Tag: plant ID

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Posted on October 13, 2018 by The Art of Ecology

Skin may be different- but that’s not bad!

The amount of diversity in this world is absolutely amazing! There are so many skin tones, hair colors (mine is blue and will be purple in a few days…), eye colors, heights, shapes…. you get it – this list could go on and on… Did you know that there is even MORE diversity in the …

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Marissa Jacobs | NatGeo Certified Educator | Photographer
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I love having butterflies, moths, fireflies, dragonflies, birds, and other cool critters in my neighborhood. Unfortunately, this can't happen if old leaves are removed. Leaves provide overwintering habitat for numerous insects (like those moths and butterflies!), which feed birds, amphibians, and other insects. A healthy plant and animal ecosystem absolutely needs those fallen leaves!
It's beginning to look a lot like Acorn Foraging season! Acorns can be soaked to leech out some of their bitter tannins, dried, roasted, then ground down into powder to make acorn flour, which makes them a fun little fall foraging find. You can use that flour to make all sorts of little chips or crackers (don't expect acorn flour to rise well!). I also like to add a smidgen to shortbread cookie recipes to add an earthy flavor, but prefer it as a more savory snack. Also, keep in mind that you need a relatively large amount of acorns to ground down to make even 1 cup of flour!
Galls are some funky things to study and observe while outside. An adult wasp or Midge will lay an egg inside the plant's tissue, which will trigger a rapid hormonal change in the plant. The tissue poofs up and creates a cozy living space for the young, who then emerges later on out of a hole they chew through. These galls can be all sorts of weird shapes and cause the plant to grow so fun! I love Goldenrod Bunch Galls, which cause the bud to erupt into a bajillion leaves, instead of flowers, making a sort of bunched rosette shape at the top point of the stem. In the oak here, we see large lumps forming on the leaves, and even the branches had some swollen nodes!
I miss my big garden chock full of year-round native color! But hope (and joy) is not lost. Fortunately, there are many gorgeous wildflowers blooming right now for me to sustainably harvest and enjoy some mini arrangements. From the pinks of end-of-season coneflower, to the yellows of goldenrod, and the vibrant purples and lavenders of the start of the asters, color is all around us! When I create these wildflower arrangements, I am always aware of avoiding galls (insects overwintering), peak flower blooms or buds yet to be pollinated (I try to find some that are just barely on their way out, or have been pollinated to make sure I leave good end of season food for critters), and never take the last of ANY type of flower, no matter how common they may have been before. A good rule of thumb is to take 10% or less of a flower in one area to keep some for birds and other wildlife (especially as falling migration is ramping up), enjoy the beauty of invasives without spreading their seeds further, and to take only what you can use. Remember - we are part of our ecosystem too and should utilize wild bounty respectfully!
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