At Home in Nature

This morning before the wind began to blow, the meadowlarks were singing to each other.Their songs may sound cheerful to one person, and melancholy to another, but to the birds they present a specific meaning that is not so open to interpretation.

Birds use songs to communicate with each other important information about their environment, or about their territory, or even verbally cogitate during problem solving sessions (think aloud).Some birds sing so quickly or at pitchesthat we cannot hear so that their complex songs sound like a single note to our ears.The more social a bird is, the more songs it will have, and some birds, rooks and crows, have been found by researchers to have developed languages equivalent to the verbal capacity of an average human child.

Some of these more intelligent birds make and use dozens or even hundreds of tools, and use their songs to convey information learned by one generation of birds to the next – an achievement that classes them with the more highly developed animals of this planet, including the greater apes and dolphins.

Even trees communicate with each other, using chemicals and other impulsive signaling, they can coordinate defenses against aggressive insects, or balance the ratio of female and male members of their community in response to environmental pressure.In plants, communication is a responsive and often chemical or physical response to stimulus, and sheds insight into the development of communication in the Animal Kingdom: Charles Darwin and his family studied this to gain the first primitive insights into neurology.

Humans have developed their skills of communication further by making a physical record of the songs we sing.On rock, paper or clay, we can record information for generations thousands of years in the future to enjoy.If the record is preserved from destruction by the elements or enemy humans who, since the dawn of record keeping, have sought to destroy records when utterly annihilating an enemy.Just as the birds I heard this morning tried to drown each other out with their songs.

When planting bushes early, make sure to cloche the bare root plants.Cloches may be made easily out of 1 gallon plastic milk or water jugs by cutting off the bottom and then piling soil half way up the top of the outside of the jug, after it’s been placed over the plant.Watering may be undertaken either by pouring water into the top, or by watering the nearby soil.We’ve already discussed this kind of cloche in previous issues of the Meadowlark Herald, but it bears a refresher at this time of year!

When establishing annuals in cloches, make sure to plant them slightly lower than the level of the soil so that water will drain into the bowel, and also so that when the cloche is removed, the soil will better cover the crown and insulate it when the cloche is gone.

It is a difficult question of when to remove the cap of the cloche.During cold times, keeping the lid on protects the young plant.During hot times, removing the cap reduces the build up of moisture and reduces the risk of disease.Like a stake on a young tree, cloches are essential to the long term success of the plant, but if used excessively weaken or kill the plant.

A walk before bed is a peaceful meditation for children who are afraid of the dark.Seeing that night time is a time of rest for some creatures, but an active time for others helps create a question of when is an appropriate time for people to rest?Some people rest on and off all day and all night, others rest at night only, and some unfortunate people are awake all night and sleep all day.Purposefully experimenting with these alternative lifestyles helps a child learn that they feel better if they go to bed shortly after dark, after a nice early evening stroll under the stars.

And look at the stars!Tell their stories; tell the stories of the night creatures you see and hear.If you walk in a riparian area at night, you’ll be serenaded by countless songs.There are few more majestic moments than the coyote song at night, or seeing the deer peacefully graze under a crescent moon.

Does the child realize that they see better at night than we do?We are daytime creatures, who need rest at night.Say goodnight to all the things you see; become at peace with the world and all the monsters disappear.It is a big world, too big for frightening things under the bed or in the closet.

What nightmares could we have after such a wonderful nighttime stroll with those whom we love?

As climates change due to human and natural factors, we rarely give thought to the insects, arachnids and other invertebrates that are both necessary to human agricultural industry, and to the stability of the ecology.

According to Endangered Invertebrates: the case for greater attention to invertebrate conservation by Scott Black, Matthew Shepard, and Melody Allen of the Xerces Society (www.xerces.org),the US Endangered Species Act and international endangered species laws do little to protect the invertebrates.

They report that currently, only 37% of U.S. animal species listed as endangered are invertebrates and only 1% of listed foreign endangered species are invertebrates.

