Friends of Reinstein Woods has been honored to receive donations this fall in memory of volunteers Jane Albrecht and Pat Taeger, as well as Grace and Joseph Losi, parents of former volunteer Peter M. Losi.

In Memory of Jane Albrecht:
Dorothy Rizzo and Ken Schmidt
Thomas Schuler
Thursday Couples Club of Cheektowaga

In Memory of Grace & Joseph Losi:

Dennis and Evelyn Adams
Robert and Joan Barry
John and Diane Betz
Gary and Sheila Billingsley
Robert and Karen Billingsley
Paul and Beverly Brown
Frank Ferro
James and Linda Halt
Michael Panzica
Jack and Kathleen Patterson
Charles and Barbara Putzbach
Fay and Beverly Roe
Robert and Michele Scott
Roger and Judith Walter

In Memory of Pat Taeger:

New York Chiropractic College (on behalf of Vicki Baroody)
Scott, Jackie and Michael Baroody
Brenda Baroody and Tom Carr
Mary Anne Desiderio
Angelo DiLoro
Noreen Ehlert
Norma English
Jonathan and Genevieve Federick
Scott and Meaghan Green
Dennis and Nancy Kane
Dr. and Mrs. Edward Kucio
Ron and Jerry McMahon
John and Carol Marrano
Linda McCall and Sol Motola
George and Eleanor Narby
Brian and Mary O’Herron
Mary Margaret Krill Palmer and James Palmer
John and Elizabeth Preble
Michael and Rosemary Rataczyk
Michelle Sanner
Bernard and Suzanne Slisz
Edward and Bonita Salem
C. Michael and Suzanne Taeger
C. Michael Taeger
Wally and Josephine Wilk

The window for vibrant fall colors is closing after the heavy rainfall and high winds yesterday. Many people have come out to enjoy the wonderful fall colors this past week. If you took any photos you would like to share, please post them on our facebook page. You can still find some color out by the champion beech tree. Many of the sugar maples are showing off golden yellow colors. American beech leaves are showing some reddish brown colors, but many are still green. Ducks and geese may drop in for a quick rest in the ponds while they make their way south. An Osprey was spotted in flight over the preserve the other day. Swamp milkweed and common milkweed seed pods are opening and letting their fluffy seeds float away in the wind. Milkweed bugs have been aggregating on milkweed seedpods. Red Squirrels and gray squirrels are busy gathering black walnuts. Look for square-shaped scratch patterns on the ground from wild turkeys in search of beech nuts and insects.

Don’t let the peeping call of spring peepers fool you, it isn’t spring. Signs of autumn continue to creep in. The racks on white-tailed deer bucks are getting large and they will soon be rubbing off their velvet. An 8 point buck was spotted the other day, and fawns have lost their spots. The sounds of cicadas have ceased and the katydids songs at night will begin to slow as the evenings get cooler. New England asters are flowering purple blossoms creating a vibrant display mixed in with the yellow of goldenrods. The fragrant pink water lilies that cover the Lily Pond are beginning to wither. Nodding beggarticks and smartweed are flowering around the pond edges. Common milkweed seed pods are quite large and will soon release their fluffy seeds to the wind. Ash and black walnut leaves are beginning to yellow. Painted turtles line any logs in the ponds on sunny days. On sunny afternoons you may also notice autumn meadowhawk dragonflies in tandem laying eggs on these same wet logs. Be on the lookout for wooly bear caterpillars crossing the trails on your next hike. You may also hear red squirrels chattering while they gather black walnuts.

The Old-Growth Forest Network (OGFN) added the forest at Dr. Victor Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve in the town of Cheektowaga to its network of protected forests in a ceremony September 11, 2015. Forests in the Network are permanently protected from logging and are open to the public.

“A visit to Reinstein Woods’ mature beech-maple forest introduces you to the majesty of large, old trees and the wildlife that call them home,” said Reinstein Woods Center Director Meaghan Boice-Green. “We thank the OGFN for bringing attention to the need to protect forests like Reinstein Woods for future generations.”

