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A Woman and Flowers

July 24, 2016 by Denise Brake 2 Comments

Where flowers bloom, so does hope. –Lady Bird Johnson*

We were married on a glorious day in the middle of May, and three weeks later I received a dozen red roses from my new husband for my birthday! It was the first time I had ever been given a dozen roses, and I remember how carefully I unwrapped the double layer of tissue paper in the long, white box to see the velvety red flowers. We have a photograph of that young, smiling, newlywed me holding the box full of roses. Four, six, and ten years later my husband gave me and each of our sweet newborn children an exquisite arrangement from the fabulous Licata’s Flowers, now in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. I know there must have been a few other times that Chris surprised me with flowers, but store-bought flowers quickly fell to the bottom of our priority list.

You’ve heard the saying “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime,” haven’t you? The same goes for a woman and flowers. In every place we have lived, my horticulturist husband has planted perennials, annuals, and flowering shrubs in abundance. From early spring until late fall I can look out most any window of our house and see flowers blooming! July is peak season, and I have included some of what’s blooming in our gardens.

A pink Asiatic Lily found its way into my prairie garden this year. It looked pretty with the Blue Flax flowers.

Lavender has beautiful gray-green foliage and spikes of lavender flowers, all with a delicious, relaxing fragrance.

Queen Anne’s Lace floats on long, slender stems along the east side of our yard. They tip their heads to greet the morning sun.

I like how this single stem of Queen of the Prairie, which lies partly in the shade of a neighboring shrub, shows the progression of tightly closed buds to fully open, frothy pink blossoming.

Lantana is an annual in Minnesota–one that I try to keep alive inside during the long winter. Look at how each tiny flower in the cluster unfolds from a rectangular envelope.

Allium, commonly called ornamental onion, comes in all sizes in mostly shades of purple. It shares space with a bright yellow Daylily and the second blooming of Perennial Blue Salvia.

Purple Coneflower, a prairie wildflower, begins to open, complementing the Queen Anne’s Lace.

Daylily flowers, slowly opening in the morning light, grace us with their beauty for only one day. The curved stamens look like candles with their flames aglow.

Getting a bouquet of flowers from anyone makes a person feel special–I smile just thinking about those times. But there is also something amazing about walking outside into the yard with scissors or pruners in hand and choosing my own bouquet. I greet the morning sun along with the flowers and walk through the dewy grass in my blue rubber boots. The birds are chirping, and the poplars are gently singing. Sometimes my bouquet is a tiny gathering of fragrant Lily of the Valley that I put in a small, old bottle by the kitchen sink. Other times I collect long stems of Lilies, Rudbeckia, Phlox, Baby’s Breath, and ornamental grasses and arrange them into a large, heavy vase. It is a sweet and satisfying act of love for myself, my family, and anyone who comes into our home. I am grateful to my husband and to Mother Nature for giving me flowers to share space with every day for so many months of the year.

*Lady Bird Johnson along with Helen Hayes founded the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center the year Chris and I were married.

A Study in Variability–Rudbeckia

July 17, 2016 by Denise Brake 1 Comment

Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher. –William Wordsworth

All Rudbeckia. All unique. What a joyous sun garden!

Gleanings from May–Birds and Blossoms

June 2, 2016 by Denise Brake Leave a Comment

What a month is May! It’s a showcase of blossoms on trees, shrubs, and early blooming perennials. And while we have a great number of ‘winter’ birds that also stay around for the summer, we now see the birds that are passing through to their summer lands in Canada or those that nest and live in Minnesota for the warm season. May is the pleasant month of transformation when trees fully leaf out, exuberant growth occurs, sunshine begins to warm the lakes, and long, light evenings change the way we structure our activities. But back to the beginning of May–one of our maple trees was aglow with golden filaments of pompom-like flowers. Trees are heavily flowered (and thus seed producing) in different yearly intervals–some years it is difficult to notice any flowers at all, but this particular tree was spectacular this year!

What is Spring without Robins? The sight of Robins is the herald of the vernal season when we know that any traces of Winter will soon be gone. Whether perching on the water sprinkler during a rain shower or hopping in the grass and pulling out worms after the rain, the Robin is a common companion of May.