This is particularly troubling considering, as the Xerces Society did, that a 20% extinction of total global diversity is possible by 2022 if the present rate of environmental destruction continues—and that this pressure is concentrated among the invertebrates: freshwater bivalves, for instance, are among the most endangered groups of organisms in North America.

Great Urgency to Protect Invertebrates

In the United States, freshwater mollusk fauna, especially rich in mussels and gillbreathing snails, is the largest in the world and the most well studied.The species have been steeply declining in numbers from the damming of rivers, pollution, and introduction of alien mollusks and other aquatic animals.In 1995, it was observed that just under half of all the freshwater mussels were imperiled.

But it is not just mussels.Many insect species are vulnerable because their populations have a severely restricted distribution, often just a single locality. “The giant flightless darkling beetle (Polposipus herculeanus), for instance, lives only on dead trees on the tiny Frigate Island in the Seychelles. The Socorro sowbug (Thermosphaeroma thermophilum), an aquatic crustacean that has lost its natural habitat, survives in an abandoned bathhouse in New Mexico,” explains Xerces.

Although freshwater and land mollusks are sometimes widespread species, they are generally vulnerable to extinction because so many are specialized for life in specific habitat conditions and are unable to move quickly from one place to another.

As a result, isolated populations are highly susceptible to change. “Rare insect species often have subtle habitat requirements and have even been lost from reserves as a result of apparently minor habitat changes,” explains Xerces.“The large blue butterfly (Maculina arion) larvae is an obligate parasite of red ant (Myrimica sabuleti) colonies. Accordingly, in 1979 this butterfly went extinct in England because plant communities were not managed for the ants. (The large blue has subsequently been successfully reintroduced to appropriately managed sites in England using a subspecies from Sweden.)”

Invertebrates Require Specialized Microecosystems

Studies of some European grasslands have shown that areas not grazed or reforested harbored significantly higher butterfly species richness and heterogeneity, and hosted more endangered species than grasslands in the early successional stages (Balmer and Erhardt 2000). Oldgrowth forests in temperate zones also have higher invertebrate diversity than younger stands because of the development of the microclimates that invertebrates thrive in.

Yet tropical rain forests however hold the majority of terrestrial invertebrate diversity and with rainforests and temperate old growth forests around the world being lost at a rapid rate, invertebrates are bound to go with them.

While Larger Governments Fail, Local Governments, Citizens and Homeowners Can—and Must—Act NOW

“The widespread destruction of the earth's biodiversity occurring today must be matched by a conservation response on an order of magnitude greater than that which currently exists. Ultimately, the key to protection of any species is protecting its habitat,” explains Xerces.

But with little leadership found in governmental agencies, community–level conservation will be required.

And this may be best developed through the development of amateurs who enjoy watching—and watching out after—invertebrates.

It should be hoped that these amateur enthusiasts would advocate in their local governments for the designation of wilderness areas, conserved for the benefit of many species, or for the protection of invertebrates in particular.

Since many invertebrates only need small areas to thrive, this goal is easily obtainable by even the smallest local government…

Or the homeowner.

Backyard gardens can function as adequate reserves for many invertebrates and encouraging homeowners—and the cities who would otherwise require them to destroy the weeds and ecology the invertebrates require—to undertake the necessary private action to save invertebrates is urgent.

Yet habitat must also be protected for marine species and marine reserves will require larger governmental action.

The power of citizens to petition their governments will be important at this juncture in our planet’s history as we embark upon a trying period of extinction when many wonderful creatures will be lost forever.

Assistance in Writing Petitions

The Meadowlark Herald will provide free assistance to any citizen interested in conserving invertebrates in their Town, City, County or State through the conservation of wilderness, the illegalization of the environmental toxins that threaten invertebrates, through the legalization of homeowner conservation efforts, or other effective means.

Petitions are easy, usually free of cost, and highly effective ways for an individual who is concerned about the interests of their neighborhood to make necessary and good laws.

Politicians do not have a monopoly on lawmaking any more than professional biologists can monopolize the joy and important observation of wild creatures.

