I was on fire. I was getting shit done. Lots and lots of shit. And then today, after getting more shit done, I hit a brick wall. Like, I have nothing left and I will crawl to the couch to snuggle under my blankie, thank you very much. I am hoping it's temporary. Because I have a lot left to do. I am using every moment that the energy is there, and some times that means that I am stacking tasks. Recently, at a therapy appointment, he asked me if I do anything for fun, because I sure seem to be working, working, working. I told him how I sit in the evenings and snuggle with my cat, work on a cross-stitch or crochet project while my t.v. show is on, and then on the commercials, I mute it and read. He kind of looked taken aback. I told him that I am so busy that that is the only way I can really fit in those things that I love doing. According to him, those things that I am doing at night are recreational activities, and I am multi-tasking those recreational activities. And that's not normal. Sigh.
In true multi-tasking/always in work mode, every time I go to my car, I scan the tree line for these stupid day-flowers that are not native. What I thought was one flower growing independently turns out to be a handful on one plant and the stems kind of reach out in all directions.
I am not sure where they came from, but this brings me to a special point. Really, really do your research on variety seed packets. "Wildflower" "Pollinator friendly" are catchy terms equivalent to "all natural" and "organic" in the food and skin care industries. I had a couple of packets of mixed seeds and decided to do a little research in all of my free time to see what exactly was in them and where those things are native to. The results were interesting.
This packet of seeds has all of the buzz words. Pollinator! Honey bee! WILDFLOWERS! Non-GMO and un-treated seeds.
When we flip the packet over, it tells us more about why we should use this, how to use this, where it was a packed (Boulder, Colorado), and what is in the packet. So let us look into THAT part closer. Let's look closer at what is in it. Everything underlined in RED is not native to the United States at all. Everything underlined in Yellow is native to the United States, but not in the state that I live in. And everything in Green is considered native to the United States and where I live, or at least is not considered harmful to my local eco-system. I am not saying I got this 100% right, but the stuff in red is easy to look up for yourself and you can see that there are more in red than in green.
Then another seed packet, that I got from a highly-regarded beauty product company, was more of the same! The seed company is based out of New York and out 5 plants, 3 are Non-native to the United States, one is native but not to my area, and one is ok to plant. (this one is harder to see, but is at the bottom of the packet.)
So I am busting my ass on my little piece of heaven, while millions of seeds are being disbursed and planted all over the United States that feed the problem. And, contrary to what every person who says, "my non-native such and such has never once left the spot I planted it in and I don't care that it's not a native plant, I LOVE it!", things DO move. It might not expand into your yard, or your neighbors, but think for a moment of all of those burning bushes now taking over the understory of forests. Were they planted there by a human? No. Did you SEE the movement take place? No. Did you SEE that bird take a berry from your burning bush and drop it into the forest? No. But that does not mean it didn't happen and then it will be up to someone else to work their ass off in that forest to remove them. Alright, moving on.
After talking myself out of going to numerous events already this year (I find it easier to not talk myself out of going to things if I have someone else with me), I finally made it to one! I did almost talk myself out of this one too, but the therapist and I feel like I need to start balancing the work/fun scales. Since the event was nature related, and was being held in the town I grew up in and at a park that I went to all of the time during those years, it was slightly easier to not talk myself out of going. But only slightly. I knew right away once I got there that these were not my peeps. Sure, we all aligned in the sense of caring for nature, being nature and Science Geeks, and wanting to be outdoors, but that is where it stopped.
Nearly everyone who was there already knew each other, and nobody was welcoming to the outsider. Nearly everyone that was there was part of an organization that benefitted nature, or they were highly educated people that were holding prestigious positions. And here was little ol' me, not knowing anyone or having that kind of education. The old me would have bolted right away, but the new version of me always feels like if I can learn one new thing, it was worth it. Plus, I was at a nostalgic place, on a beautiful day, and out in nature. A beautiful barn swallow darted in and out of the nest above us.
And I always love being by water! But the program itself was not for me. After two painful hours of sitting on a picnic table, I came back home and got back to work on things here. My therapist was proud of me for going though! I did continue to talk myself out of going to other events after this day 😂😂
Back to work at the land by myself, I was working on pulling some bittersweet from around the Tulip Poplars. The area will get cleaned up by a contractor soon, but in the meantime, I am trying to keep those trees from getting choked. I noticed a patch of red and thought it was either some cloth, or fresh blood. Going in closer to investigate, I found a few of these Witch's Hat mushrooms!
