Posted on March 20, 2025 by Ranch Farmgirl Dori Troutman
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Hello Farmgirl friends! Did you receive your latest MaryJanesFarm magazine and devour it yet? If so, how excited were you to read the articles on quilting? I absolutely loved the short story on page 23 titled The Gift of Quilting as it reminded me what a gift quilting has been to me as well.
Woo-Hoo! Spring is peeking her beautiful face around the corner! Birds and butterflies, flowers and leaves will all be prevalent soon in my area. However, let me introduce you to some creatures that will also be showing up soon, that can have some negative consequences (and how to avoid them).
Don’t get me wrong…I do love spring, especially after this icy, dark winter we have just experienced here in my neck of the woods. It was a really long winter for New England, with really cold temperatures showing up as early as late fall and lasting until, well, just last week.
Snow frozen into thick layers of hard ice were prevalent everywhere, including at our favorite walking trails of Fairfield Hills.
We had deep snow, which was followed by sub-zero temperatures, which made for solid, non-walkable ice everywhere, that lasted longer than we usually have. I even got stuck in my long, steep, curved driveway one day, something I haven’t done in twenty years!
Finally, this past week, we thawed out, and today’s temperature will be in the high fifties!
Yay! Robins are busy again and starting to be seen, as well as other migratory birds, too! POOF! Just a few warm days and all the ice is gone!
While we always get a “cold snap” around St.Patrick’s Day, and can even have snow as late as late April, the worst of winter is over and we are all thinking of spring! I can’t wait to have my hands in the earth, and to see all the flowers blooming, hear the birds sing, and the insects buzz. (One of my favorite sounds is that of summer insects “trilling”).
However, there are some insects that will show up, that you may already have in your area, if your temperatures are now warm. These are a few things that I do NOT want to run into. These are two insects and an arachnid that can have a devastating impact on human lives.
The first insect that you should beware of is the Spotted Lanternfly. A large, invasive planthopper native to Asia, it can’t bite or sting a human due to its plant-sucking mouthparts, but its capability to devastate and kill trees, grapevines, and other major food crops is downright scary! (Think of a super-large aphid on steroids). First seen in the USA a few years ago in Pennsylvania, the Spotted Lanternfly is now found in eighteen states and is quickly making its way across others.
The Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicata) has several life stages. They first start out tiny, with four instar stages, the first three having black and white spots on their tiny, crawling bodies, changing to red with white and yellow as they grow larger. Finally adults are large, with fuzzy-looking black legs (that look to me like eyelashes coated with too much mascara), with grey wings that have black spots. This makes them hard to see, “camouflaged”, until they open their wings or fly to show their colorful, red, yellow and white underwings.
Some red is shown here, but you really do not see the color until they open their adult wings fully.
We saw masses of adults on a trip to the Poconos to see friends in the fall of 2023, with so many on the sidewalks it was hard not to step on them. It is important when driving in areas that are infested that you inspect your car and wash it before heading to other areas, to help stop the spread.
Our very first sighting ever of one in Connecticut was a few years prior, on a shopping trip near the Connecticut coast. The grey building and parking lot was covered in these awful, destructive insects. I snapped this photo to show how they can easily be missed when their wings aren’t spread.
The preferred host-tree is the Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima), considered an invasive plant here in Connecticut, but the Spotted Lanternfly will devastate and kill a variety of plants, including stone fruits and hardwood trees, hops, and many of our food crops. They lay eggs in masses with a hard, waxy shell, on hard surfaces such as trees, vehicles, and buildings. Scrape egg masses off with an old credit card, and inspect your trees and surroundings often. The USDA has a great, dedicated Spotted Lanternfly webpage, with photos of all stages of this insect, and tips on how to eradicate and avoid them. (One thing that kills them is hand sanitizer, by the way). If you see them, destroy them!
Another harbinger of spring are bees and wasps. While we need them, (and I love bees), there is a wasp that can be awful if a human or pet comes in contact with them. I know first-hand, as I had a run in with these aggressive creatures last year.