And it is the obligation of those interested amateurs who enjoy the invertebrates—and all the other living creatures of this world—to stand up and speak upon their behalf, and defend those beautiful and important ecology they love.

Starting your seeds in egg cartons is easy, but some people find that their cartons dry out quickly.Rather than baby the cartons of starts, put them in a tray full of water, and let the carton wick the water up.Don’t overfill the tray – the carton should not be submerged as this will reduce oxygen flow to the young roots and encourage mold.However, keeping the bottoms of the cartons moist will ensure that the entire soil within is moist.

Temperature is important to starting seeds.Every seed has an ideal germination temperature.Checking with your seed supplier will inform you of the ideal temperatures for your crops.

                   While some folks will use heat mats or other electric devices, it is also possible to heat your plants using the sun.Within your cold frame or greenhouse, construct a Styrofoam box (or other insulated box) and cover the top with clear plastic to let in the light.This greenhouse within a greenhouse will keep your starts warmer than if they were simply on a shelf!Make the insulated box deep enough to put several water bottles on the bottom for the tray to rest on: the water will absorb the heat in the daytime and

A cardboard box works great.Use bubble wrap for insulation, stapled onto the sides.Aluminum foil on the inside of the bubble wrap and some black ink or paint on the outside of the box will keep it toasty.If you don’t have fancy polycarbonate sheeting for the top of the box, plastic food wrap works great.

Angle the top of the box so that the side facing closest to the sun is lower.This will prevent the box from shading the plants on that side of the box.Having a taller back wall will reflect the heat and light back down onto the plants.

If your water bottles are not warming enough, try adding quantities of salt to the water: as much as is possible!This increases the thermal mass of the water.Even if it sludgy, this is a good heat sink, better than bricks.You might also try using a bigger box so that sunlight will penetrate down beneath the starts and hit the water bottles.

In the coldest winter, stack or layer water bottles around the outside of the box.Be careful not to block sunlight coming in.You may also try other insulation, such as leaves or straw.If it is convenient, cover up the top of the start box with an old blanket at night.

Fertilizing: your plants are not in the soil and will quickly consume the nutrients in the little egg carton.Like all house plants, they will require fertilizer.Once your seedlings develop their second set of true leaves, it is time to start feeding them. Young seedlings are very tender and can't tolerate a full dose of fertilizer. Baby them with a half-strength dose until they are three or four weeks old. After that, you should start full-strength fertilizing every week or two.Composted manure, or a mixture of urine and ashes are good natural fertilizers.If you notice discoloration of the leaves – yellow or purple are typical – you likely have greater need for fertilizer.

If you notice mold, fungus or other microflora, you are watering too much.Reduce soil moisture quickly, and apply ashes, cayenne powder, black pepper, juniper juices, or other antifungals, or even transplant the starts into new soil.

Alfalfa is a fun and easy crop to grow, and is also easy to find and identify in the wild.It’s a healthy and tasty treat no matter where you harvest it from!

Alfalfa is in the pea family, and regrows from the same rootstock year after year.A popular forage for livestock, it is grown on farms across the U.S. and is often found in empty fields and roadsides from having gone wild from these farms.It is a low shrubby plant, with small triple leaves which may be mistaken for yellow clover.To avoid misidentification, harvest when in flower: the alfalfa has purple flowers, and the yellow clover has white or yellow flowers.

When harvesting in the wild or from fully grown plants, you can eat the leaves and the flowers.The flowers are more popular in taste tests, having a sweet and nutty taste, but the leaves are enjoyable as well and highly nutritious.Both can be eaten raw or cooked.

When harvesting in the wild, consider collecting the seeds to grow at home.You can buy sprouting seeds from most seed companies, as well.Alfalfa sprouts are very easy to grow.Just put the seeds under a very shallow layer of soil, water, and harvest after about a week.You can put them in your garden or grow them year round indoors.They don’t need much light, but the more sunlight they get the more nutrition they’ll have and the better they’ll taste.

Alfalfa was introduced to Colorado by former Governor Alexander Hunt (1867 - 1869), who was also Colorado's first beekeeper. 

