Sqaure Foot Garden is filling out

    It appears that our square foot garden is filling out. The first week a storm seemed to blow the tomato plants over, but that didn't keep them from winding down and off the sides of the raised bed and entangling themselves and getting tangled with the cucumber plants as well. We've had so much rain the cucumber vines are cascading down like a waterfall over one side of the square foot. We're NEVER had luck with cukes before and have picked a dozen maybe, between the sq. ft. garden and a cucumber plant container on the deck. Now if only the little bugger tomatoes on the stems would ripen up. Our earlier, in ground garden is finally starting to get some red tomatoes.

We're going to see fairies (stones, anyway)

    We are going to see some fairy stones this week. What is a fairy stone, you may ask? Well, it is NOT Tinker Bell  encapsulated in a rock. No -- these are special stones, a special configuration of what is called staurolite, where the rock forms at  60 and 90 degree angles, I'm told, and is cross shaped. How odd, and they say you can find a lot of them at Fairy Stone State Park!

Rain, rain everywhere; gardens and taking nature for granted

     A drop of water has over  about 5 "sextillion" atoms (a billion is 10 to the 12th power and a sextillion is one to the 21st power). This is what rain is made of and we've had quite a bit of it lately.
     Water is that most unusual element (more technically a compound with its hydrogen and oxygen molecules), with its loose, flowing molecules, refreshing when cool and life depriving when a solid (slow atom moving) block of ice. As part of big groupings we call rain, it can both provide life AND be life threatening if there is too much of it around us at one time. 
     Our current errant weather patterns convey a certain temperamental, whimsical sense to our clouds, lakes and rivers. Should I rain today, flood an area --- or not? This whimsy is frustrating to us humans, who  have not yet figured out how to control this part of nature. We (over)fish the seas, engage in wolf management, preside over the introduction of highways which may or may not compromise the lives of bears, cougars, coyotes, raccoons, think we can handle the Great Lakes. But the bigger question really is how do we peacefully co-exist with nature, a nature more and more out of our control?
     There was so much rain the other night that the TV said a mountain road was being closed due to mud slides. But we are not (normally) in monsoon territory! It is unusual  to have rain on and off all day the beginning of July, so much so that there have been flash flood warnings and they close the public park on 4th of July day!
     The garden plants reach out their fragrant (at least in the case of tomatoes) leaves out toward the sun and then, rain. I read a special native bee is needed to "vibrate" the pollen off the tomato flowers in order to get at the pollen. Bees, sun, rain are all essential for summer garden planting and harvesting, and we probably take them all for granted. But all this rain --- the soil, the plant roots can only soak up just so much water, although I'm not sure a tree can drown. Well, if the tomato plants do get blight/root rot  then I guess this rain will all be too much, even for my well draining square foot garden.
     I am hoping the rain will take a break, the sun will come out and nothing will blight. It's too bad we couldn't just manually push the clouds over Colorado and Arizona, where there have been wildfires lately and nature seems determined to scorch the earth. Such imbalance we see in nature now, and we can't say we are totally innocent in this regard. Is the answer to all this exaggerated rain and drought less CO2 in the air, less warming of the earth overall?