The Bald Faced Hornet (Dolichovespula maculata) isn’t really a hornet, but a member of the same species of wasp as the yellow jacket. Named for their color and size, Bald Faced Hornets have creamy white faces and marks on their large black bodies. I do not have a photo of one, as they are way too aggressive for me to get near enough to photograph, but do an online search and you will see plenty of photos of these easily-recognized flying devils.
This nest was on the door of my camper a few springs ago. It developed very quickly, as they are fast builders. I was lucky I did not get stung then when I opened the camper door.
These very large wasps can be found in most of the United States, with the largest concentration being in the Southeastern states. We did not have them in my area until a few years ago.
These nasty spawns of Satan quickly make large, dome-shaped paper-type nests that can be found in trees, bushes, on rocks, or hanging off of buildings.
A nest hidden in a redbud tree.
We once had a nest in a redbud tree. It was pretty large and scary, and had to be professionally removed. I also know someone who once had a HUGE nest appear quickly, right on her upstairs window, dangling over her driveway!
All wasps are beneficial, and the Bald Faced Hornet is no exception, pollinating plants and flowers, and eating other, bad insects. (These wasps actually think of yellowjackets as a tasty snack, and can eat and kill so many that their nests can look yellowish at the end of the season)! However, because the Bald Faced hornet is so aggressive, these are particularly scary and dangerous to humans, so you will want to beware if you see a nest, and get an exterminator out quickly if they build a nest close to your home or garden. Bald Faced hornets do not have to have their nest disturbed to attack, as they will aggressively go after anyone or anything that they perceive as a nearby invader. They will sting over and over, and are unique in that they also try to spray their venom into the eyes of a warm-blooded interloper, causing temporary blindness. Their stings are also considered one of the most painful stings you can get.
Last summer, I fed my chickens and then proceeded up the steps of my deck to go inside. I was suddenly aware of a “thumping” sound, which were multiple wasps hitting my face HARD and stinging me.
I screamed, and ran six feet or so to the door, but not before I was followed inside by these evil flying demons, and was stung at least six times around my lips. They had tried going for my eyes, but I had on sunglasses that thankfully protected them. Luckily, my daughter was home late that morning, as her schedule at work started later than usual. I popped a Benadryl and she and I jumped in her car. It was rush hour, and traffic on the freeway was a dead stop – to get to the local hospital would take too long. Thankfully, we have a wonderful walk-in emergency clinic in town, ten minutes from my home, and they were open. By the time we arrived, my face had already swelled so much I looked like a sick platypus. The waiting room was filled, but they took me right away. To make a long story short, I did not realize in the moment just how bad off I was until the end of my ordeal, when one of the nurses hugged me, saying they had not wanted to scare my daughter, but that I had really scared them! I now carry an Epi-Pen, and to say I am afraid of wasps is an understatement. Taking Benadryl and seeking medical attention ASAP saved me. The worst part is that these mini-diablos did not have a nest in the bushes next to my stairs the day before, and the nest was so hidden it was difficult to remove. The venom also caused pain, redness and swelling for several days.
I will garden again, but I will be extra-vigilant when near bushes or other areas where wasps can build nests next to my home. Keep an eye out, and if there is a paper-looking, football-shaped nest near where humans or pets reside, have it professionally removed right away.
By now, the entire world is aware of Lyme disease, (first named for a town in Connecticut), and how tick-borne illnesses are prevalent with tick bites. However, not everyone is aware of how one tick in particular, the Lone Star tick, can really have devastating consequences to some who come in contact with it. The Lone Star Tick is a deer-type tick that is named for its singular white spot on its body. Unfortunately, this type of tick can cause what is known as “Alpha Gal Syndrome”, which can cause an allergic reaction to red meats such as beef, pork and lamb, as well as an allergy to dairy, in the host.
The Alpha Gal Syndrome from the bite of the Lone Star Tick can cause allergies to beef, pork, and dairy. One theory is the thought that the tick that bites the human bit an animalpreviously.