Give us a call or an email if you want samples!  Let us do the cooking...Prepared meals available.

This week, we have our first harvest of the year, and it's a good one!  Winter's over!  Let's eat.  And don't forget your animal friends, too!

-- VEGETABLES --

> Cattail (ROOT)

> Curly Dock (LEAVES)

-- BEANS --

> Black

> Fava

> Jacob’s Cattle

> Pinto

> Trout

-- GRAIN --

> Barley

> Oats

> Sanfoin

> Safflower

> Sunflower (SEED)

> Rye

> Wheat

-- HERBS --

> Corriander

> Garlic (BABY)

> Garlic (GREENS)

-- MEDICINE AND TEA --

> Raspberry Leaves

> Poplar (BUDS, ROOTS) (antiinflamatory, pain relief)

> Willow (BUDS, ROOTS) (antiinflamatory, pain relief)

> Yucca (ROOT)

-- ANIMAL FEEDS --

  > Two legs

  > Four legs

  > Six legs

  > Eight legs (?!)  :::: )

Any time the ground is not frozen is a good time to plant trees.Provide extra water in the wintertime, and extra mulch, though.As always, mulch at the bottom of the hole, in the middle (half way up) and again on top of the surface.Then cover the top mulch with a layer of soil.Mulches include old leaves, hay, straw, rocks about the size of your fist, and in some places seashells or other soil modifiers.Old leaves are best!

A handful or five of ashes in the bottom of the hole dresses the bottom mulch.A dressing of stale urine (aged more than 6 months until it ferments and becomes less acidic) or composted manures is a helpful treat to the middle mulch layer, but make sure it is well aged or you'll burn the plant.But dressings are not necessary.

Trees require tillage like any other crop, and should be planted in east/west rows in Colorado to shade the hot summer sun and break the cold north wind.

Planting dates aside, it is never too early to dig the tree hole: dig it now, fill it with leaves or straw and let it compost for a little while.It'll ripen just in time for the trees!Then stir it by pulling it out to plant the tree and backfill with a little bit of ashes or your favorite dressings.You may like the smell of lilacs, but you'll be more excited about the fungi, viruses, retroviruses and bacterias you'll smell this winter, I promise!

Try using black tea as a natural and safe alternative to dish soap or hand soap!Or even a metal scouring pad!It really does work and in our tests, we pitted tea against brillo steel pads, treated with oxyclean, regular dish soap, and just warm water.

Black tea worked better than a steel pad every time!

It even cleans floors safely!

And if you like to drink tea, too, try growing your own! Black and green tea come from a species of plant native to Asia, but which is readily available from several sources including Territorial Seed Company in Oregon (territorialseed.com).Tea plants require warm temperatures, and do well in greenhouses or as house plants.Besides tasting good, they also have pretty flowers!

Spring is the time when what we harvest in autumn is determined.Planting is half the game, tending is the other.Good forethought in both allows success.For those of us planting wheat and other small grains this year, we should not fear rust – the war against rust has already been won.

A good place to start is with the god of war.Incidentally, March is named after the Roman god of war, Mars.But most people don’t realize that this fearsome god also was the guardian of farms and ranches!March was an ideal time to begin war and begin the new agricultural season, and his festivals were celebrated in this month.

While his Greek counterpart, Ares, is similar in many ways, Mars is quite a different fellow.He was venerated as part of an ancient trinity of Jupiter and Quirinus.

Quirinus, less known to our modern Greek-oriented society, had no Greek counterpart and was the god of the State, the spearholder, Janus.Quirinus was the Sabine god of war, and later became the deified Romulus, and his priests were venerated for being able to prevent rust in crops by sacrificing puppies.In the last days of Rome, the Roman trinity no longer was Jupiter, Mars and Quirinus, it was Juno, Minerva and Jupiter.During these last days before Christian Rome, the Quirinus was worshiped only by his Priests, who, after turning over their rust protection job to the Priests of Mars, were content to have the only function in Roman society as proceeding the Pontifex Maximus (a title that literally means “Great Bridge Maker,” or the connection between the world of the gods and our human world).During Christian Rome, the title was assumed by the Pope, who didn’t have much need for Quirinus, or the ancient roman trinity.But I digress.

