Morning Fog

I took a few photos during our walk as the fog lifted this morning.  Little arachnids encased these thistles with webs, and I liked how they stood out from the backdrop of the cliffs across the river.

 Jimson Weed (Datura stramonium) is a poisonous plant with an attractive flower.  Some like the look of the rest of the plant (entirely poisonous), but I don't.

The toxins of Jimson Weed produce delirium, where fantasy seems like reality.  Of course that means at one time it probably had many recreational or medicinal uses.

This was a disappointing discovery:  the Mile-a-Minute weed  (Persicaria perfoliata) had produced a bright blue fruit.  I've never seen this before, largely because in previous years we would have removed all the Persicaria by now.

Some Color

The dry summer and wet September apparently wasn't to good for producing leaf color, but this was certainly a nice weekend.

The paw paws (Asimina triloba) along the river have turned a bright yellow.  Elsewhere along the Potomac this is a good time to find paw paw stands to go back next September to collect the very fragile fruit.  My trees are still too young.  Typically fruits begin appearing when the tree is between 3 and 4 inches in diameter.

There's an adult Bald eagle somewhere in the picture above on the left with the blue sky.  We see lots of eagles, but never seem to have a camera ready.

Preparing the Bird Feeders

While repairing and cleaning the bird feeders, we found this one had a surprise inside.  When I split the casing you could see the wasp larvae and their casings.  I'm still trying to determine exactly what species of wasp built this.

The Last Hibiscus Bloom?

I was surprised to see this full bloom on October 11.

Classroom Trees

Back in 2001, I was disappointed to see elementary kids sending pickup truck loads of seeds off to the state nurseries without keeping any to grow themselves.  Most teachers will tell you however, any tree planted on school grounds is vulnerable.  Even in urban areas, rodents, rabbits and deer can wipe out a class project overnight.  And well-meaning custodians sometimes get carried away with their weed-whackers and mowers.

So in 2006 I called the very nice folks at the Potomac Conservancy who ran the Growing Native program and told them about my strategies for growing trees inside classrooms.  We held some teacher workshops over the next few years and now many schools have Grow-Out Stations.  The slides from one of those workshops are still available on the Growing Native website and at TreesInSchools.org.or ChestnutsInSchools.org.


There's not much to it.  I collected more than 40 old recycling bins when Arlington County Virginia distributed larger bins, and gave most away to teachers.  You can find similar size bins anywhere, often for just a few dollars.  I continue witht he recycling theme by using corn-based plastic cups from my morning iced coffees, or from ubiquitous Big Gulp cups for individual planters within the larger bins.

Most tree seeds require cold stratification of 60 days or longer to germinate, easily simulated in a refrigerator. Some also require scarification to weaken the seed coat that allows the embryo to break free.  Others, like white oaks, will germinate almost as soon as they hit the ground.  You can use natural soil if it's loamy, but clay will harden, crack, and fail the plant.  Otherwise, consider potting mixes.

The most important step, particularly if you decide to keep the bins outside, is to protect the seeds from squirrels.  It may not be an exaggeration to say they're watching you while you plant these seeds.  If inside, the major threat seems to be from kids overwatering the young seedlings.

Cool Portable Field Microscopes

As a biology teacher, I was always glad to have a prism field microscope around, but these new hand-held tools are great if you've got a tablet (iPad), iPod, smart phone, or laptop with you.  Magnification is up to 200x.

Click on the top photo and look closely to see the little pollinators within the flower.

I'll post the company details here.

September Rain

September Rains

 We had over four inches of rain during the last few weeks of September.  We wish we had planted grass, but it seems there is more rain to come.

Historical weather is not as easily avialable as I wish.  The easiest to find is from NOAA, but the closest recordings are Martinsburg and Hagerstown.

Our dwarf lime plants seemed to thrive, but we're moving them inside this week.  We didn't apply a horticultural oil or other insecticide, so we'll probably enjoy the sticky mess of scale insects later in the winter.

I'm not an avid mushroom hunter, but autumns like these are terrific for harvesting Chicken of the woods and Hen of the woods (Maitake) and other mushrooms.  In the city, Maitake mushrooms go for as much as $1 an ounce (over $15/pound).  

Do your homework and go with someone who knows what they're doing.