Pine cones

PINE CONES

Pine cones were associated in ancient  Rome
with the Goddess Venus. 

Pine cones are everywhere this time of year. We see them on wreaths, in baskets, door-swags, and of course on trees and lying on the ground.  Pine cones are painted, scented and sprinkled with glitter. My favorite way to decorate them is in their natural brown state. A collection of different pine cones displays their incredible structural designs and differences.

Pine cones come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, making a collection of the
very interesting to look at.  

Pine cones date back to prehistoric times and scientists believe dinosaurs ate pine cones. The dinosaurs would then help spread the seeds throughout the environment as modern day critters and birds do today.

Although all conifers (Evergreen trees) produce cones, pine cones only come from pine trees. The pine cones come from a group of plants known as 'Gymnosperms'. These are plants which have exposed seeds, not enclosed like an apple.

Female pine cones hold their seeds tightly until the conditions for
germination are perfect. 

Pine cones play an important role in nature. The main function of a pine cone is to keep a pine tree’s seeds safe. When we pick up a pine cone it is impossible to grasp what an incredible propagation system they have.

Pine trees have both male and female cones. The males are much smaller and most people don't notice them. The cones we use for decorating are the larger female cones. The male cone releases its pollen and the wind blows it into the female’s cone to pollinate it. Pine cones can stay on the tree for ten years before dropping to the ground.

Pines can hold the cones on the tree for as long as ten years.

After the female cone drops to the ground it continues to open and close its scales to protect the seeds from cold temperatures, wind and even animals that might try to eat them. When conditions are perfect for germination, the cone opens and releases the seeds on the ground. Pines need sunlight to germinate so burying a pine cone will not produce a tree.

When using cones as decoration, I like to display the bottoms
which I find to be fascinating also. 

Some pine cones, like that of Redwoods, need a fast hot fire to open and release their seeds. This is called the 'Jack Pine' ecosystem. In dense forests, sunlight cannot reach the young saplings on the ground, so fire opens the canopy.  This thinning allows sunlight in permitting the young trees to become established.

Jack pines keep their seeds until a natural fire opens room
on the forest floor for germination and sunlight. 

Only 20 species of pine trees worldwide produce cones with large enough pine nuts for harvesting. The delicious seeds are produced in clusters on very mature trees. 

Pine nuts are used in salads, cooking and in pastry and cookies.
The difficultly of harvesting the nuts make them expensive.  

Pine nuts are a good source of thiamine (B1), vitamin K, magnesium, and protein. They are also one of the best natural sources for manganese, phosphorus and zinc.

Pinyon Pines which grow between 6,000 and 9,000 foot altitudes, offer the finest pine nuts in North America. Pinyon Pines are native to the desert mountains of California, east to New Mexico and Texas, and north to Wyoming.

Thanks to Michigan State University Extension Author: Dixie Sandborn, December 29, 2017 for the information in this article.

Wishing you a happy holiday season,    

 James

Wheat

THE HISTORY OF WHEAT  
(Triticum)

The history of modern western civilization would not have been possible without the cultivation of wheat.

Ancient wheat held its seeds tightly in the glumes making handpicking
 the seeds a hard and a tedious job.

Ten thousand years ago ancient people in Asia began to farm 'wild emmer' wheat in the area known as 'The Fertile Crescent' which includes Turkey. This was a major step forward for the 'origins of agriculture' but it was hard to release the seeds from the tightly enclosed glumes which encased the grains so it had to be handpicked, a slow and tedious process.  Emmer wheat is no longer in widespread use.

Early in human history people learned they could hybridize plants to
achieve their desired results.    

Five thousand years ago humans, most likely women* who did the farming, cultivated a wheat with softer glumes. This made it possible to harvest the grains by 'threshing'. Threshing enabled people to gather the grains by beating the wheat with sticks, making the process much faster. This new food source permitted tribes to settle in one area, farm and build villages, towns and eventually cities. This discovery marks the beginning of modern western civilization.

Women would plant and tend the fields but often the entire community would join together
to harvest and store the grains for winter.

In the modern era with the introduction of many other food sources from around the globe, wheat is the second most widely grown crop in the world (rice being number one and corn number three). There are over fifty thousand cultivars of wheat in existence. Different varieties of wheat are used to make bread, pasta, cakes and pastries. Wheat is also used to make couscous, beer, vodka and bio-fuel.

