Monthly Archives: January 2024

National Seed Swap Day

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SOURCE: Kathy Jentz

The seed swap is a fundamental part of human history. Seeds were one of the first commodities valued and traded. Today, modern gardeners collect and exchange seeds for many reasons ranging from cultivating rare, heirloom varieties to basic thrift. The exchange of seeds perpetuates biodiversity. It is an act of giving and the ultimate form of recycling.

The first official Seed Swap Day was held on 26th January 2006, in Washington DC. The idea for founding the day came from Kathy Jentz, the editor and publisher of Washington Gardener Magazine.

The event was a notable success and it has grown in size and scope each year, so much so that it is now considered to be a national ‘day’. National Seed Swap Day has been celebrated annually now for more than 15 years, not only in the Washington, DC area but also in other cities throughout the nation and even internationally.

National Seed Swap Day is a day where gardeners and native plant enthusiasts can come together and trade the seeds from their best plants, bringing their own seeds to share and taking home the seeds that others have to offer. This can be any type of seeds that range from flowers to vegetables to fruit and more. The timing of this day coincides with when it’s about time to start planting seeds indoors to get them ready to go outside when the spring weather warms.

Attend a local seed swap near you:

For those of you interested in establishing or expanding your selection of native wildflowers in your garden or home landscape, please visit my new webpage, What Native Forb Seeds are Ready for Harvesting at This Time?, which is where I will archive each posted article from my new occasional series of that same name that features one of our local native forbs.  Each article includes information regarding (1) seed collection, (2) processing of harvested seed and storage, and (3) propagation by seed.  That series of articles will appear on occasional Wednesday mornings each year, becoming more frequent in September and October.

National Pie Day

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Photo Credit:
http://foodsafetytrainingcourses.com/blog/articles/food-safety-news/pie-safety-on-national-pie-day/

Created in the mid-1970s by Charlie Papazian and sponsored by the American Pie Council since 1986, National Pie Day encourages us all to take a break with America’s favorite dessert.

While pie exists in some form all over the world, Americans have a cultural affinity and culinary preference for the flaky dessert.  From Don McLean’s epic song “American Pie” to expressions like “as American as apple pie,” our country embraces the pie — apple in particular — as a symbol of national pride. However, a pie may be savory or sweet.

Fun pie facts to drop into conversations today –

  • oldest known pie was rye-crusted goat cheese and honey pie from Rome about 2,000 years ago
  • nine states list pie as their official state dessert

The folks at National Today surveyed a thousand people about their pie preferences and here is what they found:

Source: https://nationaltoday.com/national-pie-day/#:~:text=National%20Pie%20Day%20occurs%20every,first%20three%20digits%20of%20pi.

Some suggestions on how to become engaged in today’s festivities –

  1. Bake your favorite pie.
  2. Share pie with friends and family.
  3. Play a board game called Pie Face.
  4. Sample different slices of pie.
  5. Share your favorite pie recipe with friends and family.  I’m sharing my recipe for your consideration to make something truly unique:  Tipsy Nannyberry Pie.

(Click on image to enlarge it.)

For you fellow foragers out there, here is a list of alternative pies to consider on this day (or, make the necessary arrangements to enjoy any one of these for next National Pie Day!) –

For information about how to forage and process nannyberries, please visit the Foraging for Wild Edibles webpage to download and view my Foraging for Wild Edibles: Nannyberry presentation.

So, preheat your oven or visit your local bakery, and then celebrate happy pie noshing all day today!

Full Wolf Moon

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Photo Credit: Creator: Zeferli | Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

The full Wolf Moon rises on Thursday, January 25; look for it to rise from the northeastern horizon around sunset that evening.  At this time of the month, it is visible for much of the night, rising at around dusk and setting at around dawn. Over the nights following January 25th, the moon will rise around an hour later each day, becoming prominent later in the night.

A full moon in January came to be known as the Wolf Moon because wolves were more likely to be heard howling at this time.  It was traditionally believed that wolves howled due to hunger during winter, but we now better understand that wolves communicate to one another for a variety of reasons when they howl.  Howling is a wolf vocalization generally used to define territory, locate pack members, reinforce social bonds, and coordinate hunting.  During the denning season in spring and early summer, wolves only howl to pack mates.  As the late summer moves towards fall, wolves call more and more to neighbors and enemies.  Just before and during their breeding season in February, wolves are particularly louder and more vocal as they communicate in search of a mate, which is probably why people associated the month of January with howling wolves.  While it may seem that wolves howl at the moon, they lift their heads erectly upright toward the sky for better acoustics, because projecting their howl upward carries the sound farther.

Some curious folklore about the Full Wolf Moon to drop into conversations today –

  • The wolf moon is believed to symbolize the power and strength of wolves, which are often associated with intuition, loyalty, and a strong connection to nature.
  • Lore suggests that if this first full moon of the New Year is bright, its presence promises rain and a bountiful harvest; however, a red-tinted moon means a dry year lies ahead.