Mars was born out of jealousy.Juno, jealous of how Zeus gave birth to Minerva after a really bad headache (when Minerva came out of his forehead, he felt better), Juno wanted to do the same.Not the headache, but the self-propagation.Flora, the goddess of spring, was consulted and prescribed a particular flower.Dubious about experimental drugs, Juno tested the herb on a cow, who gave birth at once (PETA had not been invented yet).Juno then took the drug and, after retiring to Thrace, gave birth to Mars.For the brief time of the Romans, women looked to Juno for help in easy childbirth.And Flora for conception.

Mars was very much loved by Venus, but he loved Nerio, the goddess of Valor.Nerio was originally a female version of Mars, but for whatever reason the Sabines decided that one god of war was better than two.It seemed to work for them.Mars was represented by both the woodpecker and the wolf.Mars was one of the few Roman gods to be clean shaven – from head to toe.When Julius Ceasar shaved himself all over, it was not just for cleanliness, it was to emulate and perhaps personify the god…a frightening tactic in ancient Rome!When Mars was victorious, Nerio would decorate his spear with flowers or other vegetation.

His priests had several functions in ancient Rome.They would leap and dance in full armor before war to gain the god’s favor, they would bless treaties and ask Mars to keep peace, they would supervise other Priests to make sure that all the ceremonies were done properly (securing the treaties with heaven – the Romans made deals with the gods, that if they did rituals in such and such a way, the gods would fulfill their promises to love them).But they also sanctified farms and ranches.Mars became associated with the supreme gods of all those whom the Romans conquered, and earned new responsibilities along the way.

The god seems to be retired now, but his Priests are not available for comment.Sacrificing puppies hasn’t worked for some time in warding off rust.And many treaties have been broken.Rumors disagree.Perhaps he is happily retired, raising cattle, pigs and sheep with his wife, Nerio.Perhaps he’s gotten into goats.In any case, his wheat fields are as beautiful as ever, always free of rust.

Preventing rust begins with good soil maintenance.Tilling in the aisles to maintain biodiversity of microorganisms and maintaining biodiversity of macroorganisms in the field is a great start.But rust thrives where there is insufficient evaporation of excess moisture.

Jethro Tull, the first scientific farmer, reviewed the work of his predecessors with disappointment in his Horse Hoeing Husbandry.

“The Ancients did not take notice that there were several kinds of blight, neither did they inquire after their causes.This lack of curiosity and observation prevented them from learning their causes and developing effective remedies against blight.They called it in general by the name of “rubigo” or “rust” for the likeness of the blighted straws and leaves to the color of rusty iron.They thought it came from the gods since they were ignorant of the natural causes.Virgil, who was very sincere when he had no hopes of great gain by flattery, tells the common farmer in plain terms that if his grain is eaten with the blight, that there is no better advice than to comfort their hunger with wild acorns.”

Virgil was a cheery, helpful and hopeful fellow.

But the optimism of Virgil aside, Palladius at least contrived to, as Tull explains, “conjure sympathies and antipathies with the clouds.And when prayers and sacrifices would not prevail with the clouds, the ancients proceeded to threats to scare them.They brandished bloody axes against the godsas a summons to surrender or expect no quarter, but unless these peasants had better means than the Titansin besieging heaven, it may be believed that their menaces were in vain.Palladius thought, as many of the ancients did, that Heaven was to be frightened from spoiling the fruits of the field and garden with red cloth, the feathers or the heart of an owl, and a multitude of ridiculous scare crows.The ancients, having no rational, logical, scientific principles of agriculture, placed their chief confidence in magical charms and enchantments .Those who have the curiosity and patience may read of them in Virgil, Cato, Varro and even Columella (as fulsome as any of them!), all written in very fine language (which, I freely admit, is not all the erudition that can be acquired from the Greek and Latin writers of agriculture in verse and prose).”