Northern Lights Azaleas, hardy deciduous shrubs developed at the University of Minnesota, allow us a small taste of the incredible beauty of azaleas in our northern climate. This is ‘Northern Hi-Lights,’ and while ours still struggle in our sandy soil, they do treat us to some amazing blossoms.

A couple of weeks ago the flower petals were falling off the apple tree. It was a super windy day, and I noticed a number of birds flying among the branches. With the zoom on the camera, I was able to identify the small flock of Cedar Waxwings–they were plucking the white flower petals and eating them!

One of the delightful additions to our garden is the Gas Plant. Tall spikes of orchid-looking flowers peek above the ferns that make a lovely background for the pink flower. Gas Plants grow in sun or shade–we have ours on the edge of the woods. They are hardy, drought-tolerant, and not picky about soil. They do not like to be moved once established, as they have a deep tap-root. The name is derived from the citrusy, flammable fumes the flowers give off–on a still day, you can hold a match by the flowers and see a poof of blue flame!

This little bird was flying in the woods before the leaves were fully out. I believe it to be a warbler of some kind, perhaps a Magnolia Warbler or a Yellow-rumped Warbler, both of which have their summer range in Canada.

Once we got the buckthorn cleared out from beneath the oaks in our woods, this woodland perennial appeared–Virginia Waterleaf. The leaves are mottled with what looks like water stains, and clusters of white to violet flowers rise above the leaves. As you can see, they are a favorite of the bumblebee at this time of year.

Eastern Kingbird’s scientific name is Tyrannus tyrannus, indicating his tyrannical traits of defending his territory. When defending the nest, he will aggressively attack hawks, crows and squirrels. He has a neat, suit-like appearance. The Kingbird has a crown of red, orange, or yellow feathers on its head that is usually concealed, but is raised when confronting an attacker. Both the male and female hunt for insects and feed the young for about seven weeks.

We don’t often think of evergreen trees flowering, but this is a pollen cone or male flower of the Red Pine tree. The pollen cones are most often found in the lower crown of the tree, while the small female flowers are in the middle to upper crown of the tree. Red Pine or Norway Pine is the state tree of Minnesota.

It was evening bath time for this little Bluebird! It’s so nice to have these birds in our yard, seeing them drop and dive for insects with a flash of blue color.

Birds and blossoms are the showcase of May. Spring bulbs, flowering shrubs and trees, and perennials become the houses and food for animals, birds, and insects as the yearly reproductive cycle of each creation happens before our eyes. We once again marvel at the transformation that occurs in this month as plants emerge from the ground, grow, and flower in such a short time! This Life Force of Nature is awe-inspiring! Do you see it? Do you notice and appreciate it? It is a privilege to be the observer, the caretaker, and the participant in this season of growth and beauty.

Walking Past Ginger, Jack, and May

May 26, 2016 by Denise Brake Leave a Comment

When I was in college, there were two girls named Ginger who lived in my dorm. One Ginger was tall, dark-haired, and had a booming voice and personality. She walked with swag and tossed her head like a racehorse at the starting line. Wild Ginger majored in Physics or Engineering or something like that and would help guys with their homework, then go downtown and drink beer with them or anybody else who was up for it. She was colorful, energetic, and noticed. Quiet Ginger was also tall and smart, but I would say most people didn’t notice her. She didn’t talk much and just blended in with her surroundings. She seemed guarded, like something at one time had hurt her deeply, and so she hid herself for protection. But when you talked one-on-one with her, she was funny, strong, and very charming in her own way.

I think all flowers are cool. They are unique, intricate sculptures of petals, pistils, and stamens. Many are colorful, showy, fragrant, and well-known to most people. But there are a few Spring woodland flowers that one could easily walk past and not notice. I was on my hands and knees weeding around this small Wild Ginger plant on the hillside of our woods. Only after I had pulled some weeds away did I notice the small, dark red flower at the base of the plant! What a crazy, beautiful, strange flower!

So I walked up the hill to where we had a larger, more established colony of Wild Ginger and pushed the dried leaves away from the base of the plants, and there were the hidden flowers! Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense) is no relation to culinary ginger, though the Native Americans and later the settlers used the root as a seasoning and to treat colds and fever. This low-growing, shade-loving ground cover with heart-shaped leaves is deer resistant, does not go dormant in the summer, and is an important food source for the Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly.