Some suggestions on what to do during the Full Wolf Moon –

  • Take a hike to enjoy the beauty of this full moon in a serene winter landscape:
  1. Full “Wolf Moon” Hike (1/25 @ 5pm)
  2. Full Moon Hike (1/25 @ 6pm)
  3. Moonlight Hike (1/25 @ 7pm)

FYI: Tonight, at approximately 8:15pm, you’ll find the Pleiades (green object right of center in image below) in relation to the Wolf Moon (purple labeled object in upper left of image below) as shown here: (click on image to enlarge it)

From New York City , the Pleiades is visible in the evening sky, becoming accessible around 17:44 (EST), 61° above your south-eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. It will then reach its highest point in the sky at 19:36, 73° above your southern horizon. It will continue to be observable until around 01:51, when it sinks below 12° above your western horizon.
SOURCE: https://in-the-sky.org/news.php?id=20240120_15_100

Happy viewing!

National Squirrel Appreciation Day

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During mating season, flying squirrels engage in dizzying aerial acrobatics far exceeding the routine glides typically observed in the laboratory settings.
SOURCE: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/see-the-nighttime-acrobatics-of-montanas-flying-squirrels

Originally a creation by wildlife rehabilitation specialist Christy Hargrove in 2001, National Squirrel Appreciation Day was so christened to learn about and celebrate these curious critters.

Squirrels commonly occur in a variety of habitats in all rural areas of the U.S.  However, up until the mid-19th century, squirrels weren’t present in American cities.  In fact, not until the landscape of urban areas began to be transformed by the planting of trees and the building of parks along with concerted efforts to introduce squirrels into these newly created environments did these bushy-tailed busy bodies begin to become established.  The first successful introduction of gray squirrels occurred in Philadelphia’s Franklin Square in 1847; Boston and New Haven followed suit in 1850.  By the 1870s, a much larger scale of parks expansion parks in America’s major cities provided a welcomed habitat for squirrels to live and thrive.  Read more about this undertaking.

On this particular day, let’s take time to appreciate a group of squirrels that are not often seen – flying squirrels. While flying squirrels make their homes in trees just as tree squirrels, they have a physiological distinction separating them from their tree squirrel cousins:  a furred membrane (patagium) extending between each wrist and ankle that acts as glider wings that allows for gliding flight that enables them to glide between trees. View a brief video to see these amazing critters glide through the forest.  We have two species of flying squirrels in our area:  Northern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) and Southern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys volans); the latter is most often found south of the Mohawk Valley. The fur on the underbelly of a Southern Flying Squirrel is white to cream colored, while that of a Northern Flying Squirrel is grey.

    Some curious factoids about flying squirrels to drop into conversations today –

    • They are strictly nocturnal.
    • Lichens and fungi comprise a large portion of their diet.
    • They are proficient gliders, but uncoordinated walkers on the ground.
    • They have been observed making full semi-circles in a single flight.
    • In winter, a group of same-sex individuals may share a cavity to huddle together.

    Some suggestions on how to become engaged in today’s festivities –

    1. Flying Squirrel! by Boots + Cat
    2. Flying Squirrel by Jobi
    3. Flying Squirrels by Mr Weebl
    4. Flying Squirrels by The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band
    5. Ode to The Flying Squirrel by Nych Hansen
    6. The Flying Squirrel by Pink Martini

    If you have a woodland next to your home, make time to take a closer look with binoculars after dark tonight. Perhaps you’ll get a glimpse of one of them soaring between the trees. Tomorrow, look for their tracks (including where they landed) in the snow. Happy viewing!

    Curious By Nature Events for 2024

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    During 2024, I will once again conduct a series of nature walks in-synch with each of the four seasons.  Each walk will occur on a Saturday in hopes of encouraging your participation.

    Winter Plant ID-Trailside Guide

    The series will begin with a winter walk on February 24 at Town Park in the Town of Halfmoon to identify plants – particularly forbs – in a winter landscape. This inaugural session will engage participants through the use of a digital guide that I prepared for trailside use on their personal mobile device during our outing that will highlight several winter plant identification tips for each of the flagged plants that we encounter along our route.  This interactive group activity has been well received as a fun outing by past participants!

    Common Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium montanum)

    The series will continue through spring and summer to view blooming wildflowers up close at Town Park. For the first time, I will also offer a bog walk this summer at the Dyken Pond Environmental Center in the Town of Grafton.

    In addition, there will also be a couple of guided walks (featuring a trailside digital guide for each participant) at Vischer Ferry Nature and Historic Preserve in the Town of Clifton Park about foraging for wild edibles as well as a couple of online events featuring foraging for wild edible plants.

    Foraging for Wild Edibles-Elderberries cover

    The series will conclude on October 12 at Garnsey Park in the Town of Clifton Park with a guided walk to view the fall fruits on display. Similar to the winter plant ID walk, participants will use a digital guide that I prepared for trailside use on their personal mobile device during our outing to learn about the wide variety of fruits that plants harbor each fall along with several identification tips for each of the flagged plants that we encounter along our route.

    Hemp Dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum)

    Hemp Dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum) fruit and seeds

    The series of walks will offer those who join me with the opportunity to view plants in each of our four seasons and to do so in a variety of ways:  winter plant identification, wildflower identification, foraging for wild edible plants, and learning about the fall fruits exhibited by our wildflowers.

    For more information about all of my scheduled events, please view the Events page.

    I hope you’ll join me.

    Happy trails!