Vermont

Hungry caterpillars defoliating plants and trees? Could be sawflies

Published

2 years ago

August 18, 2024

Hungry caterpillars defoliating plants and trees? Could be sawflies

While caterpillars might help themselves to quite a bit in your garden, it’s good to know which kind you have as that will dictate how to mitigate the damage. For the most part, two main types of caterpillars can be pests in your summer garden.

If you’re noticing damage on leaves of plants and trees, the first group to look for is the Lepidoptera caterpillars. These caterpillars are the larval stage of butterflies and moths. Cabbage worms, tomato horn worms, tent caterpillars, spongy moths, any of the swallowtail and monarch butterflies belong to this family.

The Lepidoptera family of caterpillars tend to be big with small hairs, and they tend to do a lot of damage, usually individually, as opposed to en masse in your garden.

These caterpillars can usually be controlled by hand-picking, or using a common organic spray, like BT or Bacillus-thuringiensis.

The other group of caterpillars to check for is in the Hymenoptera family. These small caterpillar larva do not become a moth or butterfly but instead, an insect called a sawfly.

Sawfly caterpillars are small and smooth and their color can range from translucent to yellow, green or black. They tend to eat in groups, and when you get too close to them, they’ll rear up on their hind legs! (No worries, they aren’t harmful.)

Sawfly larvae will eat a whole bunch of different plants from birch, willow, dogwood, pears, columbine, pine, roses, azaelas and more! The caterpillars can eat all the needles on a pine, for example, or defoliate plant and tree leaves. Depending upon the sawfly, the damage will be different.

Sawfly controls are different than ones used to mitigate Lepidoptera; BT doesn’t work on them. Try hand-picking the caterpillars off your plants and shrubs or — in the evening, so as not to harm the bees — spray Spinosad or neem oil.

Rock hard potatoes

Q: We harvested our garlic this weekend, along with several volunteer potato plants. We were excited to roast them up this weekend, as usual, with olive oil, salt and pepper, and we cut them small to cook quickly, but after nearly an hour in the oven, these taters were nowhere near done. I finally turned the oven off and left them in there for a couple of hours, but they never got soft. What gives? – Jo and Gus, in Springfield

A: The answer for this one comes from the Idaho Potato Commission: potatoes that won’t soften, even after boiling and cooking for a long time, might have had cold-weather exposure.

Starchy potato varieties or more susceptible to this, so to avoid it from happening again, start with certified disease-free seed potatoes and choose ones that are less starchy.

Lettuce crop won’t take

Q: I’ve always been able to grow multiple crops of lettuce throughout the growing season. I had a good first crop this spring, but I’ve been unable to get any of my lettuce to germinate. After that, I’ve tried different areas of the garden without success. Could the wet weather be the problem? – Fran, in Richmond

A: The hot, humid and wet weather is probably the problem with the lettuce, which prefers cool weather.

Don’t give up, though! The weather is shifting and you could start the seeds in small pots and then transplant the seedlings into the garden for an early fall crop.

All Things Gardening is powered by you, our audience! Send us your toughest conundrums and join the fun. Email your question to gardening@vermontpublic.org or better yet, leave a voicemail with your gardening question so we can use your voice on the air! Call Vermont Public at 1-800-639-2192.

Listen to All Things Gardening Friday evenings at 5:44 p.m., and Sunday mornings at 9:35 a.m., and subscribe to the podcast to listen any time.

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Vermont

Here are five places to ice skate in Vermont this winter

Published

2 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Here are five places to ice skate in Vermont this winter

How to see a reindeer in Vermont

Vermont Reindeer Farm in West Charleston is home to the only three reindeer, or caribou, living in the state. Here’s what it’s like to visit them.

Looking for ways to enjoy the rest of the cold New England winter?

