August 17, 2011:  Have you noticed the purple boxes tied by yellow ropes dangling from some of the trees in the village?

Well, these odd materials are actually a project of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to help save our native ash tree population.  The pinky-nail sized emerald ash borer, an invasive insect that has killed millions of ash trees, has been making its way into the region.  And these purple triangular boxes are the first step to arresting this devastating invasion of this tiny green and purple insect.

Per the DEC website, www.dec.ny.gov, Westchester County has not been listed as a county "infected" with emerald ash borer, but adjacent Orange County has.  These purple boxes are the most effective way to first catch and then map the spread of the borer, as they are lined with a sticky material and "scented" with a smell resembling a distressed ash and are, therefore, attractive to the borer, as is the purple coloring.

These purple "prism traps" are then lowered and those insects stuck inside are closely examined by state scientists.  The findings are used to determine programs to deter the potential spread of this highly destructive, invasive insect.

About 900 million ash trees populate New York State.  Westchester County has a distinct ash population, although the most dense populations within the state are found north and west in counties bordering Lake Ontario.  The ash statewide is of real logging value, and as any 10-year-old baseball hand knows, it is practically the wood of choice for baseball bats.

The ash, "a pleasing object," according to the British 18th-century minister and famous naturalist Gilbert White, is a hardy, long-living tree providing dappled shade over streets and homes.  Mature trees present a beautiful elongated-diamond bark pattern.

Regionally, the white, black, and green ash are the predominant species, but at least 60 other species of this member of the olive family exist, mostly throughout the northern hemisphere.

Specialized species are scattered within the US, such as the blue ash (provided blue dye to settlers) found in the Midwest and the pumpkin ash, with narrow populations found in the Midwest and coastal areas of the Carolinas.  Specific identification within the ash species takes time and patience, as their leaf patterns (in general, paired leaflets that are toothed and elliptical in shape, waving from twigs) are just the beginning in the process of discerning the very real but subtle distinctions among the species that exasperate even the authors of guide books.  They are also at first glance similar to hickory and walnut trees.  Ashes in this region grow between 70 and 100 feet.

The ash tree (genus Fraxinus), even if difficult to clearly identify, has a colorful mythological history as deep as its famously reaching roots.  According to Lives of the Trees:  An Uncommon History, by Diana Wells, the Norse god Odin created the first man, "Ask," from an ash (ladies emanated from an elm).  The ash was described by Pliny the Elder to repel snakes; Pliny was cited in a 16th-century treatise on gardening, and the belief persisted into the nineteenth century.  Accordingly, the ash was employed to cure snakebites.  It was also used to heal hernias in children through a superstitious procedure whereby a child would walk through a cleft ash trunk several times and would be healed in tandem with the fusing of the two parts of the bound ash tree.  The "prickly ash" (which isn't really an ash tree but is a form of citrus) had the colloquial name of the "toothache" tree, its fruits chewed to relieve dental maladies.

The DEC is working diligently to encircle the emerald borer invader and halt its spread, but there is one way everyone can thwart this insect:  Follow the state regulation that prohibits the importation of firewood into New York unless it has been heat-treated to kill pests.  Firewood importation is one of the prime reasons these insects have been gaining ground.  The regulation also limits the transportation of untreated firewood to less than 50 miles from its source, as this movement has also been a major reason for the spread of tree-killing insects and diseases.

So, as you travel about the village, take a moment to try and spot the "purple prisms," see if you have any luck identifying any possible ash trees on your property, and if you're planning some warm fires this winter, plan to source your firewood locally!

Editor's Note:  Liz Hoskinson is an equestrian and writer with specialties in equestrian, historical, and environmental subjects.  She has lived in the center of Bronxville for a decade, loving the village's proximity to both New York City and the barns of Westchester.

Pictured here:  Purple boxes hanging from ash trees in Bronxville. Look closely.

Photo by N. Bower