The flowers at the base of the plant attract small, pollinating flies that emerge from the ground in early spring. The flies crawl into the flower for protection and to feast on the pollen, which they carry with them to the next flower.

When the Wild Ginger seeds ripen, they have an oily appendage attached called an elaiosome, which attracts ants. The ants carry the seed to their homes, consume the ‘food’ and leave the seed to germinate. At least three different insects rely on the Wild Ginger plant with the quietly beautiful, hidden flower.

Another flower that is easy to walk past without noticing is the Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum.) Tubular, hooded flowers rise on their own stalks to the level of the large leaves that are divided into three leaflets.

The flowers are green with brown stripes that blend in with the surrounding woodland foliage. Jack-in-the-Pulpits are most noticeable in late summer when clusters of bright red berries form.

A third woodland flower that is easy to walk past is the Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum.) Mayapples are unique in that they only have two leaves and one flower which grows in the axil of the leaves. Lovely umbrella-shaped leaves hide the pale yellow flower that later forms a yellow, edible fruit that can be used in jellies. Mayapples die back in mid-summer in dormancy until the following spring.

When we think of flowers, we most often bring to mind showy, colorful blossoms that attract attention and inspire awe. These three Spring woodland flowers are not easily seen when walking by, but all have beautiful and unique foliage that is to be appreciated. A closer look reveals the interesting, hidden flowers–a quiet splendor in the woodland world. Getting to know the hidden treasures–whether flower or human–is worth the extra time and effort. It will enrich your life with wonder and gratitude.

What’s in a Name?

May 19, 2016 by Denise Brake 2 Comments

When I met my husband oh so long ago, he said his name was Chris, and he gave me the slip of paper that was his nonresident short-term fishing license from the State of Minnesota, because it had his address on it–and he promised to write back if I wrote him a letter. He was headed back to Missouri from Minnesota with a stop in South Dakota for the night. I was in the right place at just the right time for him to ask me to dance. The brown-eyed handsome man named Chris captured my heart. Later I learned that his family and friends called him Mick. Many times over the years he asked me to call him Mick, and even though I tried, it felt awkward saying it to him.

A walk through our yard and woods at this time of year is an exploration of blooming flowers! I know most of them by their common names and often Chris will tell me their Scientific names. Both names give clues about the flowering plant or tell a story about its history.

Perennial Blue Flax–Linum lewisii–named in honor of Meriwether Lewis of Lewis and Clark who discovered this blue beauty on their expedition across the Plains. (And speaking of names, Meriwether!)

Variegated Solomon’s Seal–Polygonatum odoratum var. pluriflorum ‘Variegatum’–poly meaning ‘many’, gonu meaning ‘knee joints’ referring to the jointed plant rhizomes; pluriflorum meaning ‘many flowered’; Solomon’s Seal for the wound sealing properties of the plant.

Wild Geranium–Geranium maculatum–large flowering (relatively speaking, since this flower is 1 inch or more compared to others of under half an inch.)

Leopard’s Bane–Doronicum orientale–all in this genus were once thought to be poisonous to animals.

Carpet Bugle–Ajuga reptans–a groundcover that spreads across the ground like a carpet.

Foam Flower–Tiarella cordifolia–Tiarella meaning ‘small crown’ from the shape of the fruit; fluffy, airy flowers.

Bleeding Heart–Dicentra spectabilis–Dicentra meaning ‘two spurs’, spectabilis meaning ‘spectacular’; Bleeding Heart by the shape of the flower.

Lily of the Valley–Convallaria majalis–majalis meaning ‘that which belongs to May.’

Lungwort–Pulmonaria spp.–herbalists long ago thought the spotted leaves looked like diseased lungs and used it to treat lung ailments; ‘wort’ meaning ‘to heal or cure.’

Sweet Woodruff–Galium odoratum–fragrant leaves and flowers; Woodruff is Old English for ‘wood that unravels’ meaning the creeping rootstock; another common name is Sweet Scented Bedstraw as the dried leaves were used to stuff mattresses.