So, what is a modern farmer to do, if threatening atmospheric water vapor with axes doesn’t work, and they happen to be sort on red cloth, or can’t find owl heart at the supermarket, and you’re not inclined to slaughter your puppy?Where does rust come from when all the gods are asleep in their marble ruins?

In our modern day, it is easy for a farmer to hop onto Wikipedia and learn that “Wheat leaf rust, is fungal disease that effects wheat, barley and rye stems, leaves and grains. In temperate zones it is destructive on winter wheat because the pathogen overwinters. Infections can lead up to 20% yield loss - exacerbated by dying leaves which fertilize the fungus. The pathogen is Puccinia rust fungus. Puccinia triticina causes 'black rust', P.recondita causes 'brown rust' and P.sriiformis causes 'Yellow rust'. It is the most prevalent of all the wheat rust diseases, occurring in most wheat growing regions. It causes serious epidemics in North America, Mexico and South America and is a devastating seasonal disease in India. All three types of Puccinia are heteroecious requiring two distinct and distantly related hosts (alternate hosts). Rust and the similar smut are members of the class Teliomycetes but rust is not normally a black powdery mass.”Understanding (or not) about fungus diseases, an antibiotic is available, or if not, precautions can be taken to reduce fungus in the field.

There are plenty of natural and artificial fungicides (not one of them is made out of the intestines of a puppy sacrificed in March, though).But we need not bother with them.Nearly 300 years before Wikipedia was a dream, Jethro Tull discovered the source and solution to rust.

By understanding that the problem arose when too much moisture was on the field, he sought to reduce field moisture through wind and sun powered evaporation.

Air, being a fluid, moves most freely in a straight line.A straight line offers the least resistance to its parts: a straight river runs swifter than a crooked one (at equal declivity) because less of the water strikes against the banks at turnings.The banks slow the river.

The air cannot pass through broadcasted wheat in a direct line because it must strike against and go around every plant (they stand all the way in its course and stop the current near the earth).The air in the broadcasted corn (like water amid the reeds on the banks of a river) is stopped in its course so that it becomes an eddy.And, since air is more than 800 times lighter than water, we may suppose its current is more easily retarded – especially near the earth where the wheat has the occasion for the most air to pass (for though the upper part of the wheat is not able to stop a flow of current of air, it can hinder it from reaching the stalks.Thus the air around the stalks in broadcasted wheat remains stagnant).The thicker the wheat is – where it stands promiscuously – the less the air circulates.The greater the number of stalks, the more air they require.

But the confused manner in which the plants of broadcasted what stand is such that they must all oppose the free entrance of air amongst them (from whatever point of the compass they come).Now, it is quite otherwise with wheat that is drilled regularly with wide aisles .Through the aisles the wind can pass as freely as water in a straight river where there is no resistance and communicate its fertilizerto the lower (as well as) upper leaves.The air can carry off the wastes the plants emit and will not suffer the plants to be weakened (as animals are when their lungs are forced to take back their own expirations and debarred from a sufficient supply of fresh untainted air).The benefit of fresh air is plentifully and pretty equally distributed to every row in a field of hoed wheat with wide aisles.

Tilling in the aisles, besides improving root density, increasing soil fertility and improving the health of the roots, also improves the health of the leaves and above-ground parts of the plants as well.

This spring, plant your grains in beds and aisles, and you won’t have much reason to fear rust.

Doctors Dr. W. Wyatt Hoback and Dr. Kerri M. Skinner of the University of Nebraska at Kearney and Dr. Robert K.D. Peterson and Dr. Sharlene E. Sing of Montana State University have combined their efforts to form RELEASE (Risk Evaluation Learning to Explore Alien Species Establishment) to help improve the understanding of the decision-making process that precedes the release of biological control agents.

Besides providing online lessons in identification, ecology, entomology and other sciences (at http://cgi.unk.edu/hoback/home.html), the Doctors provide information on successful alien species establishment.

On our farm, we rely on biodiversity to achieve a natural balance of predators and prey, and rarely suffer any crop damage because of our dedication to providing both habitat and food for the wild creatures who would not naturally want to eat our food!