Some people only have mild symptoms, but for others, it can be life-threatening and severe, even causing anaphylaxis! I have a family member that now has a severe, life-threatening allergy to dairy and beef, who can not even get dairy on their skin without a burning rash, all because of this tick! Gelatine in things such as gel-cap over the counter medicines, or in gummy-type candies can also cause problems. It’s frightening to know that something as small as a pinhead can change a person’s life in such a drastic way. Enjoy the outdoors, but make sure you do daily tick checks on yourself and your pets, and when you know you will be gardening or walking, do the things you can to help protect yourself against all kinds of ticks. While some tick-borne illnesses are treated with antibiotics, this allergy that develops is not. Luckily, it’s still somewhat a rare thing, but we personally now know of three people in our area with this allergic condition from a Lone Star tick bite.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to be the grim reaper of the outdoors! Spring, summer and fall outside are wonderful, especially here in New England, and I can’t wait to enjoy the outdoors again. We need the bees and other insects to pollinate our crops and flowers, and to keep balance in nature, so please do not spray everything in fear!
Enjoy the spring…just be aware. Bring on the butterflies! Bring on the flowers, leaves, and green!
Speaking of green – Happy St. Patrick’s Day, dear readers, and remember to leave me a comment below so I know that you dropped by!
Oh March, you are certainly true to your nickname as the “Lion and Lamb” month! Just when I feel like winter’s sleet, hail, and bitter winds are here to stay, all of a sudden I find there is just the smallest hint of a warm breeze. Soon, I’m tempted to have the screen door open and to hang sheets on the clothesline. For me, March always seems to be a turning point…Spring is coming!
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
~ Mark Twain
Debbie Bosworth
is a certified farmgirl at heart. She’s happily married to her beach bum Yankee husband of 20 years. She went from career gal to being a creative homeschooling mom for two of her biggest blessings and hasn’t looked back since. Debbie left her lifelong home in the high desert of Northern Nevada 10 years ago and washed up on the shore of America’s hometown, Plymouth, MA, where she and her family are now firmly planted. They spend part of each summer in a tiny, off–grid beach cottage named “The Sea Horse.”
“I found a piece of my farmgirl heart when I discovered MaryJanesFarm. Suddenly, everything I loved just made more sense! I enjoy unwinding at the beach, writing, gardening, and turning yard-sale furniture into ‘Painted Ladies’ I’m passionate about living a creative life and encouraging others to ‘make each day their masterpiece.’”
Being a farmgirl is not
about where you live,
but how you live.
Rebekah Teal
is a “MaryJane Farmgirl” who lives in a large metropolitan area. She is a lawyer who has worked in both criminal defense and prosecution. She has been a judge, a business woman and a stay-at-home mom. In addition to her law degree, she has a Masters of Theological Studies.
“Mustering up the courage to do the things you dream about,” she says, “is the essence of being a MaryJane Farmgirl.” Learning to live more organically and closer to nature is Rebekah’s current pursuit. She finds strength and encouragement through MaryJane’s writings, life, and products. And MaryJane’s Farmgirl Connection provides her a wealth of knowledge from true-blue farmgirls.
“Keep close to Nature’s heart … and break clear away once in awhile to climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods, to wash your spirit clean.”
~ John Muir
Cathi Belcher
an old-fashioned farmgirl with a pioneer spirit, lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. As a “lifelong learner” in the “Live-Free-or-Die” state, she fiercely values self-reliance, independence, freedom, and fresh mountain air. Married to her childhood sweetheart of 40+ years (a few of them “uphill climbs”), she’s had plenty of time to reinvent herself. From museum curator, restaurant owner, homeschool mom/conference speaker, to post-and-beam house builder and entrepreneur, she’s also a multi-media artist, with an obsession for off-grid living and alternative housing. Cathi owns and operates a 32-room mountain lodge. Her specialty has evolved to include “hermit hospitality” at her rustic cabin in the mountains, where she offers weekend workshops of special interest to women.
“Mountains speak to my soul, and farming is an important part of my heritage. I want to pass on my love of these things to others through my writing. Living in the mountains has its own particular challenges, but I delight in turning them into opportunities from which we can all learn and grow.”
“Wherever you go, no matter the weather, always bring your own sunshine.”