OGFN Executive Director Dr. Joan Maloof said, “It is our hope that those who experience the beauty and the spirit found in ancient forests will be inspired to protect them. When we protect forests we also protect biodiversity, clean water and clean air.”

Dr. Maloof presented a sign and certificate to the Center Director at a ceremony attended by Friends of Reinstein Woods officials, local partners and volunteers who help maintain the forest. The ceremony was followed by a walk on the beech tree trail to see the Champion Beech tree, the largest American beech tree in New York State.

Reinstein Woods is the 49th forest to be dedicated in the Old-Growth Forest Network, and the eighth in New York State.

Reinstein Woods was donated to DEC by the estate of Dr. Victor Reinstein in 1986. The property includes more than 70 acres of mature beech-maple forest, as well as a series of ponds, wetlands and immature forest that are home to a variety of wildlife. More than 3.5 miles of trails through the woods are open to the public year-round.

The mission of the OGFN is to connect people with nature by creating a national network of protected, mature, publicly accessible, native forests. The goal is to preserve at least one forest in every county in the United States that can sustain a forest, estimated to be 2,370 out of a total of 3,140 counties. The Network’s website provides a place for nature-lovers to seek out public forests in their area and to learn more about what they can do to protect them.

Friends of Reinstein Woods members enjoyed observing a nice assortment of moths, caddisflies, and beetles at our “Bugs by Nightlight” members program. Dr. Wayne Gall attracted insects using a mercury vapor lamp and white sheet. Check for our upcoming member programs here.

Insects of the Night

moths

moth

Virginia Ctenucha Moth

observing insects

Virginia Ctenucha Moth

moth

moth silhouette

moth

moth

moth

moth

moth

Identifying insects

Some of the members enjoyed a morning of canoeing at Beaver Meadow Audubon in Java, NY. We saw many great blue herons, green herons, dragonflies and damselflies. We also watched cedar waxwings sallying from a  perch to catch insects in flight. Check for more of our upcoming member programs here, another benefit of being a member of the Friends of Reinstein Woods.

canoeing at Beaver Meadow

frosted whiteface dragonfly

canoeing at Beaver Meadow

Flowering goldenrods tell us that summer is nearing an end. They will provide a pollen source for bees into autumn. Black cherry fruits and wild grapes are very ripe. These will be gathered by an array of birds, raccoons and other mammals. A close inspection of milkweed leaves may reveal a milkweed tussock caterpillar, swamp milkweed leaf beetle or dogbane leaf beetle. Monarch caterpillars are getting large feeding off milkweed as well. Monarch caterpillars will soon form a chrysalis and upon emergence they will make the long migration south. Ladybird beetles are beginning to appear and feed on aphids which may be found on common milkweed plants. Virginia creeper and some red maples are already beginning to show a slight reddish hue in their leaves. Chicken mushrooms are growing from logs after some of our recent rains. Don’t be surprised if a meadowhawk dragonfly lands on you while you walk the trails. Don’t worry, dragonflies won’t bite or sting, they are just looking for a sunny perch. Black walnuts are becoming very large. Watch for red and gray squirrels collecting and storing these nuts for winter.

Thanks to a grant from the New York Power Authority, Friends of Reinstein Woods will be beginning a two-year effort to control common reed in some portions of Reinstein Woods. Common reed, also known by its Latin name Phragmites australis, is an aggressive species that is impacting cattail marshes in the southern half of Reinstein Woods.

A certified pesticide applicator will cut stems and directly apply chemicals to the plants in early fall, when the plants are moving sugars down into their roots. The treatment will be followed by mowing a few weeks later. Most of the work will happen in the sanctuary in the southern half of the preserve, away from the public trails. The treatment will be repeated next year, in the hopes that only spot treatments will be needed after that.

You may notice that common reed is common in other parts of Reinstein Woods as well. If the project is successful in protecting our cattail marshes, similar methods may be used to combat common reed in other parts of the preserve.