TRR photo by Scott Rando From a distance, this porcupine appeared to be a hornet’s nest. This one was sleeping in the tree. They will also climb trees to eat tree parts and to escape danger.

Porcupines

After work one late afternoon last week, I took a hike on a trail near my home and saw what looked like a hornets’ nest in a hemlock tree. Something about it did not look right, and when I got closer, this “hornet’s nest” was found to have hair. A look through binoculars revealed the “nest” to be a porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum).

Porcupines are rodents, the second largest in our region. Only the beaver is larger. Porcupines weigh in at 10 to 20 lbs., with the largest being the males. These animals are herbivores, eating ground vegetation and feeding on tree bark and pine needles in the winter.

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Hog wild in PA

PENNSYLVANIA—State, federal and private groups are collaborating to assess the seriousness of Pennsylvania’s wild pig problem.

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Catskill Nordic Ski Club schedule

SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY—The Catskill Nordic Ski Club offers informal guided cross-country ski trips on some of Sullivan County’s most beautiful trails. Most of the trips are free, except where noted, and last about two hours.

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Also in this issue:

• Next year’s fishing licenses already on sale