Through the Garden Gate: August, Keys to Better Gardening
By Leslie Watkins Anyone can have a garden, but very few people have great gardens. People with nice gardens can easily have better gardens. By observing a few simple practices you can expect to see improvement in a relatively short time. Expect change. Gardens are alive, and all living things will change over time. […]
Norfolk’s June 2017 Weather
A Fairly Normal June By Russell Russ June’s low temperature of 40 degrees was observed on June 3, and the high of 89 degrees was observed on June 12. With an average monthly temperature of 64.1 degrees, it was 0.8 degree above normal. There were two daily records set this month. The 89 on […]
Through The Garden Gate: July, Lunacy
By Leslie Watkins “It is the very error of the moon. She comes more near the earth than she was wont. And makes men mad.”— William Shakespeare, Othello Extreme eccentricity, intermittent insanity related to phases of the moon, and an un-soundness of mind sufficient to incapacitate one for civil transactions, are descriptions of some […]
Norfolk’s May 2017 Weather
Beneficial Rainfall By Russell Russ May’s weather was not the most pleasant. Following a much warmer than normal and very spring-like April, May was mostly cool, cloudy and wet. On the plus side, May did bring much needed rainfall to the area. It was the first month since February 2016, where the monthly precipitation […]
Marble Cliffs, Open Fields and River Walks
Visiting Bartholomew’s Cobble By Susannah Wood Less than half an hour away from Norfolk is a little gem of a place where walking ferns trail their way down marble outcrops, a miniature grove of white trillium marks a recent burn, and neo-tropical migrants fly in to rest along the banks of the Housatonic. Bartholomew’s […]
June, Ticks Suck!!!
By Leslie Watkins Ticks really, really suck. They are reported to suck on more than 300,000 Americans each year, and actual numbers are believed to be far higher. Migratory birds carry the ticks around the world and it’s becoming a pandemic. And can you guess where tick headquarters is located? New England has the greatest […]
Cantina 229 Offers Farm-to-Table Food With an International Flair
By Babs Perkins Heading north on Route 272 out of Norfolk in search of dinner may not seem like the smartest idea, unless your plan is to continue on all the way to Great Barrington. But just across the Massachusetts line in New Marlborough, there are three great restaurant options, the newest of which […]
Norfolk’s April 2017 Weather
Fourth Warmest April on Record By Russell Russ April began with six inches of snow on the ground and most local lakes and ponds still covered with ice. Maple sap was still flowing and syrup was still being produced. By April 5, both the snow and the ice were gone and the maple syrup […]
Our Native Wildlife Needs Native Plants
By Shelley Harms Ah, spring in Norfolk! Frog choruses, birdsong, green leaves and . . . burgeoning invasive plants. It’s time to pull up the garlic mustard and chop out those invasive shrubs like honeysuckle, barberry and burning bush. Alien invasive plants are spreading all over town—they are probably growing in your own backyard. […]
Through the Garden Gate
May, Signs of Spring By Leslie Watkins Signs and symbols can be found everywhere. A magnificent red cardinal appears at the bird feeder… more than just another bird visitor, cardinals are also regarded as messengers from our dearly departed. Considered in that way, we may be reminded to take a little time in our […]