Canoeing to litter at Claytor Lake, local woods discoveries

     Just as there is more than one way to skin a cat, there is actually more than one way to address the litter issue. Litter, that refuse tossed by citizens onto roadways and waterways, is a big issue in our communities. And to help our municipalities and parks, we should volunteer some of our time and pick up some of this unsightly garbage.
     So, the spouse and I headed to our nearby state park, Claytor Lake, and with a group of others, set upon the lake to do some summer cleanup. We wondered at first whether to go that day; after all, the weatherman had predicted partly sunny skies and there was a  light rain coming down at 9 in the a. m. But Frank said, oh, it won't be raining at the lake, and guess what? He was wrong.
     We arrived  to light rain that quickly petered out, just as I was getting on my red plastic poncho. One worker there pointed out that there was a "lake effect" that caused Claytor Lake weather to differ from the surrounding community. The weather was really quite temperamental. In the 4 hours we were there it went from rainy, to deep, gray clouds to sunny and white fluffy clouds high above us, and the park started to really fill up in the beach area.
     It was not a day to sunbathe (though my right arm did get a tiny bit of sunburn) -- we were litter hunters. I thought we would be on land, but they gave us a canoe, life jackets (to borrow, of course) and these thin orange vests, I presume to show vacationing boaters that we meant business. We were litter hunters. And what we found was interesting: tires (too heavy to put in the canoe that a Friend of Claytor Lake told me the lake staff would pick up), I don't know why, plastic and glass bottles, containers for worms, pieces of plastic jugs, tubing, part of a wooden table or chair, pieces of styrofoam (which they say will take several hundred years to break down), and other assorted odds and ends. 
     After 90 minutes it was getting hot and I pulled off the poncho as we got off at a boat dock so Frank could stretch his legs. They made the mistake of putting him in front and me in back (am not a good paddling "steerer"), so we were also going to switch places. The lake had a bit of current, and when a motorboat went by we really had to paddle against the waves in order to not be pulled too far from the coastline. And I had to use my light orange vest so that there would be something to tie to the dock. 
     Once on land again we spied  the smaller cabins for rent. Frank asked a park employee how much they were and he actually opened one up for us to see. For $90 a night you are really close to the lake, and have at your disposal two bedrooms, a screened in porch, a small living room (no TV or  radio as nature is your entertainment), and small kitchen stocked with utensils, plates, fridge, stove, microwave,  air conditioning, also a bath with a shower and linens. Like a motel room but actually bigger, close to fishing, hiking or going to the beach. But I still think $90 a night is steep. Across from our "cove" were McMansion cabins which looked like 3 story wooden apartment buildings for 2-3 families. No idea how expensive they are, but probably great for family reunions on the lake.
      It is really good exercise paddling, your shoulder muscles really put to work.  The lake was, the trees in the distance, the "water bar" little pontoon boat that sold refreshments as it slowly drifted down the middle of the lake -- these were interesting sights, peaceful, in a way. 
    Finally, we contributed 3 big orange bags and a long tube too big for their orange garbage bags to the FOCL group, who had a flatbed trailer collecting our efforts. In return we got a free Friends of Claytor Lake tote bag, with colored letters on an impractical white bag.
     This spring and early summer, when I haven't been doing something like the litter pickup (important for my Master naturalist hours) I have walked various paths. At the local Wildwood Park I have noted different plants coming up with all this rain we have had in the past month --- I sure hope it stops soon so our tomato plants don't rot. I came upon some unfamiliar plants in leaf shape-- one was from the mint family and another was probably the green coneflower family. I won't know till they actually flower or I find them in one of my wildflower guide books. Blackberries were in evidence too, a long ways from being ripe! I love fresh (organic) berries from the woods. They're healthy AND free.

Mount Pilot , NC

                                                       Mount Pilot in the distance

    It was at the end of a short trail, and it seems the trails we did get to go on around Mount Pilot in North Carolina had numerous steps. I don't think the "Sassafras" (didn't see any sassafras on it) and  "Jomeokee" Trails were constructed to be handicapped accessible. The first trail had a number of big wooden block steps to get up and over, and it curved down and then back up again. It said it was a moderate trail, but not in my opinion. If you've got weak knees or are winded easily it's not too easy a trail. I don't know when these trails were made, but the park property was sold by Mrs. Pearl Beasley for $643,000 in 1968 and was made into a state park in the 1970s, long (but not too long) after The Andy Griffith Show  ended (1968). Mount Pilot is mentioned many times in that TV show but no one "ever" mentioned hiking up and down the durn mountain!
    Actually, it wasn't so much up as it was "around" the mountain we went. Mount Pilot is called a knob, with a head of greenery at the top, cliffs, and then the mountain's sheer cliff face on the sides. The cliff face was interesting as it jutted out in certain places, as though you were looking at noses or blemish bumps on a face. That may be why there was a sign along the "Jomeokee" Trail that said it was a misdemeanor for climbing on the cliff/rock face. Our friend Kent joked about this: "Guy gets put in jail -- hey, what are you in for? Climbing a rock!"
    It was surprising that it was not too far along and we were on our way to the side of Mount Pilot proper, where there was a sign admonishing us to not pick any wild plants. There wasn't the big variety of plants there I could detect, but then, in June there are not a lot of plants in bloom either. There were some straggly rhododendron trees with their leathery green leaves hanging over our trail, and a few mountain laurel shrubs, with delicate white, belllike  flowers with pink stamens showing in a few places, but just a few. We must have missed the main blooming time for these.
     I have to admit it was a pretty rock we hiked around. Am told it is a metamorphic (meaning it changed over time due to heat and pressure) quartzite, which is why it looks like it was bleached white. But on this Jomeokee Trail around it, we had sections of flat sandy path alternating with sections of stone steps, some very unique looking. The quartzite can have iron oxide in it and make it look different colors. The colors I saw were mostly a light color, beige, and even pink with shiny tiny little pieces in it, kind of pretty, but if we'd fallen on it we would have probably been  hurt!
    The ranger said that a so-called "controlled burn" got out of control, and on this trail and parts of the Sassafras Trail we saw charcoal briquette-looking trees nearby, like they were going to use them for barbecue (only they were the things being barbecued). And from up there you would see well into the distance, distant enough it looked to be patches of farmland and woods. At a little over 2,400 feet, I would say there is a lot to see below, as the park itself I don't think covers that many acres, at least from where I was looking at it. There is also a good stretch of steps going up and down as you head back around the mountain. If Andy Griffith and Opie ever went up here they really had some good views of the valley below. June is a good time for this kind of walk.