Although advancement was slow in agriculture, iron plows and horse drawn equipment
keep progress moving until the beginning of the 1900's.

Wheat is a member of the grass family. Humans cannot digest raw grass like many animals do but we do eat other parts such as the seeds. Today there are about ten thousand species of grasses worldwide. Other grasses we consume include rice, corn, sugar cane, oats, rye, millet and others.

Today many cultures and poor countries still depend on manpower
to grow and harvest the grains the eat.  

Today in America wheat is highly controversial because it contains a protein called gluten, which can trigger a harmful immune response in predisposed individuals.   However, for people who tolerate it, wheat especially whole grain wheat, can be a rich source of various antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

Today a modern, million dollar gluten free industry has developed.  For most non allergic Americans, wheat has many nutritional and digestive benefit.

Whole grain wheat is much higher in nutritional value and dietary fiber than processed wheat. The process to make white flour removes most of the positive nutritional value of the grain.

Wheat is the second most cultivated product in the world today
(rice is number one and corn is number three).

Throughout the history of Western civilization the fortunes of powerful empires depended greatly on the annual harvest of wheat. Today we take it for granted. Something to be thankful for as we celebrate the holiday season. 

For flavor, texture and nutritional value wheat deserves its place on the American table.
My mantra is "Everything in moderation".

*Scientist believe that woman also created language elevating human existence forever.

Enjoy The Holiday Season,

   James

Possums

POSSUMS

Pity the poor possum. Just the sight of one is enough to send shivers up the spines of many people, but if you take

time to look beyond that, possums are a truly fascinating creature.

Just the sight of a possum is enough to repel humans.
If we think possums are ugly, you can imagine what the think of us. 

Possums are the only marsupials in North America.  Like other marsupials, such as the kangaroo, possums have a pouch in which they feed and care for their young in the first stages of life.

The mother possum gives birth to 20 bee size young.

Attentive and devoted mothers, this female grooms the young in her pouch. 

During one of the most dangerous journeys of its life the young must climb from the birth canal up to the safety of its mothers pouch.  Once there it will hopefully find and latch onto one of only nine nipples. The remaining young do not survive. Needless to say possum have a very high infant death rate. With a life span of only two years, it's not easy being a possum.

These orphaned young are raised in a man made pouch to simulate
the safety and comfort of their mother. 

Called Opossum in many parts of the country, there are many attributes that make possums a partner and ally to farmers, gardeners and home owners.

Possums are the sanitation workers of the wild. Their diet consists of carrion (including the bones), rodents, insects, snails, slugs, eggs, fruit and frogs as well as dog and cat food. 


 Possums eat ticks which is very helpful in the fight against Lyme Disease in our region. It is common for possums to kill rats and cockroaches in their territory.

For more information on ticks see my post.
TICKS IN NEW JERSEY
Posted October 29, 2015

In intelligence testing, possum are better able to remember where they hid their food than rats, rabbits, cats and dogs. They can also find their way faster though a maze than rats and cats.

Possum have opposable thumbs on their hind legs which help them climb. The only other mammals with opposable thumb are primates which includes human beings.

Unlike the tails of most critters, possums have a 'prehensile' tail which they use to hang upside down and carry bundles of grass and nesting materials. This control function makes the tail a fifth appendage, like an extra hand.

A possum can control its tail muscles which works like a fifth hand.

Possum are mostly immune to rabies and venom from rattlesnakes, cottonmouths and other poisonous snakes

"Playing possum" is a well know defense which is an involuntary response like fainting rather than a conscious act.  They roll over, become stiff, close their eyes or stare off into space and bare their teeth while saliva forms around the teeth and a foul-smelling fluid is secreted from their glands. This state can last up to four hours and has proven a deterrent from predators looking for a fresh meal.

"Playing Possun" is an involuntary respond. Not only does the possum seem dead, it also send
off an order of decay to scare off predators searching for an easy fresh meal.  

Possum prefer to be in the wild and are not home invaders.  With these attributes in its favor, possums might be our secret best friend.  If you catch a possum in a have-a-heart type trap, don't transport it away, release it where it is.  It will control mice and pests in your area

Please, if you see a possum crossing the road, give it a break.  They don't run very fast.

Happy Thanksgiving,

James

Planting trees & shrubs in autumn

TREES & SHRUBS

AUTUMN PLANTING

Fall officially starts on September 21, but the autumn planting season in our area begins in early September as temperatures drop and conditions become favorable for planting.

