the experts – getting healthy apples is not as easy as pie.

 

Places to go apple-picking on Long Island:

Wickham Fruit Farm – Cutchogue. 631-734-6441

Lewin Farms – Wading River. 631-929-4327

The Milk Pail – Water Mill. 631-537-2565

Baiting Hollow Nurseries – Calverton. 631-929-6439

Davis Farm – Wading River. 631-929-1115

Fort Salonga Farm – Northport. 631-269-9666

Seven Ponds Orchard – Water Mill. 631-726-8015

Thirsty Little Bloodsuckers

Now, I must warn you that this is not my favorite subject.  But since it can seriously affect the health of all Long Islanders who enjoy being outside, I figured it’s an important topic.  What I’m talking about is TICKS – nature’s tiny parasites that live off the blood of animals and people.  Not true insects, ticks are more related to mites.  Once they find a host, they attach themselves using their cutting mandibles and insert their feeding tube directly into the skin.  I think even my entomologist friends would agree that ticks are pretty disgusting. 

I’ve hated ticks for a long time - since 3^rd grade in elementary school to be precise.  I distinctly remember the feelings of frustration and anger when I learned that our class field trip to Fire Island was cancelled because everyone was worried about ticks and getting Lyme disease.  As a feisty little 3^rd grader, I chalked it up to all the neurotic moms in my town not wanting their precious Mary or Jonny traipsing around in the swamp.  That whole day I sulked in my chair, looking out the window and daydreaming about what the salt-marshes of Fire Island were like. 

But three years later in 6^th grade, I had a wake-up call.  My best friend Allison was in the hospital with an IV to her chest and no one knew what was wrong with her.  I was scared for her and hoped she would get better quick so we could play together and ride our bikes after school and not worry about anything again.  The doctors finally determined that Allison had Lyme disease.  Lyme disease is the most commonly transmitted tick-borne illness.  Thankfully the antibiotics worked well, and the infection did not spread to her central nervous system.  In no time at all, Allison was feeling better and back to school.

Since grade school, I’ve met a lot more people who have had Lyme disease.  At least three of my co-workers in Riverhead and many of the landscapers I work with out east have had Lyme.  Lyme disease is much more prevalent in eastern Long Island than western, because the main vector of the disease is the black-legged tick, also known as the deer tick.  Appropriately named, the deer tick must also feed on deer, which are necessary for the ticks’ successful reproduction.  So, without deer, there can be no deer ticks or Lyme disease.  For all of you in Nassau County who just let out a sigh of relief, deer have recently been found in Oyster Bay and are pushing farther and farther west as their population expands.  Who knows, maybe someday we’ll see little Bambis walking around the streets of Hempstead (Hey, if Manhattan can have coyotes, then Hempstead can have deer!). 

Photo:  Perfect deer and tick habitat - David A. Sarnoff Pine Barrens Preserve, Riverhead

But in the meantime, if you are going to be in parks, woods, fields, or seashores where deer may be, make sure to check yourself for ticks afterwards and know the symptoms of infection.  Symptoms may include fever, headache, and fatigue.  The characteristic bull’s eye skin rash occurs in only about 80% of people infected and will appear 3-30 days after a bite.  If left untreated, the disease may progress to the heart, central nervous system, and joints causing arthritis.  Thankfully, Lyme disease is treatable with antibiotics, especially when caught early, so don’t let those thirsty little bloodsuckers get you!                   

Storm-Proof Your Trees

“We’re overdue for one” the weather people keep warning us.  It’s been 25 years since Long Island experienced the wrath of Hurricane Gloria, when hundreds of thousands of people were without power, thousands of trees littered the streets, and millions of dollars in damage resulted.  Despite predictions, we’ve managed to get by relatively unscathed by Earl and Nicole, thankfully.  But even one unfortunate tree fall can cause disastrous results, as many commuters learned this the hard way after being stranded in Penn Station the other week when a tree fell on the tracks, causing all trains to be cancelled. 

So what can we do to minimize damages and “storm-proof” our trees?  At hurricane force winds of 75+ mph, ANY tree is susceptible to uprooting and windthrow.  But at lower wind speeds, which occur much more frequently on Long Island, there are some simple things you can do to protect your home and your trees.  The first step is to have your trees evaluated by an ISA Certified Arborist.  With experience and training, a qualified arborist will be able to give you some suggestions on how to best minimize any risk associated with your trees.

Things to look for are trees that have internal or root decay.  Trees that naturally have weaker wood, like Norway Maple, and those that often have poorly attached branches, like Bradford Pear, are also at greater risk. 

Photo: Bradford Pear split due to poorly attached branches following a summer storm.

One important point to consider is if you have had your sidewalk or driveway replaced within the past 3-4 years.  Trees that are close to the driveway or along the street often have their roots cut when a sidewalk or driveway is replaced, and are therefore not as stable as trees with a full root system to anchor them. 

Photo: Replacement of the sidewalk minimized injury to this Beech tree's root system.

One of the simplest things you can do to protect your home and property is to remove all the dead branches in your trees.  Dead branches are much more likely to break and fall than live branches.  I have seen dead tree branches as thin as a pool cue stick crack a car’s windshield!  Also check out the trees that are near your power lines.  LIPA is responsible for removing any branches that are in direct contact with wires, but you may need to hire a tree care company to remove other branches.

By evaluating your trees before a major storm, you’ll be able to minimize damages to your property and may even save your trees!