Not much is blooming yet at the land. Some vervain, and roses that are nearly on the water, but these roses that I marked to save from being mowed down look like they might be close!
Back out on the new pond bank, I am taking stock of everything that is out there. It took me awhile to remember what this plant is, knowing that I have dealt with it before. Finally figured out that it's Velvetleaf, and non-native. As of right now, I only see one of them and will pull it the next time I am out there if the deer haven't eaten it by then.
I believe this the One-Spotted Stink bug, which is native and a beautiful color!
Spined Soldier Bug, native and an beneficial predator. This is not the Marmorated stink bug that we think every stink bug is.
The dragonflies are all around, and I got to watch one lay its eggs in the pond! But this one is just chilling. A Common Whitetail.
Even though I had not noticed the plant before, the NRCS put in a report years ago that we have Reed Canary Grass. Well now I see it. As with all things, I observed it, tested some things out. It grows in TOUGH, large patches. There's no pulling these out! I tried digging out smaller patches, and we lose a lot of soil that way. At the very base of the grass is brown, dead-looking grass, and that helps me identify younger patches of it before it goes to seed like this one did. I wondered if it behaves like Phragmite, where it spreads by seed AND rhizome? Yes, of course it does. So even if I manage to cut these seed heads off, that is not enough to stop it. Fantastic.
All of this work on an already questionable arm and shoulder has taken its accumulative toll. All of a sudden I can't close my right hand into a fist. the whole hand is slightly swollen and when I try to close it, it feels tight, stiff, and sore in my little pinky joints. The first picture is of my left hand, I can make a fist.
And this is my right hand....I can't close it into a fist.
But my recent trips to the chiropractor were about trying to get my hips back in order. Finally figured out that my abductors aren't working....which has been an issue numerous times before. She did the Gaston Technique, and warned me that it was going to fell like she was rubbing really hard but that she promises she's going very lightly. I think she lied. It felt like she was digging in with all of her weight, and that upper cup near the groin? INTENSE 😵But that, along with a gentle daily stretch, worked to get things back in place.
So I have been practicing slowing down more. Balancing work and rest. I finally got around to organizing all of the beads that I got from the estate sale a month or so ago! Once I was finally able to dig in and see what I got, I was/am SO happy that I splurged! I got a great deal and will definitely use them!
I also finally finished packaging up the holly leaves! This project has been ongoing for years now. I removed the bush from my sons house because it was overgrowing a walkway, the leaves are pokey, and there was no way he was going to take care of keeping it trimmed back. I also believe it was a European Holly, non-native. But I brought it home, let it dry out, and one by one removed the leaves from the branches. Now I have several bags of them for those who want to celebrations, rituals, etc.
While getting ready to paint some outside door trim, I noticed a bunch of tiny wasp nests. They were right above the door, and we certainly don't need them getting into the house, so I took them down.
I also took the time to finally weed the garden boxes and cage off what is a good plant in there. We have white vervain coming up again, and one also came up in the grapes plants that I might transplant into the box.
They remind me of Grinch fingers 😂
This box has the white vervain and something else I am not sure about yet. Not much else is left as I've neglected it over the years!
So much Common Milkweed though, a fleabane, and some other things I am not sure about yet.
The grapes are looking fantastic, and will make someone a happy camper!
We don't mow in between the grape vines anymore, and I am so glad about that! Lots of violets, white avens, a white vervain, toads, and I managed to see a praying mantis without accidently harming it! There was also a baby robin nearby, and it struck me how important those "overgrown" areas are for cooling off and hiding! Especially with stray kitties around that are hungry.
Woodchuck and I managed a quick walk, thinking that we could beat an incoming storm. We did not beat it. But I never mind getting caught in the rain! It's especially refreshing on hot, humid days.
Back to the land I go! The pond bank is not finished, but I nearly am, lol. Running out of steam, body is rebelling.....gotta get this all figured out! But you know what I can't seem to figure out? Freaking thistle! Is it native? Is it non-native? I have no damn idea because it all looks the same to this girl! Someone posted this reference in a native plant group to help all of us newbies out, and it didn't help me one darn bit!
And this! What in the world is that?1 Is it bittersweet, like I would have assumed? My plant i.d. says it is something different. I.don't.know.
We were talking about how beautiful and miserable it can be out here at the same time. Like, Woodchuck thinks we are going to be sitting outside on the deck every evening and the man is gonna get a rude awakening in the form of small, buzzing, pokey insects. Which he is allergic to. Yes, I have a very, very old canopy that has netting walls that Velcro on to it, but he wants to use the NEW canopy that I don't have walls for and don't want to spend the money on right now anyway. Oh yes, Woodchuck, while you have been closing yourself off in the barn for one reason for another, I have been getting on first name bases with various species of mosquitoes out there. I have been wearing long sleeves, long pants, a hat, and a mosquito net over my head, all while utilizing TWO insect repellents AND a stick of incense. They just laugh at me. You will see, you will see.
