My memory certainly isn’t the best, but in my mind, a bat in [...]]]> Bats can squeeze in the tiniest openings. As a result, it’s not uncommon for me to get a bat in my house on occasion. At least it wasn’t for many years, before white nose syndrome became a problem in our region.

My memory certainly isn’t the best, but in my mind, a bat in my house was a summertime happening. So I was quite surprised when I was visited by one last night, on April 2.

I tried my usual non-aggressive ploy: open both my doors and turn on every light in the house. This usually works because the bat doesn’t really want to be in my house any more than I want him there, and he really doesn’t like all those lights. So he uses his sonar to find those open doors and gets out quickly & easily, completely unharmed.

It worked like a charm last night. I was glad it didn’t take long, because at that point the outside temperature was about 45^o, and I didn’t want those doors to stay open for long.

Once the bat was outside, I began to worry a bit. Did we really have enough bugs already for him to eat? Sure, we had a March that set all kinds of records for high temps, but I haven’t seen that many bugs yet.

When I realized that the phoebe in my yard has found plenty to catch on the wing my mind settled down a it. But then again, phoebes aren’t struggling for survival the way bats are.

What do you think – will that bat be okay?

With large showy green leaves, they defy winter’s grip and skunk cabbage sprouts often are the first plant in the woods to appear each spring poking up through the crusty snow.  A deep wine-colored or maroon knob twisting its way up through the snow and frozen mud reveals the early spring emergence of [...]]]>

With large showy green leaves, they defy winter’s grip and skunk cabbage sprouts often are the first plant in the woods to appear each spring poking up through the crusty snow.  A deep wine-colored or maroon knob twisting its way up through the snow and frozen mud reveals the early spring emergence of skunk cabbage.  

Skunk cabbage is known to generate its own heat. Skunk Cabbage is one of the few plants in the world that are ‘thermogenic,’ -they create heat. This heat can be as much as 20-36⁰F above the ambient air temperature.

This auto-warming helps the plant to push its way through the frozen ground. If you are at the plant at the right time (early March) and find skunk cabbage emerging through the snow or ice, touching the tip of the plant with your finger will reveal that yes, they plant is actually warm! Skunk cabbage thermo-regulates its temperature, just like certain mammals do.

It is interesting that Eastern Skunk Cabbage continues to grow during the winter, buried under the snow. Just enough sunlight reaches it through the layer of snow to maintain minimal photosynthesis.

Usually where you find skunk cabbage, you find a lot of them.  Skunk cabbage does more than just exist; it crowds-out competitor plants.  This large monocotyledon weeds take-over a swampy area where few other plants might grow.  If you head over to our Eshelman Property you might find some skunk cabbage working its ways up through the ground along our Bull Head Run and Bog Trail.

Breaking the leaves and stalk of the skunk cabbage causes it to give off a distinctly unpleasant odor, much akin with that of a polecat or skunk. This unpleasant odor also serves to thwart larger animals from foraging in or around skunk cabbage patches. When you find a patch of mature skunk cabbage, it is usually pristine, undisturbed knee-high bushes of green. Few animals except for bears emerging from hibernation will disturb a patch of skink cabbage.

Skunk cabbage plant was considered a medicinal plant in the early part of the last century.  It was used as treatment rheumatism, and was used by the Native Americans for relieving the pain and swelling of minor burns, and as food.

Skunk cabbage is not generally eaten by humans as a normal gathered food but in times of famine, it could be used. The roots are toxic and the leaves impart a hot, peppery taste in the mouth but if dried first, they could be used in boiled soups. Skunk cabbage leaves were also used to wrap fish prior to cooking in the hot coals of a campfire. Protecting the fish from burning while being steamed, the leaves doubtlessly imparted their hot peppery flavor to the meat.

As quickly as they appear in March, skunk cabbages are usually gone by August. However, the skunk cabbage is still there, living and growing deep underground.

Skunk cabbage is long-lived. It is believed that some plants might be over 100 years old or even older! Year after year, they return and perform their annual magic in the swamps and wetlands. Here is a place where few other plants can survive yet alone thrive, as does the Eastern Skunk Cabbage.

Members of the titmouse family, small, plump, & aggressive chickadees are full of personality.  They are acrobatic as they dance around tree branches, never staying in one place for long.  Their black bib & cap, combined with their white cheeks, gives their faces a striking appearance.  Their loud “bi-dee-dee-dee” call makes them [...]]]> Black-capped Chickadee

Members of the titmouse family, small, plump, & aggressive chickadees are full of personality.  They are acrobatic as they dance around tree branches, never staying in one place for long.  Their black bib & cap, combined with their white cheeks, gives their faces a striking appearance.  Their loud “bi-dee-dee-dee” call makes them sound louder than they really are.  On sunny days, a loud, whistled “pheer-pheer” welcomes spring.  In summer, they nest in tiny cavities in tree trunks or hollow limbs.  They can be found throughout New York year-round.  At feeders, they prefer black oil or striped sunflower seeds. 