~ Anthony J. D’Angelo
Dori Troutman
Dori Troutman is the daughter of second generation cattle ranchers in New Mexico. She grew up working and playing on the ranch that her grandparents homesteaded in 1928. That ranch, with the old adobe home, is still in the family today. Dori and her husband always yearned for a ranch of their own. That dream came true when they retired to the beautiful green rolling hills of Tennessee. Truly a cattleman’s paradise!
Dori loves all things farmgirl and actually has known no other life but that. She loves to cook, craft, garden, and help with any and all things on their cattle farm.
Wyoming cattle rancher and outpost writer (rider), shares the “view from her saddle.” Shery is a leather and lace cowgirl-farmgirl who’s been horse-crazy all of her life. Her other interests include “junktiques,” arts and crafts, glamping, collecting antique china, and cultivating mirth.
Mary Murray
describes herself as a goat charmer, chicken whisperer, bee maven, and farmers’ market baker renovating an 1864 farmhouse on an Ohio farm. With a degree in Design, Mary says small-town auctions and country road barn sales "always make my heart skip a beat thinking about what I could create or design out of what I’ve seen.”
Rooted in the countryside, she likes simple things and old ways … gardening, preserving the harvest, cooking, baking, and all things home. While you might find her selling baked goods from the farm’s milkhouse, teaching herself to play the fiddle, or sprucing up a vintage camper named Maizy, you will always find her in an apron!
Mary says, “I’m happiest with the simple country pleasures … an old farmhouse, too many animals, a crackling fire, books to read, and the sound of laughter … these make life just perfect.”
is a budding rural farmgirl living in Palmer, the agricultural seat of Alaska. Alex is a graduate student at Alaska Pacific University pursuing an M.S. in Outdoor and Environmental Education. She lives and works on the university’s 700 acre environmental education center, Spring Creek Farm. When Alex has time outside of school, she loves to rock climb, repurpose found objects, cross-country ski on the hay fields, travel, practice yoga, and cook with new-fangled ingredients.
Alex grew up near the Twin Cities and went to college in Madison, Wisconsin—both places where perfectly painted barns and rolling green farmland are just a short drive away. After college, she taught at a rural middle school in South Korea where she biked past verdant rice paddies and old women selling home-grown produce from sidewalk stoops. She was introduced to MaryJanesFarm after returning, and found in it what she’d been searching for—a group of incredible women living their lives in ways that benefit their families, their communities, and the greater environment. What an amazing group of farmgirls to be a part of!
Libbie’s a small town farmgirl who lives in the high-desert Sevier Valley of Central Utah on a 140-year-old farm with her husband and two darling little farmboys—as well as 30 ewes; 60 new little lambs; a handful of rams; a lovely milk cow, Evelynn; an old horse, Doc; two dogs; a bunch o’ chickens; and two kitties.
René Groom
Previous Rural Farmgirl, April 2009 – May 2010
René lives in Washington state’s wine country. She grew up in the dry-land wheat fields of E. Washington, where learning to drive the family truck and tractors, and “snipe hunting,” were rites of passage. She has dirt under her nails and in her veins. In true farmgirl fashion, there is no place on Earth she would rather be than on the farm.
Farmgirl spirit can take root anywhere—dirt or no dirt.
Nicole Christensen
Suburban Farmgirl Nicole Christensen calls herself a “vintage enthusiast”. Born and raised in Texas, she has lived most of her life in the picturesque New England suburbs of Connecticut, just a stone’s throw from New York State. An Advanced Master Gardener, she has gardened since childhood, in several states and across numerous planting zones. In addition, she teaches knitting classes, loves to preserve, and raises backyard chickens.
Married over thirty years to her Danish-born sweetheart, Nicole has worked in various fields, been a world-traveler, an entrepreneur and a homemaker, but considers being mom to her now-adult daughter her greatest accomplishment. Loving all things creative, Nicole considers her life’s motto to be “Bloom where you are planted”.
Previous Suburban Farmgirl, October 2009 – October 2010
Paula is a mom of four and a journalist who’s partial to writing about common sense and women’s interests. She’s lived in five great farm states (Michigan, Iowa, New York, Tennessee, and now North Carolina), though never on a farm. She’s nevertheless inordinately fond of heirloom tomatoes, fine stitching, early mornings, and making pies. And sock monkeys.
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