The Successful Control of Saltcedar by Asian Leaf Beetles

In example, they point to the Asian Leaf Beetle to target Saltcedar (Tamarix spp.), a non-native, invasive tree that has been problematic in most southwestern states and some north-central states.

Saltcedar has infested about 1.5 million acres, increasing its range by a rate of about 50,000 acres per year.It prefers riparian areas, especially waterways with receding surface water, and results in $127-$291 million in damages annually.

“The risk assessment for this non-native biocontrol agent release has been one of the most extensive and complete analyses to date. Research and testing of host-range parameters were conducted from 1992 to 1996 in Europe and Asia at cooperating facilities, along with select species tested in quarantine facilities at Temple, Texas,” encourage the Doctors.

Before making their recommendation, they test the alien species for host specificity and non-target effects (on phylogenetically related species, species in close proximity of infested areas, species with similar habitat requirements, and species of agricultural or horticultural concern).Their tests utilize several experimental designs, including no-choice, choice and multiple choice for larva and adults. The survival of beetles and the extent of damage was measured.

In their tests, they found that the saltcedar was fed upon by both adult and larval stages, which enjoyed foliage, twigs and first-year shoots especially.This caused the gradual dieback of stems, death of small plants and limited regrowth.

Expected results of beetle release are decreased saltcedar stand density, reduced saltcedar size (foliage cover), increased wildlife activity, decreased soil salinity, and restored groundwater.

And, proving their research, a northern Nevada release site has had considerable success with the biocontrol beetle release. In 2002, there were 5 acres noticeably affected by beetle defoliation, and in 2003 this increased to 500 acres. By 2004, the beetles damaged saltcedar trees in the surrounding 50,000 acres.

And, best of all, since the open field releases in 2001, there have not been any identified non-target effects of this biocontrol agent.

Similar success has been had with the decapitating fly controlling the fire ant, and the thistlehead weevil controlling the musk thistle.

How They Recommend Undertaking Risk Assessment

The scientists draw an example surrounding a salt shaker in a classroom.11 Tablespoons would be fatal to a person weighing 150 pounds.This threat is real, but risk assessment is required before taking action to prevent death.

First it is important to understand both the effects of exposure and the methods of exposure.

Analysis of how the salt could kill someone (exposure through ingestion, skin contact, inhalation, etc.) yields understandings of how to prevent that catastrophe, and might also illuminate the hazard of the shaker itself (which, if applied incorrectly to the body, could also be lethal).

When these potential exposures are understood, probabilities of their occurrence can be calculated based on experimental or natural data.

The Doctors fall short of requiring an examination ofrequiring a financial analysis to determine whether it makes sense to prevent death by salt (or shaker), understanding that when lives are on the line, money is of little consequence.

In our opinion, this demonstrates uncommon ethical and moral fiber, and a loyal public service.The cost of a person’s life (or the life of any other livingcreature) cannot be quantified by money, even if their value as a resource to industry can be.

Interpretation

While it is impressive that these aliens have successfully controlled their target, it is more so that they have not complicated the ecology further by affecting other creatures.

A zero-tolerance for risk, while impracticable, is sometimes necessary when the lives of humans and other living plants, animals and microorganisms are involved.Life is precious in all its forms, and it is better to do no harmthan to undertake something that will knowingly further destroy the delicate balance of an ecology.

While aliens are not uncommon, and species naturally migrate and disperse throughout the planet, the rapidity at which strange new creatures are being accidently and widely introduced has caused mayhem to the local environments that receive them.

Change is best when it happens slowly, and the noble efforts of the RELEASE Group to help speed the stabilization of the biosphere are better than could be expected.

By providing to industry another tool to rely upon in the control of pests besides chemicals, the RELEASE Group has performed a service to posterity.The risks of further ecological collapse due to alien introduction are small when compared against the toxicity of many of the too-commonly used chemical control agents.

Besides, the cost of alien introduction is so small (and is, on top, a nearly one-time expense) that the savings to private and public purses is enormous.