Flowering plant names, both Scientific and common, often describe or tell a story about the plant. Our given names are carefully chosen by our parents–name books are consulted and brainstorming with lists of names are ‘tried on’ and discarded or ‘liked’ by our mothers and fathers until the list of ‘likes’ is whittled down to the perfect name for that child. We can honor parents, grandparents and other relatives by giving their name to our child, and in the course of a lifetime, the child may come to know the honor of carrying that name. Nicknames usually have a story about how they came to be, and once a person is lovingly known by that name, it is difficult to say otherwise. I call my husband Mick when I talk to his family, though there is still a fraction of a hesitation before doing so. But the man I fell in love with is and will always be Chris on my tongue and in my heart. It is a particular and all-encompassing blessing when we are called by our name.

In Love with This Green Earth

May 5, 2016 by Denise Brake 2 Comments

I am in love with this green earth. –Charles Lamb

Do you remember the feelings you had when you first fell in love with your beloved? A euphoric happiness settled over me. I thought about him all the time. I couldn’t wait to see him again, though months would pass since we lived 400 miles from one another. I happily spoke about him, sharing stories of who he was as a person. I read and re-read the letters he sent and immediately answered them. I marveled at his handsomeness, his politeness, his kindness to family and friends. I felt lucky or blessed or pinch-me-I’m-dreaming that he felt the same way about me.

May turns a corner for us into the fullness of Spring, and I have to say, I am quite smitten. The green-ness and new-ness of this season should not come as any surprise–it happens every year! And yet, I find myself thinking, “Was last Spring this beautiful?!” I can’t get enough of looking out the window at the lush green grass and the emerging leaves.

I happily wander through the yard and woods, delighting at the swiftly growing ferns and the spring-blooming perennials.

There is an overabundance of growth, a population explosion of buds, flowers, and plants coming back to life from the dormancy of winter. (Go to North Star Nature Facebook page to ‘Like’ and see more May flowers and photos of nature.)

I am in love with this green earth. The changing seasons have a way of opening our minds to development and the cycles of Life–like falling in love with your beloved. Spring flushes the winter dormancy and old ideas from our minds and bodies to be replaced with possibilities and reliabilities–like having faith in Goodness. Renewal fills our souls with explosions of hope for the greener, growing, greater days ahead–like living in a Sanctuary. We are blessed to be living on this beautiful green earth!

Do You Believe in Miracles?

March 20, 2016 by Denise Brake 2 Comments

“Do you believe in MIRACLES?” was the cover and headline for the Sunday Parade magazine last weekend. It was the story of a Texas girl who had amazingly survived a 30-foot fall into a hollow cottonwood tree. Her head-first fall and subsequent hours inside the tree resulted in just some minor bumps and bruises and possible concussion. If that wasn’t amazing and relieving enough, her Mom noticed in the following days and weeks that her daughter’s serious digestive disorders, diagnosed four years earlier, had seemed to disappear! A Pew Research Center study found that 8 in 10 Americans believe in miracles, even more than half who are unaffiliated with any particular faith. Author Marianne Williamson and teacher of A Course in Miracles says, “People know there’s more going on in this life than just what the physical eyes can see.”

And yet, miracles are in front of our eyes wherever we look, if we really take the time to see.

We are afforded this miracle every Spring as we leave the dormancy of Winter. In less than two months’ time, our fern garden will go from this…

to this….

Purple raspberry canes will be producing raspberries in four months…

Hosta stalks in the snow will transform to huge green plants that flower at the peak of summer.

An empty nest may be re-used or re-built for a family of yellow warblers by the middle of summer…

And all of this and so much more occurs without intervention of any kind!

Miracles do not, in fact, break the laws of Nature. —C. S. Lewis

Spring is a miracle! It is easy to see. Every aspect of Nature–in all seasons–is a miraculous occurrence. And in this busy, technical, seemingly money- and people-controlled world, Nature just does its own thing. It doesn’t need our help, or permission, or belief. The Texas Mom responds to naysayers who don’t believe her story, “I don’t feel like I have anything to prove. The proof is right there. We lived it.” So the question “Do you believe in miracles?” is rather a moot point. Miracles happen.

