Hope is Not Canceled

And then there was dawn
Cold lifting up into the heavens
Gentle breezes holding, then releasing their breath
Dampness giving way to warm golden light
Ripples sweeping across rocky shores
Songbirds restoring Earth's gentle heartbeat
Stems with rainbows pushing aside black dirt
And then there was dawn - Norma Manning

Years ago I wrote poetry for my family as a way to help them navigate the difficult trails on which they were traveling. Last week as the isolation became too much, one of my daughters confided, "I feel like I am wearing a heavy coat." This caused me to leaf through my poems. The trouble with my poems is that they won't ever sit still. Each time I read through them, I feel a restless need to edit. For example, today I began rewriting my second verse "Cold lifting up into the heavens" as it doesn't make much scientific sense, cold air after all does not rise. In the end I pushed back the urge because my poems have less to do with science and more to do with feeling. I often wonder if those who create tangible things of beauty feel the same way.

Our youngest child's first and middle name means; father's joy, first light of the sun. Born on St Patrick's day and with great debate due to only discovering her assigned gender hours before she was born, Wayne picked out Abigail and I chose Dawn. I was reminded of Abby when on my walk this morning. It had been a cold rain all day yesterday and as I made it to the back end of my neighborhood the morning sun broke through right at the spot where wildflowers were blooming. I always wonder why it is that wildflowers seemingly first appear in those places where the snow is last to melt, and why I never seem to have my camera at these moments.

I was gifted the book, Wildflowers of New England by Ted Elliman & New England WildFlower society. This is a wonderful book for people like myself as flowers are referenced by color instead of by some scientific classification. I suppose it would be just as easy to list wildflowers by habitat from my perspective; but then I'm not versed in those sorts of things. Today's find is on the edge of woods in a disturbed site. It is a tall 8 to 12 inches with smooth, oval, white spotted leaves and its flowers range from purple and blue to pink. My book has two choices, blue and red. I checked both to no avail. Seeing that it may be time to broaden my search, I fished out my Peterson Field Guides Wildflowers Northeastern/ North-Central North America by Roger Tory Perteson and Margaret McKenny. This guide isn't nearly as pretty, in other words there was real work ahead of me.

Not every poem ends with golden light and so it also seems that not every early spring bloom should grace Vermont woodlands.  Disappointingly, this pretty early bloom isn't a wildflower. After failing to find it in my field guide it became apparent that it is not a native and so I took to Google Images and found it to be Pulmonaria commonly known as Lungwort. Though not yet considered invasive, this native to Europe plant is being closely watched.

Sometimes where the spirit is involved it's best to leave field guides on the shelf; but when using your hand trowel, be sure to check the label. Secretly I hope that it's okay with my readers that I continue to admire this out of place cheery rainbow after a season of long grey days. -Norma Manning

Lungwort

Signs of hope at Miller Farm in Vernon

Signs of hope at Miller Farm in Vernon

Falcon or Hawk?

This week a friend emailed me looking for help with identifying a bird that had fatally struck her window here in Vernon. Now this friend has a massive heart for all creatures no matter their circumstance or condition and so my initial thought was poor girl. But it seemed from her email that the best way I could help, was to attempt to solve her curiosity as to what exactly the bird was.

"I think it's a Kestrel, but having trouble identifying it...It's about 12 inches long and mostly gray. Her / his underside...mostly brown and white. A lovely bird." was all that I thought I had to go on. I decided to search "Birds of VT" , I chose iNaturalist from the sites that came up and sent that to her hoping for a match. I also asked if she could send me a photograph. As it happened, she flagged me down on my walk and said none of the birds on the site had seemed a right match. I noted from her photograph that the bird was a raptor, had a hooked beak and a long tail with pronounced banding. My friend wondered if it could be a Merlin, but It also seemed that the bird's wings were broader than a falcon's. She also pointed out that the bird appeared greenish around its beak.