In Motion Picture

An interesting video on the project is available online from the USDA at http://www.snarc.ars.usda.gov/is/video/vnr/saltcedar.htm

Fertilizer use is increasing and so are the costs of agriculture - both to the farmer and society.  Let's talk about per capita use, in terms of one per capita in particular - the heaviest man in the world...[Read More]

Plantain Leaves with Currants and Roasted Nuts

Recipe from Wild Food Foragers of America, Vol. 1 No. 4, August/September 2003.

1 pound plantain leaves

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup nuts (pine nuts, pecans or walnuts)

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1/4 cup currants or raisins

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Wash, but don’t dry the plantain leaves, then chop coarsely.Place in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook, covered, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove to a colander and rinse quickly. Press out as much water as possible. (This will remove bitterness from older leaves.)

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over a medium fire, add the nuts and cook just until they begin to roast.Add garlic, and cook another minute.Add the leaves, currants, salt and pepper.

Cook, stirring frequently, about 5 more minutes and serve hot.

Dandelion Almond Sweet Biscuits

Recipe from Prodigal Gardens. http://www.prodigalgardens.info

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup almonds

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 1/2 cups dandelion seeds, plucked out of the flower head

Instructions

Put flour, baking powder, and almonds in a food processor.Blend almonds are chopped fine.Add butter and blend again until it forms a crumbly mixture.Add eggs, buttermilk, almond extract and dandelion and blend just until dough forms a lump.Shape into biscuits and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 450 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve hot with butter and jam.

Today the birds are playing, the skies are blue, the grass and trees are green and everything is beautiful!  We found an interesting moth that was yellow and black, with X's and V's and arrows, stripes on its fuzzy head; the friendly large red spiders sing to us when they sit and watch us harvesting, squirrels stalk us and our bounty...such delight! 

This weekend we had some beautiful walking nature tours of the Silo Park; the wonderful people we met enjoyed seeing the natural inclination of fields towards biodiversity and even learned to appreciate that weeds and crops can make good bedfellows!

We've got some great recipes on our next blog coming right up.  Until then, here's what you can enjoy this week!

* = Medicinal # = Edible @ = Extra tasty this week (peak of season)!

What's different from last week...

#@ Flax flowers

*#@ Rose flowers

# Plantain

*#@ Yellow clover leaves AND FLOWERS!

# Cinquefoil / African Daisy flowers

# Peppergrass

What else is available this week...

#@ Violets/Pansy flowers and leaves (refreshing, colorful, delicious!)

#@ Marigold flowers

*#@ Alfalfa leaves (quite good on everything!)

*#@ Poplar - Leaves, bark, buds and flowers (great natural aspirin, or when cooked, delicious non-medicinal vegetable)

*#@ Willow - Leaves, bark, buds and flowers (great natural aspirin, or when cooked, delicious non-medicinal vegetable)

#* Pine - Needles and bark (delicious when roasted)

*#@ Dandelion - Seeds, roots, leaves, flowers, flowerbuds - one of our favorites!

*#@ Prickly lettuce - one of our favorites!

*#@ Thistle (excellent support for liver)

#@ Wild onion (limited quantity - order early)

# Salsify roots

#* Snap dragon leaves

# Tulip flowers

# Apple flowers (delicious)

# Cherry flowers (delicious) (nearly out of season - limited quantity)

#@ Lilac flowers (delicious)

#@ Honeysuckle flowers (delicious)

# Filaree

* Catmint (also known as Catnip)

#* Shrubby cinquefoil leaves

#*@ Fourwinged saltbrush - seeds (great in pinole)

#@ Cattail shoots and rhizomes (these shoots are one of our favorites)

#@ Henbit

#@ Lambsquarter (always sells out quickly - order early)

#@ Yellow dock - leaves and seeds

* Juniper berries (excellent antiseptic and antibiotic)

*#@ Mallow leaves

*#@ White and red clover leaves (one of our favorites)

#@ Linden leaves (one of our favorites)

* Vinca

MAY WE RECOMMEND? Ask us to make a balanced menu (with recipes) for your family to enjoy!