While staying indoors often seems better than facing the cold, the region has lots of outdoor activities that brighten the winter season, including skiing, snow tubing and, of course, ice skating. From Burlington to Stratton, Vermont has plenty of indoor and outdoor ice rinks, many of which offer lessons, concessions and special events in addition to ice skating.

Here are five places in Vermont where you can go ice skating this winter.

Spruce Peak Village Ice Rink

This outdoor ice rink is located in the heart of the village at Spruce Peak, a ski resort in Stowe formerly known as Stowe Mountain Lodge.

Guests can skate daily surrounded by the majestic ski slopes of the Green Mountains. On Friday nights, the Spruce Peak Village ice rink hosts glow skate parties with a light show, glow sticks and a live DJ. Skate rentals and lessons are also available for purchase.

When: Noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday or noon to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Where: Spruce Peak, 7412 Mountain Road, Stowe

Ice Haus Arena

Located up at Jay Peak Resort near the Canadian border, Ice Haus Arena is the newest ice-skating arena in the state. The indoor rink is complete with bleacher seating, a rental and repair shop, four locker rooms, a pro shop, a snack bar and of course, an NHL-sized rink where guests can participate in public skating or skating with sticks and pucks.

General admission to the rink is $6, with skate rentals available for $6, skate sharpening available for $7 and helmets available for $3.

When: Online schedule updated daily

Where: Jay Peak Resort, 830 Jay Peak Road, Jay

C. Douglas Cairns Recreation Arena

This indoor arena has not one, but two NHL-size ice rinks for hockey, public skating and stick and puck practices. Off the ice, Cairns Arena also offers a pro shop and a cafe with hot food, snacks and drinks.

Skating at Cairns costs $5 for adults or $3 for children and seniors, and skates are available to rent for an additional $5.

When: 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday through Thursday, with exceptions. Check the online schedule at cairnsarena.finnlyconnect.com..

Where: 600 Swift St., South Burlington

Mill House at Stratton Mountain Resort

Surrounded by the scenic Stratton Mountain Resort, Mill House Pond is the perfect outdoor spot for public ice skating or skating lessons.

Public skating costs $20, and bookings can be made online.

When: Noon to 8 p.m. Saturday or noon to 6 p.m. Thursday-Friday and Sunday-Monday

Where: Stratton Mountain Resort, 5 Village Lodge Road, Stratton Mountain

Riley Rink at Hunter Park

A large indoor sports facility, Northshore Civic Center has an Olympic-sized ice rink, along with a concession stand and retail shop. The rink offers public skating, stick and puck practice, hockey and skating lessons.

When: Check the online schedule for weekly updates

Where: 410 Hunter Park Road, Manchester Center

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Vermont

Unemployment claims in Vermont increased last week

Published

14 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Unemployment claims in Vermont increased last week

Staff reports
| USA TODAY Network

Initial filings for unemployment benefits in Vermont rose last week compared with the week prior, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.

New jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, increased to 375 in the week ending February 21, up from 357 the week before, the Labor Department said.

U.S. unemployment claims rose to 212,000 last week, up 4,000 claims from 208,000 the week prior on a seasonally adjusted basis.

Rhode Island saw the largest percentage increase in weekly claims, with claims jumping by 132.0%. Michigan, meanwhile, saw the largest percentage drop in new claims, with claims dropping by 49.9%.

USA TODAY Co. is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s weekly unemployment insurance claims report.

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Vermont

Vermont high school sports scores, results, stats for Thursday, Feb. 26

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Vermont high school sports scores, results, stats for Thursday, Feb. 26

The 2025-2026 Vermont high school winter season has begun. See below for scores, schedules and game details (statistical leaders, game notes) from basketball, hockey, gymnastics, wrestling, Nordic/Alpine skiing and other winter sports.

TO REPORT SCORES

Coaches or team representatives are asked to report results ASAP after games by emailing sports@burlingtonfreepress.com. Please submit with a name/contact number.

▶ Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5.

▶ Contact Judith Altneu at JAltneu@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @Judith_Altneu.