I don't know about my readers, but I find raptors particularly difficult to tell apart, so I decided to reach out to my daughter Helen who is an Avian Technician working in coastal and seabird bird conservation. I sent her a picture of the bird and within minutes she sent me the answer. Some things seem hardly fair, like when someone comes up within minutes, what you and a friend had been trying to do for the better part of a day.  Helen advised that I tell my friend that it is illegal to keep any part of the bird. I didn't see that as a problem, as knowing her, she had already given it a respectful and proper burial.

Now that we had the bird's identity, it was time to figure out what the heck it was doing in a wooded area in Vernon. As it turns out, the Sharp-shinned Hawk is perfectly at home here, but it hasn't had an easy time of it. According to Vermont Fish and Wildlife Rare and Uncommon Animals of Vermont, on a scale of S1 (very rare) to S5 (very common), its conservation status is S3B, S3N.  The Vermont Center for Ecostudies reports, "Population continues to rebound due to protection from shooting, banning of some pesticides..."  Those two sites can seem rather complicated for us novice birders, so I am including a more generic reader friendly article on the Sharp-shinned Hawk from the Audubon Society.

Though a bit of a sad tale this week, let's add the Sharp Shinned hawk to Vernon's list of raptors to keep an eye out for. I hope that we encounter a living one to add to our photographs. -Norma Manning

Sharp-shinned Hawk killed in a window strike

Hug a Tree

The last Friday of April is National Arbor Day. If you are missing hugs due to social distancing, today would be the perfect day to hug a tree! When it's safe to go to the nursery again, plant your tree for the next generation and most importantly with an eye towards making environmental improvements. The Vermont Tree Selection Guide is an important piece of  reading homework before choosing your tree and tree site. Another  excellent resource for learning about native trees is  the UVM Extension Department of Plant and Soil Sciences.

Enjoy your tree planting holiday - social distancing not required!

Bridges

When I was a young teenager living in Colorado our family went on a hike that of the many hikes I have tackled or wandered through, has clung to me like burdocks in a long haired dog's coat. We came upon what I remember as a river, but upon reflection was most probably a swift flowing stream. My family pushed on ahead of me jumping from rock to rock crossing the water. At first I  removed my shoes to wade through the water but it seemed formidable. My father growing impatient told me to jump, that he would catch me if I missed. Later I asked my father why he hadn't caught me, "I didn't want to get wet." he admitted.

It's not that my sister remembers that day differently, she doesn't remember it at all. Claire once wrote a paper in school where she explained that her scars weren't ugly, her scars were proof that she was living an active life. While I used to pretend that I had broken my leg because I wanted to seem more interesting, Claire had actually fallen out of the rear facing seat of our station wagon and chased after the car until she was noticed doing so. How was a younger sister supposed to compete with that?

My mother and I have this thing where upon my arrival in her home, she suggests, "let's have a nice cup of tea." It's code for, It's so nice to see you, let's take a minute, slow down and catch up about nothing in particular. My sister on the other hand suggests a short bike ride to Canada or perhaps a quick  hike to Manitou Springs. The funny thing is that mom who grew up in Barre, lived in and traveled all over Europe and the US. She was an avid skier, loved boating, water sports, dancing and rode bikes into her senior years when she traded in sports for grandchildren. The fact is, when I turned 40 my mom told me, "Norma, its time for you to start drinking coffee. I have been drinking one cup of morning coffee now for 16 years. 

It's Tuesday, "Wake up Cousin Norma!" Okay Cousin Corralie but it's just 6:00 I think. Instead of answering her with that, I decide to grab the dogs harnesses and go for a walk to Scott road before the rain starts. Wayne and I had a fire in the backyard last night and watched the stars come out. I had spent a lot of my weekend following a conversation on the Vernon Vermont Facebook group about Peter Brown hearing gunfire and perhaps a cannon being fired. Someone wrote, "Doesn't turkey season start soon?" Before all of that ruckus began Wayne and I went for a walk along the backside of Hatchery pond, relocated our ice shanty which caused me to do some transplanting of shrubs. Wayne installed a hundred gallon fish pond that I have been thinking about for while, we took another walk to Lily pond, this time starting from Lily Pond rd. On that walk I once again pleaded my case for acquiring chickens and instantly fell into my mother's council, "If you have chickens you'll never be able to go anywhere!" I just smile and ask Wayne, "Why would I want to go anyplace else?" Wayne having walked 35 years by my side, doesn't miss his stride and responds, "Luna and Ginny won't have them."