Trees planted in the autumn have a major obstacle they must overcome. In a short period of time the ground will freeze and root development will come to a halt until next spring.

A properly planted tree of shrubs is better able to withstand
the harsh conditions of winter. 

To help roots prepare for winter, trees and shrubs should be planted before October 1st, which is six to eight weeks before the ground freeze occurs in our areas. This gives the root systems time to adjust before the ground is frozen in mid-November.

When you plant, take the time and give your trees every advantage you can. 

The plant label will give you information about soil requirements, sun, watering, and
height and width when mature.

Research your tree to see if it has 'special' requirements such as soil and location.

Often people can't imagine the size a tree will be when it matures.
Sadly, they plant them too close to houses and structures.
Often these plants must be removed when they are reaching their peak.

 Always make sure you break open the root ball. This will enable the roots to spread out in search of water and nutrients.

For more see information see  blog post "Roots" posted on 4/26/18

Trees planted in autumn need regular watering for the first few weeks. Newly planted shrubs struggle to get water from the ground to the tips. Watering will help your plants achieve this major function.

Children can build memories and a respect for nature when
included in the process, such as filling in the soil. 

Mulching in autumn is also essential. While mulch is important in spring and summer to suppress weeds and control moisture, mulching in the winter keeps the ground frozen. 

For more information on go to blog post "Proper Mulching"
posted on 5/13/17 

When the ground thaws during winter warm spells, it can spark new growth which is then subject to damage when the ground refreezes. To avoid this problem plants are best mulched when the ground is first frozen in early winter.

Conifers (evergreens) can be damaged by winter winds, snow and sun. Good planting practices will help these landscape plants survive the brutal months ahead.

Most importantly give your plants a  good beginning by supping the proper soil.
For more information see post 'Start With The Soil" posted 3/16/14

You can help protect young evergreens by spraying them with an 'anti-transpirant' for extra protection from moisture loss and winter kill. 

Happy Autumn,                                       
James

Goldfinch - mating

AMERICAN GOLDFINCH 

            (Part Two)                

MATING & RAISING THEIR YOUNG

Although the female is a pretty finch in her own right, she is drab compared
to male in his brilliant mating plumage.
   

In early spring the American Goldfinch male undergoes one of the most dramatic color changes of all  finches, from its winter plumage of olive green with black markings to its brilliant mating feathers of yellow with black wings, 

black tail and black forehead.

It is almost impossible to to miss the male when he visits the summer garden.

For back yard bird feeders it is amazing to watch this transformation take place. The males feathers change in blotches rather than one area at a time.

The male bonds with the female in late winter and then males feathers change early in the spring.  In spite of this, Goldfinches are the last birds in our area to mate, waiting until July or August. This delay is due to the goldfinches incredible reliance on 'Thistle plants', a family of hardy native plants that bloom in midsummer. The goldfinch use the cottony fluff of the thistle plant  as the main substance in the construction of the nest and its seeds are the main food source for feeding the young.

The life cycle and mating of the American Goldfinch is linked closely to our native thistle plants.

The nest building begins in late June or July. The nest is built a few feet off the ground with soft materials and includes twigs and sticks found nearby. The nest is constructed so tightly that it can hold water and is held in place with spider webbing or other sticky substances.

When thistle and other plants such as milkweed create their fluffy seed covering
the rush is on for goldfinches to  build their nest and mate.

After the nest is constructed  the pair leave it for a week or so and return when the timing is right. When they return the female lays from two to seven eggs and incubates them for fifteen days while the male guards the nest and feeds her.

After the eggs hatch the male stays with the clutch while the female protects the
nest and feeds the family, including the male. 

Once the chicks are born the male and female change places. The male stays with the young while the females guards the nest, forages for food and returns to feed the chicks by spitting up undigested food into their mouths. Goldfinches are almost totally seed and grain eaters. This means they extract enough protein from the seeds to promote the rapid healthy growth of the young.  Almost all other birds feed their young insects for their high protein level.*

After eight days the young are more independent and can leave the nest while staying close to the parents. After fourteen days the young can fly but remain close to the parents three to four weeks to learn the skills they need for survival.

The male stays with the young until they can fend for themselves.
After the young have fledged the nest the female may abandon them and find a
new mate to have a second clutch.

 For this reason it's good to have a feeders ready with black oil seeds so the parents can teach the young how to use them. Winter bird feeders have become a major source of food, especially during severe winter snow storms.  