“Do you believe in Miracles?” in the March 13, 2016 Parade magazine by Katy Koontz

The Middle

November 9, 2015 by Denise Brake 4 Comments

I’m not very good at beginnings–or endings for that matter–but I’m pretty dang good at the middle stuff. I think it’s because the beginnings and endings mean Change–with the capital C–and that just makes me nervous. Maybe it’s my perfectionist tendencies, my dread of loss–no matter what good thing is on the other side, or being a middle child…who knows? All I know is the middle part of our trip to Austin was wonderful!

Feeling my way through the darkness
Guided by a beating heart
I can’t tell where the journey will end
But I know where to start

We got settled in to a cute little casa we found on Airbnb. It was our first experience using Airbnb for a place to stay, and I was really happy we did it. We had room for the three generations of us, a kitchen for breakfast, and a backyard and patio for early morning tea and coffee. And then things got busy! We visited The Great Outdoors nursery that was tucked under huge Live Oak trees. It was crazy to see a nursery full of bedding plants in late October! We chose a cart full of flowering annuals and potted them up into hand-painted clay pots to decorate the wedding tables. A few more crafting projects were finished. People needed to be picked up from the airport. Two big boxes of cut flowers were snipped and put into buckets of water. Wedding party manicures, drinks, and supper. A run to Target and the craft store. Watching the Royals in the playoffs while sitting at an outdoor patio. An evening walk down the lively and strange downtown 6th Street.

They tell me I’m too young to understand
They say I’m caught up in a dream
Well life will pass me by if I don’t open up my eyes
Well that’s fine by me

Saturday was rehearsal at the venue, where we met our dear friend and former pastor who had traveled from South Dakota to perform the wedding ceremony. Afterwards we attended a delicious and beautiful luncheon hosted by the bride’s aunt and cousin at Green Pastures Restaurant–an amazing Victorian estate under old Live Oaks, enclosed by a fence of Bamboo hedges, complete with wandering peacocks.

After the luncheon it was back to the house to make bouquets. G-Lo, the bridesmaids, and I watched a Youtube video describing how to make a bridal bouquet, then got to work. Respect for the florist in the video grew as we clutched our handfuls of flowers and constructed our bouquets. I worked on the bride’s bouquet–weaving the flowers and grasses from each of her States with pink astilbe, wax flowers and dahlias, white stock, blush spray roses, burgundy leucodendron, upright amaranth, and hypericum, and blue forget-me-nots. It was a labor of love for my Love–just like the motherly duties I did every day of her and her siblings’ growing-up time. The bridesmaids impressed me with their willingness to tackle this task of love, to construct the fleeting symbols of beauty, abundance, and everlasting love. I appreciated their artistry, concentration, laughter, and support–not only in this effort, but in everything they did for their friend, the bride.

I tried carrying the weight of the world
But I only have two hands
I hope I get the chance to travel the world
But I don’t have any plans

After bouquets, we gathered at the Driskill Hotel, an elegant, old downtown hotel and bar built in the late 1800’s by cattle baron Jesse Driskill. Surrounded by western decor and with live music in the background, we greeted some of the guests who had arrived for the wedding. My plan to not-stay-late-because-we-all-have-to-get-up-early-for-the-big-day didn’t quite work out as intended, especially since I did not take into account the very long time it took to navigate downtown Saturday night traffic!

I wish that I could stay forever this young
Not afraid to close my eyes
Life’s a game made for everyone
And love is the prize

And then the Big Day! We were up early to make the couple of trips necessary to get all the flowers, people, games, beer kegs, decorations, etc. to the venue. Cedar Bend Events is about fifteen miles east of Austin in the countryside called the Lost Pines region. This thirteen mile strip of Loblolly Pine forest contains the Colorado River and is separated by one hundred miles from the related East Texas Piney Woods.

I was dressed and ready for the second transport to the venue. The busy days and late nights were beginning to catch up with me–my eyes stung a bit from my much-less-than-eight hours of sleep that I was used to, and my energy level was low, despite my morning cup of black tea and the excitement of the day ahead. And then Aloe Blacc came on the radio singing “Wake Me Up” from his album ‘Lift Your Spirit.’ If you know the song, it’s energizing–and I have liked it since I first heard it a couple of years ago. So I turned up the radio, sang along, and got energized and ready to enjoy every moment of the day!