I think I'll fix a nice cup of tea and call my sister, Claire is learning how to garden and has asked for help. - Norma Manning

A more challenging crossing on the backside of Hatchery pond

Wayne makes his way across a makeshift bridge at the Hatchery

Footbridge trail in the town forest

Ginny and Luna in no particular hurry

An Elf in Vernon

I found an Elf in Vernon. I know, I was as shocked as you are learning that they are here in Vernon during the off season. I had always assumed that the head Elf used the Browning Strike Force Sub Micro 16 mp game camera in the months following December to track residents who are naughty or  nice, yet by pure happenstance I may have captured proof that Elves are still on the clock.

I have been struggling nearly all month whether or not to reveal my find to the general public. You see, on the one hand, I know that the North Pole Elf is not listed as a plant nor animal with the Vermont Department of Natural Resources, Vermont Fish and Wildlife, UVM Extension, or any other state entity including Act 250 that I could find. On the other hand I'm not absolutely sure that an elf would not be covered by Vermont's endangered species law (10V.S.A. Chap. 123). I suspect that when government bureaucracy finally gets up to speed, Elves will either need to be included on the 2020 Census given their year round presence, or included on the list of Vermont's 36 endangered and 16 threatened animals. It is against the rules to reveal the exact location of endangered and threatened plants and animals; but more importantly, nobody wants to get on the top Elf's naughty list for outing the exact location of an Elf.

I have however come up with a plan using approved methods for reporting. The VT Nongame and Natural Heritage program tracks native rare plants and animals general locations, so I could reach out to them by phone. Instead, I have decided to use the friendlier Citizen Reporting option on the VT Fish and Wildlife Department  site. I doubt that I could get into trouble with the North Pole for exercising my civic responsibility to help ensure the protection of natives in VT.

Oh, in case you think I've lost my good senses, I will post my picture of the heavily camouflaged Elf here. I have of course edited out anything that would reveal its exact location, so you had better be sure to be nice while out and about in Vernon! -Norma Manning

Elf profile: proof that an Elf was in Vernon, VT in May 2020

Golf Course or Dinner Course?

With all of this social distancing going on, I have noticed a flurry of people in Vernon working on their yards. I have been patiently avoiding yard cleanup however, not because I am still sporting my winter physique (I am); but because one of my friends on social media posted that yard work should wait until soil temperature is consistently fifty degrees or greater. The topic of her post was on how to preserve and encourage beneficial insects who are still overwintering under leaves and in dead plant stalks.  I am a proud owner of a, "Pardon the weeds, I'm feeding the bees" sign and don't want to appear a hypocrite. So that is my case for procrastination as I sit here typing instead of sprucing up.

It was on April 2nd that Mary Miller shared, "Mullein is out if you want to make some tea which is good for respiratory ailments...Wash and boil- Fresh. You can dry, but fresh is so much better!" Mary included a photograph which caused me to pause. This Mullein is the same wicked weed that I had been struggling to eliminate from my yard due to its prolific nature, insanely difficult to remove tap root and let's face it, less than rewarding yellow flower cluster at the tippy top of a very tall plant.  I'm not one to turn my back on volunteers especially when they are native plants, and it has been observed by casual passersby that I have an, "English garden"; but this Mullein had been on my hit list for some time. Queen Anne's Lace / wild carrot is so much easier to love; but it seems that I am in need of an attitude adjustment. I do love a nice cup of tea.