If all goes well the female will now leave her young with the male and seek a new mate to have a second clutch in  the same year.

*The Brown Headed Cowbird, a brown female and the male, a black bird with a brown head mate. The female lays their eggs in other birds nest for the host to feed and raise. 
Cowbird eggs laid in Goldfinch nests hatch, but without the insect diet starve to death before fledgling.

We will discuss the Brown headed cowbirds in an upcoming article.

Part one: Goldfinches- winter bird feeding was written in March 2018 

 

              

Enjoy the summer season,                                                        

 James

wildflowers

WILDFLOWERS

“One person's weed is another person's 

  wildflower.”    ― Susan Wittig Albert,

By definition a'wildflower' is a flower of an uncultivated variety or a flower growing freely without human intervention.

There are three major groups of wildflowers in the United States.

First and most importantly are our native wildflowers. These are the native plants and flowers that have developed a special relationship with our pollinators, bees, wasps, birds, and bats. There is a strong movement to add a few native plant species to every garden.

Orange Butterfly-weed (Asclepia tuberrosa) is a native milkweed that attracts butterflies and
bumble bees into your garden.

Secondly, you can find the wildflowers from other parts of the world that have established themselves here. One of the most well-known is the dandelion. Originally from Europe dandelions have become a weed in most of the world, competing with plants, crops and lawns for nutrients, water and sunlight. On the bright side their golden yellow flowers are an early food source for bees and pollinators.

Despised by many as a annoying lawn weed, Dandelions are a wildflower
that has established itself around the world, which makes it an incredibly successful plant. 

 The third group are plants that were brought here by our early American settlers for gardens but 'escaped' into nature. They are now found in fields, roadsides, and growing in the cracks of streets. My favorite of this group is 'Queen Anne's Lace’, a member of the carrot family with lacy white flowers that bloom in mid-summer. It also attracts many native pollinators which is definitely a positive effect. Sadly the overuse of herbicides is making these plants vanish from our roadsides, only to be replaced by less attractive weeds which are much harder to kill. 

As a child growing up in the Bronx, I have fond memories of Queen Anne's Lace
blooming everywhere it could find space.

Today many roadsides have plantings of wildflowers along them for beautification. For this we owe our gratitude to former 

First Lady, Mrs. Johnson. 

Not long ago under environmental assault, wildflowers have regained the admiration
of  the American people.

Fondly called "Lady Bird", the wife of President Lyndon B. Johnson, became America's greatest advocate for native wildflowers and beautifying the nation's interstates.  It is hard to imagine how different the country looked when Mrs. Johnson began her tough campaign to beautify it.  

After the national tragedy of John F. Kennedy's assassination, with everyone' attention focused on his
wife Jackie, few Americans were aware of the work of Lady Bird
  

Many companies and corporations fought her to stop her every step of the way.

In 1965, the Johnson Administration commissioned a study that showed there were 16,000 junkyards along highways with miles after miles of billboards blocking the view. 

Corporations lobbied congress to try to stop the
American Beautification campaign.  Lady Bird lobbied congress equally as hard.

Lady Bird lobbied Congress for a law to change the scenery.  Three years later, President Johnson presented pens he used to sign about 50 laws on conservation and beautification "…to Lady Bird, who has inspired me and millions of Americans to try to preserve our land and beautify our Nation."

At 26 years old Lyndon Johnson proposed to Lady Bird on their first date.
On February 14, 2013, Johnson's Presidential Library released  the romantic love letters
written by the couple. They can be read online 

The National Park Service kept a running tab of the number of daffodil bulbs that were planted under Lady Bird's direction, and in 4 years the total reached 2 million, the largest planting in history.

At her passing eleven years ago on July 11, 2007, USA TODAY noted: "Today, many people in the conservation field say Johnson's work raised the nation's consciousness about its natural heritage and laid the foundation for the environmental progress that followed.”

Today's overuse of herbicides and insecticides  makes the protection of our native
pollinators more critical than ever before. 

"Her achievements in Washington were important for the development of the role of the First Lady, and the consistency with which she pursued her vision of the environment after the White House added to her historical influence".  (Biographer, Lewis L. Gould) 

Today most new First Ladies entering the White House appear to know that a certain amount of environmental activism is expected of them.

Thanks to the 'Lady Bird Wildflower Center', in Austin, Texas for information & photographs presented in this article.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy summer,                    

 James