Cedar Bend was beautiful! Colorful lanterns hung over the outdoor patio where the barnwood bar and cedar-log band shelter flanked the dance floor. The painted clay pots of flowers sat at the center of the round tables that were adorned with ivory tablecloths and burlap runners. Two colorful pinatas hung from a large tree branch, and yard games were scattered about in the large lawn, ready for after-wedding fun. By noon our beautiful bride and her handsome groom were married, the wedding guests were served chips and queso, breakfast tacos, fruit, and delicious wedding cupcakes. The bluegrass band played as everyone visited, laughed, drank Texas Shiner Cheer Beer and fruity mimosas, played games, took silly pictures at the photo booth, and celebrated Love!

The sweet beginnings of married life together! The dreamy honeymoon period! The wonderful fun of doing things with our partner! And soon enough we settle into the long middle part of our relationships. We really learn how to communicate with our partners, and often we learn the hard way. We may have children that will keep our lives busier and crazier than we ever suspected. We do our jobs–at home and away from home. We make friends and lose friends. We build our homes, plant our gardens, craft our creativity, go back to school, and serve our communities. We learn about betrayal, loss, death, and heartbreak. We experience creating a life, nurturing a life, and losing a life. We watch our love grow for our partners, and some of us watch our love wane. We become fierce in our protection of our children and of the world they will live in once we’re gone. Aloe Blacc scripts our human tendency to close our eyes to the tough things in life that present themselves to us in the middle part of our lives.

So wake me up when it’s all over
When I’m wiser and I’m older
All this time I was finding myself
And I didn’t know I was lost

But he also offers us the key to this long middle time of life–we are all lost–in one way or another–and all this time we are finding ourselves! So lay down the weight of the world, open your eyes, accept support, and bask in grace. We’re all in this game of life together–come play for Love!

To get energized, listen to ‘Wake Me Up’ written by Aloe Blacc, Tim Bergling, and Mike Einziger.

Photos by Emily Brake (Austin skyline, flowers), LAn (peacock, bouquets) and Jackie June.

Gleanings from August 2015

September 1, 2015 by Denise Brake Leave a Comment

August has almost always been a month of transition for me–a transition from summer back to glorious school! Don’t get me wrong–I love summer–but I have always loved the excitement and anticipation of a new school year. Maybe that’s why I have twelve years of post-secondary education under my belt. Perhaps that is why for twenty-three years we have had back-to-school parties for the kids. But this August is different–nobody’s going to school. No school supplies, no parents’ night, no new classes, no move-in days….

I have been privileged this August to be in contact with two educators of a different sort. Neither is employed at a school, but both educate children and adults alike. Both are writers and speakers who embody the message they bring.

At the beginning of the month we were lucky enough to spend time in the far north at the Steger Wilderness Center.

Will Steger was one of the first people in the world to experience the effects of climate change in his Arctic expeditions, but recently he wrote, “We are all eyewitnesses now.” While we see and experience extreme weather events like the drying and burning of our western lands, flooding rains in eastern and midwestern regions, and erratic and unusual temperatures, do we know what climate change means to the moose or the tree frogs in northern Minnesota?

photo by LAn

Do we realize what impact it has on the aquatic life of our rivers….

or the wildlife and plant life in the old-growth forests?

How does climate change and human destruction of habitat affect the intricate ecosystems of the world? And how does all of that, in turn, affect our survival?

This is where the second educator comes in–we have to teach our children to love the natural world–even the people who are not directly exposed to it. At the end of August we attended a concert by local author and musician Douglas Wood. His books are well-known–Old Turtle, Grandad’s Prayers of the Earth and dozens of others for children. He has written inspiring little handbooks for adults, too. As a musician and song writer, Doug Wood also expresses his love for Nature and our Earth to the people who hear him sing and play beautiful acoustic instruments.

August brings flowers that are striking for their beauty like these Black-eyed Susans…

and for their beauty plus function, such as Purple Coneflowers (Echinacea) that have been used as an herbal remedy for flu and colds for hundreds of years.

August supplies us with food from our cultivated gardens and food from the wild Plum trees.