But there is one plant that I DO know, and that is our blueberries! They are not ready yet, and I told him they were not, but because the picking farms are ready, he wanted to go look. So we donned our equipment, which included water boots, and headed out to look at the two bushes we can get eyes on right now. All of the others are too far into the flood waters and downed trees. They were not ready yet.
But the Blue Vervain (which is actually purple?) is coming back on the bank! I got some seeds from it years ago when we bought the land that I can use, and hope they are still viable, to reseed the area, if need be.
I am guessing on this one....some sort of dock? My app says it's a spinach or cucumber of some sort.
I will check it again the next time I am out there and see if it's developed more definitive things for me to identify it.
American Burnweed, native
Common Cockspur grass, non-native
I got myself into a tall patch of stinging nettle, and thought I was good with my long sleeves. But the long sleeves were very thin cotton, and those stinging hairs went right through the fabric even though I was trying to be careful! The burning and itching is INTENSE, though thankfully short-lived. Did you know that some tribes used Stinging Nettle topically to help with things like joint paint? I consider it the originally STEM machine! Pluck up a bundle from the plant and gently whack it into the affected area. I have not tried it yet, but I probably will once we live out there! And if there's some jewelweed growing nearby, you can pick some of those leaves and rub them on the skin to stop the burning (I've seen where some people use it on poison ivy rash, but of course, that one you have to be more mindful of because you don't want to spread that rash.)
I hope I didn't harm the garden spider that made this web! They tend to build them in overgrown areas and that makes it harder for me to see them until the last second. 😖
I wasn't able to pull all of the wild garlic before it started to flower. So if you've ever wondered what their flowers look like, here ya go! Non-native.
And we have some strong looking Heal-All in bloom right now. This plant is dotted throughout the land in small amounts. Native.
Invasive/non-native grasses are such a pain in the ass. You can't just pull them out (at least not at the stage of growth that I am getting to them in), they take a large amount of dirt with them, and the root system is bonkers!
Don't even get me started on this crap.
Anytime I get overwhelmed and discouraged, I look at the native grasses. I am fighting the fight for you, little friends!
I really should have known to wear my rain boots out there. There had been rain not long before going to the land, but some times I get in such a hurry to get to work that I talk myself out of switching boots. I did end up going back up to the car and switching them out 😄
Back out in the proper footwear, I found this Foxtail grass. While beautiful, it is non-native.
But this pokeweed is, and honestly, this is a great spot for it! They can get really tall and somewhat bushy and make certain paths difficult, but this area is out of the way of us walking, its visible to the wildlife, and it won't get mowed down. This one still has lots of growing to do.
A tree that was wiped out along the pond edge during the work has started to resprout. So far my app says its a Grey Alder, which is native to this area. I will have to watch it and see if that identification changes as it gets bigger.
As I was finishing this trip up, pulling Fallopia from good plants, I saw a flash of color in green ground cover and pulled out this lovely fungi! Don't worry, I put it back where I found it....in the damp shade that it loves. I took breaks to watch and listen to a belted Kingfisher who kept flying by and landing in the trees around me. I also saw a Fawn, but didn't even realize it was there until I started getting too close and it got up and ran away. I always feel bad when I don't see them until I scare them.
My body has had enough on this day, so it is time to head home. I got the promised picture of the Red Pine up front that the yellow-bellied sap-sucker has been utilizing. As far as I have seen so far, it is the only one of this tree on my land. We need to clear the understory again...and I say "we" because your girls right arm is out of commission for the foreseeable future. More on that in the next post.
Before my arm konked out though, I was able to finish some art pieces. Part of my "Water is Life" piece from 2018, I took it apart and started making separate pieces from the one large piece that didn't sell. My favorite has to be the one with the tassels! Woodchuck says I go overboard and put too much bling on my pieces (is there such a thing?!), so I made the second piece a bit more calmed down. Both contain: suede, glass and shell beads, hand-cut and hand-painted leather and lots of positive energy. They are not in the E shoppe yet, but I do hope to get them there soon. I am checking into a pop-up artisan market this Saturday, but need help because I literally cannot use my arm, and ugh, it's supposed to be super hot and humid again. Stay tuned! All of these decisions to make!
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