Blue Jay

Bold, loud, & clever birds, blue jays are members of the crow family. They can be found throughout New York year-round.  Larger than a robin, a blue jay adds a dazzling splash of color to New York’s winter landscape.  When nervous, it holds its blue crest up.  A single “flight feather” from a blue jay is beautiful, with a combination of blue, black, & white.  Their calls are well known: a “screaming jay” call & another that mimics the sound of a hand-operated water well pump.  Blue jays can eat a large quantity of food at feeders, making them less welcome to some birdwatchers.

Tufted Titmouse

A relative of the chickadee, the gray, tufted titmouse looks something like a cross between a chickadee & a blue jay.  With a blue-gray crest & back, large dark eyes, & tan-colored under parts, the titmouse is unmistakable.  They are found throughout New York, except the north country.  Like chickadees, titmice are cavity nesters, & like cardinals, they are shy at feeders.  It is also another bird whose call announces the coming of spring, its call is a loud, whistled “pheer-pheer-pheer.”

Northern Cardinal

The unmistakable brilliant red, crested, black-faced male cardinal is a favorite of birdwatchers.   But male & female cardinals do not look alike.  Females are much browner, with a splash of red-orange on the wings, tail & head.  Perhaps aided by bird feeders, cardinals are expanding their range northward, especially along Lake Ontario’s eastern shores & into St. Lawrence Valley.  Ground feeders, they often feed under birdfeeders, picking through seeds that other birds spill.  Cardinals area bit timid at feeders; they may be the fires to leave at the slightest disturbance.  Cardinals have several well-known songs, including “birdy-birdy-birdy” & “What cheer, what cheer, what?” sung loudly from a perch.

Once all those wreath orders were in, a small army descended on Pleasant Valley Greenhouse for two [...]]]>
Thanks to everyone’s hard work, we had another record-breaking year of wreath sales, selling a combined total of 381 fir and boxwood wreaths!! This exceeded last year’s sales, our previous record, by more than 30 wreaths.

Once all those wreath orders were in, a small army descended on Pleasant Valley Greenhouse for two days, decorating 324 wreaths. Each wreath is unique, each one beautiful, and all possible because of our amazingly wonderful volunteers. We are always thankful for our volunteers, especially this time of year when all around the country people are counting our blessings.

Volunteers gathered flowers, seed pods, pine cones and other decorating items for months in advance. Volunteers donated almost a mile of beautiful ribbon. Volunteers tied 325 bows. Volunteers sold wreaths. Volunteers decorated wreaths. Volunteers packed wreaths for shipping. Volunteers delivered wreaths.

From 1-4PM on Friday & Saturday of this week, people who ordered a wreath will come out to Pleasant Valley Greenhouse pick them up. With so many choices, some people spend more than 1/2 hour to make their choice. Will they choose a white, red, gold, or other bow? Does traditional or more modern suit their style? Will the wreath be hung on their own front door or given as a gift? No matter the answers to these questions, everyone is sure to find the perfect wreath.

Thank you for all of your support!

WISHING YOU A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING SHARED WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS

We use all kinds of things to decorate our all-natural holiday wreaths.  Sure, we have some old standbys like pine cones, but every year we’re surprised by someone bringing [...]]]> We’re well underway in the 2011 holiday wreath sale.  That means we’re busily gathering materials – in fact we started collecting some things months ago.

We use all kinds of things to decorate our all-natural holiday wreaths.  Sure, we have some old standbys like pine cones, but every year we’re surprised by someone bringing in materials we haven’t used before, and we often can’t get enough of them.  We love getting new materials to try!  There’s an almost-endless supply of local plant materials if you look with a creative eye.  To get you started, here’s an A to Z list of wreath decorations ideas. 

What can you collect and get to us by mid-November?

Acorns; apples, sliced & dried; artemisia, dried
Baby’s breath; bay leaves
Cones from all sizes & types of pine, spruce & fir
Dried flowers of almost any type
Eucalyptus leaves, dried
Fir cones; feathers
Grasses and their seed heads (shake to remove the seeds); globe amaranth flowers, dried; gourds, small, dried
Hydrangea flower heads, dried; holly branches
Indian corn, tiny;
Juniper branches

Kalanchoe flowers, dried; kiwis, dried
Locust seed pods; beautiful dried leaves from trees & shrubs; lavender, dried

Money plant seed pods (also called silver dollar, honesty plant, lunaria, and other names); milkweed seed pods
Nigella seed heads (also called love-in-a-mist)
Ostrich fern spore stems; oregano seed heads, dried; orange slices, dried

Pearly everlasting, dried; peppers, red & dried (think chilies, banana peppers, cherry peppers)
Queen Anne’s lace, dried
Roses, dried; rose hips; red twig dogwood; Russian statice
Statice; Siberian iris seed pods; straw flowers
Teasel; thistle; tansy flower heads, dried; twigs from curly or other interestingly-shaped plants
Unusual flowers, seeds, plants, or twigs – all dried
Vines with interesting shapes, with or without dried leaves, flowers, or berries
Winterberry branches with fruit; wheat (shake to remove seeds)

Xtraordinary, xceptional, or xciting natural items you notice (I took some spelling liberties)
Yarrow, particularly brightly colored, dried; yellow twig dogwood
Zinnia flowers, dried

Let us know if you need us to make pickup arrangements.