Newsletter #49

To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter...to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over...

…over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in Spring- these are some of the rewards of the simple life.

~ Words by John Burroughs, 1837-1921, an American naturalist and nature essayist active in the conservation movement in the United States.

Hello Friends!

I went for a saunter a few days ago on an unusually warm day for the Hudson Valley. I made my way into the south meadow near my home, where I saw several areas where the deer have been bedding down. I scattered seeds from asters that hadn’t released all of their seeds, and I hope to be rewarded this summer by even more stunning patches of purple and pink flowers amongst the yellow blaze of the goldenrod. It takes your breath away it’s so beautiful.

I also saved a clutch of praying mantis egg cases I found attached to the dried goldenrod stems. I do this every year over the winter, so that come Spring, they won’t be mashed by the mower when the meadow has it’s yearly trim. This grass cutting happens once the insects have finished overwintering in it and before the red-winged blackbirds start building nests in the grasses. I store the mantis egg cases in my garden shed, where it’s just as cold as outside and release the egg cases back into the garden and the field in early June, when they are ready to hatch. Mantis (also called mantids) are beneficial insects that provide natural pest control (they eat many insects, and ticks as well) as well as being a meal for a bird.

In this issue, you will learn about a Healthier Food Choice; an easy way to Recycle Your Old Clothes; an Inspiring Human Rights Architecture firm; a most amazing Library and a wonderful Film Festival that is all about nature and the environment. Onwards!