Mother Nature somehow uses temperature and humidity to synchronize August ‘nuptial flights’ when winged princess and drone ants leave their colonies and take to the sky to mate. The patch of grass in our yard seemed to be shifting and moving as the ants crawled to the tip of the grass blades to fly away from their nest to ensure outbreeding. The females store the sperm in a ‘sperm pocket’ that will eventually fertilize tens of millions of eggs over her lifetime, the male drones die after mating, and the survival of the colony goes on.

August is the month of new school years and new beginnings. Education is the foundation for our lives–the more we learn, the better able we are to understand the balance that Nature brings to our lives and to the lives of all the plants and creatures on the Earth. Doug Wood educates with his books and music–he teaches us to know and love the natural world. Will Steger educates with his explorations, writings, and living example–he reminds us that it is our moral responsibility to be good stewards of our Earth and to build a sustainable future for our children. We take care of the things we love. Learn to know and love Nature, for it is when we love something that we can move beyond ourselves in caring, in responsibility, and in action. And then, as Douglas Wood wrote in Old Turtle, Old Turtle and God will smile.

Gleanings from July 2015

July 29, 2015 by Denise Brake Leave a Comment

July is our true summer month here in Central Minnesota. We have our warmest temperatures that team up with high humidity, making me pine for air conditioning–for a week or so! While looking through my photos from July, I realized two things–I didn’t get out much (‘out’ meaning beyond our place), and July is the month of flowers! So my gleanings post will be about flowers–all of which have bloomed in July here on the home place.

We have a number of shrubs that bloom in the heart of summer, the most spectacular being the hydrangeas. Annabelle hydrangeas are tough, cold-tolerant shrubs that have huge, showy white flowers every year, even after severe pruning.

A small native shrub that attracts butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds is New Jersey Tea. The dried leaves were used as a tea substitute during the American Revolutionary War. The flowers look like fireworks!

Extravagant, colorful Lilies celebrate summer in bold style: fragrant Oriental lilies…

elegant Asiatic lilies…

and the fleeting beauty of a Daylily.

Mature Hosta plants produce an abundance of tall flower stalks covered with light purple, bell-shaped blooms which open from the bottom up. The overwhelming number of blossoms masks the beauty of the individual flower…

…until you look at it closely.

July is the month for royalty–Queen Anne’s Lace and Queen of the Prairie! Queen Anne’s lace is a biennial. The tender first-year leaves can be used in salads. The root of this ‘wild carrot’ has a high sugar content, second only to the beet among root vegetables, and has been used to sweeten foods. Use extreme caution before harvesting, as the leaves of this edible plant resemble the leaves of poison hemlock, fool’s parsley, and water hemlock, which are all poisonous.

Queen of the Prairie has frothy clusters of pink flowers on three to six-foot tall stems. It is a native perennial of northeastern and north central United States.

Black snakeroot (Cimicifuga Racemosa) is a tall, shade-loving plant with spikes of bottle-brush flowers.

Ligularia ‘ The Rocket’ loves moist shady areas. It is a clumping perennial with toothed foliage and tall spikes of yellow flowers.

Blanket flowers or Gaillardia are bright, sun-loving perennials that are easy to grow.

Liatris or blazing star is commonly purple in color, and we have many of them, but I think my favorite is the ‘Alba’ or white cultivar. The grass-like leaves create a beautiful background to these spiky flowers that, unlike most flowers, bloom from the top down.

Onions and garlic are Alliums for the vegetable garden, but there are many ornamental Alliums. They are grown from bulbs that need to be planted in the fall. These oniony-smelling plants are deer and rodent resistant and need very little care.

Flowers have an expression of countenance as much as men or animals. Some seem to smile; some have a sad expression; some are pensive and diffident; others again are plain, honest and upright, like the broadfaced sunflower and the hollyhock. Henry Ward Beecher

Perhaps we have more in common with flowers–and vice versa–than we thought! Some of us are bold and stand out in a crowd. Others are understated and may get lost in a crowd. Some have a calm and regal air about them. We are all different sizes and colors and smells. But one thing is for sure–each one of us is a valued member in the Garden of Life.

P.S. The three eaglets that we have been following have fledged! Another empty nest!

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