I grew up with a father who didn't allow his five children to play or walk on the grass because, "It hurt the sidewalks feelings." I spent countless hours of my youth following him around the yard picking up after his manicuring even blades of green grass and shaping shrubs. I come by my distaste for golf course lawns honestly.  My mom was the true gardener in the family and she is the person who instilled in me the value of growing food and flowers. Cutting Chive, picking green beans and pulling beets somehow seldom felt like a chore. It is my mom who passed down my Grandma Anna's small but beautifully scented yellow irises that I have grown for thirty years. Mom is also the reason that I pot red Geraniums every spring as she still does to  honor her father.

Mom taught me to love growing things; but my gardening style is much less formal and much more welcoming of what she would label weeds and vermin. While others spread weed and feed lawn food, I spread white clover and native seeds that I gleaned from fields and ditches. Wayne has learned that when I have him stop the car, we are either gathering seeds or checking out a nice rock. I view my gardening efforts as much as a benefit to my family as I do as a benefit to wildlife and the environment. After all neighbors, birds and bees have to eat too!

I often wonder about a generation that finds that mono-crop called "the lawn" so pleasing as to spend gobs of money and time eliminating most of what is of real value to humans and wildlife. But then I think about my Grandma Anna and how she used to harvest Dandelion leaves in the spring to boil and clean out her system. My Grandfather Maurice even experimented with Dandelion wine. Anna used to pick wild strawberries from her yard to make pies, she picked wild crab apples to make jelly and always kept a patch of wild raspberries along the edge of the woods. I learned not so long ago that Juniper berries are used to make gin.  A long time ago I found out that rose hips are full of vitamin c but not very palatable right off of the bush, and last spring, I ate my first plate of Fiddleheads. I suppose what I am "driving" at is that there is little need to go to the grocery store to buy tea, pies and greens when it could already be growing in your yard. Hurray for the English garden! -Norma Manning

Mullein tea is good for respiratory ailments - by Marry Miller

Dandelion greens and roots from my yard are harvested for "cleansing".

Wild Raspberries have the most amazing smelling flowers and thickets provide wildlife shelter

Treasure in the Disease; Black Cherry Burl

Burl on a Black Cherry tree in Vernon

The backside of a burl on a Black Cherry

Side view of the burl

Sap oozing from the burl

What if I  told you that in nature, sometimes the twisted, sick and diseased can be the most prized for its beauty? That sounds pretty strange doesn't it; but it's true. Take this burl I have been passing by on my daily commute here in Vernon. I had been meaning to stop and take a closer look for a couple of years now and only recently took the time to do so. This particular oozing globular growth did not disappoint in evoking a sense of antipathy.

Though the outside of a burl is a gnarly grotesque swelling; a whole burl, burl veneer, burl jewelry,  burl sculptures and the like command a nice price on many online shopping sites.  Woodworkers prize its dense decorative grain, yet its relative structural weakness makes it of little utilitarian use with the exception of decorative bowls and vessels. When it comes to burls (and geodes), I can't help but be reminded of the old idiom, "Don't judge a book by its cover."

The thing about burls is that they can kill the tree if they become too large; and likewise, if a treasure hunter tries to remove a too large burl, that too could kill the tree. So the price of a burl could involve more than a dollar value. It is also in part their rarity that increases their value to wood worker artisans and prompts entrepreneurs to indiscriminately harvest burls.

Though its not clearly known what causes the exact burl on on any given tree, Black Knot Fungal disease is a known culprit in trees that produce fruit with pits. The fungus is spread from tree to tree in the early spring when conditions are wet and new twigs are emerging. I suspect that this is the case for the Black Cherry tree that I had stopped to investigate. Another thought is that burls are caused by a mass of dormant buds or even insects. The importance in knowing the cause involves preventing and stopping the spread of disease. Careful management of trees with Black Knot is necessary lest it rapidly spreads throughout the area damaging fruit bearing trees. -Norma Manning
sources:
ncpr Burl: by Curt Stager and Martha Foley
Black Knot: by Planet Natural Research Center