Selu outing- wild mice, a cat, trees and bats, oh my

 

                                 Dr. Karen Francl with a wild white footed mouse

    This past Saturday the wind was a bit cool, but it didn't dampen the spirits of the students and few brave naturalist souls who went to a property owned by Radford University for some early spring nature hunts. Dr. Francl, from the R. U. biology department, had set traps to catch some critters in the brambles and fields that are part of the Selu Conservancy property. This property is unique in that it has an old 1930's style farmhouse with no electricity (with battery powered radio, to boot), woods that may get a bit of harvesting, a wonderful, modern retreat house, and a gravel road that will take you to a parking area where you can walk a winding road to an overlook. It makes a grand outdoor classroom, and on that day that is just what we did.
    Dr. Francl and some students set out to set "up" these tiny little tiny traps, the kind that have food at one end. Once the little critter gets in it, the open end closes. It does have the food and breathing holes, so they should be okay. They set out hundreds of these little traps and mainly obtained for their work white footed mice, which I understand have a shorter tail than a deer mouse, and are the common wild mice of the area. The adult normally is a brownish color with a white bottom; young mice are gray, which you might see in your neighborhood if your cat decides to pounce on something (just recently my 8 year old cat showed she'd still pretty fast and laid a very small gray and white mouse by the front doorstep-- bad kitty).
     I was rather preoccupied with getting a picture and should have been brave enough to grab the "scruff" of the mouse (in back at the shoulder blades) as she maneuvered the little buggers from the rectangular tin trap to a lingerie bag with various holes so that they would be measured and weighed and not escape. But then she did the "scruff" action and took the lingerie bag off mouse and you could really see it. They have these big, shiny black eyes and white whiskers and I think were a little bit afraid. But one of her students I guess had a poor grip and the little bugger hit deep into her finger, bringing up a big circle of blood!
    While there we also learned that in our area is a lot of calcium carbonate in the form of dolomite and limestone. There's also sandstone on our "faulty" mountain ridges. In our valleys because of these stones you find sinkholes and near them--- salamanders! At Selu we  found a red backed salamander, with a red line going down its sleek black back, and another dark salamander, the slimy salamander, so-called because if it feels threatened it can give off a sticky substance that doesn't smell great either. Salamanders are secretive critters, but you can find them under rocks and very close to streams. They need to keep moist as most of them "breathe" through that moist skin. I didn't find any myself but a fellow naturalist pointed out the somewhat fat, striated leaf of what he called an "Adam and Eve" orchid. They produce a small flower in late summer. This was the first I'd hear of them.
    But the early spring and edible plants I did know about I showed a handful of people around the old farmhouse. We took note of the Pennsylvania bittercress, edible just like watercress and wintercress, as well as the few wild mustards, with their tiny yellow flowers on top. The seed is not much bigger than a period at the end of a sentence. They say if you have the faith of a little mustard seed then you can move mountains. I hope that is so. Blackberry/raspberry brambles were also in evidence -- did you know they are related to the rose family?
    They set up one bigger cage in hopes of catching a raccoon-- they got someone's pet ginger colored cat instead, and it didn't look too happy being in that big birdlike cage!
    Dr. Francl also had some students talk about our Virginia and national bats. The Indiana bats travel here, and our little brown bat might be endangered, depending on who says so. They had some expensive echo-location bat-tick meters, but I didn't get to try them out. I don't believe there were any bats nearby, but you can never tell!
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Spring snow when you least expect it

     The other day was atypical: as I was going to my class in early April I found myself dealing with snow on the ground. And in the air and swirling around me and into my face! Was this April Fool's Day 3 days late? It sure seemed as though nature was playing a trick on us, giving us severe climate change over last year's record warm winter weather.

  I informed my class I felt this was an example of climate change and was glad it hadn't snowed on our little walk on campus a few days earlier. Then we really would have had to cancel, as we would have had to fight the elements in order to see any trees or wildlife around us.

  But this was very unusual. The weatherman had NOT predicted this patch of cold air in the New River Valley and so we were socked with snow, and more snow and even more! By that evening we had over 4 inches of snow, the most in one day! For Christmas we didn't get snow, and now we are deluged with it in April! Our daffodils that were planted in the fall have, thankfully, not totally come up yet. They say daffodils can survive 32 degree temperatures so I'm hopeful they will actually bloom. They are supposed to have white outer petals and the inner "bell" shape will be a strong red-orange color.

  So while I was in class teaching the students get a "text" that classes and the campus are closed as of 4:30! So they left! And it was still snowing very heavy. I printed out a few things students had emailed me, at my office, and then got to a car that already had over 2 inches around it. But there were lightly covered tracks,like in the above picture, and I stayed in the tracks in the parking lot and onto Main Street, and even going up the streets to the house.

 I think the students enjoyed the evening off. But there was class the next day and now most of the snow has melted away and gone. What freaky weather!