Wildflowers, Wildhorses, and Other Wild Stuff

Wildflowers are Health Care

Wildflowers create the most important, most unexpected and the most colorful gardens on the planet. No landscaper can replicate the display. With September is the advent of the colorful woodland display of autumn leaves, but the meadows and woods are already bursting alive with other sights. It will be a display which will last until Jack Frost.

Wildflowers are more than a brilliant display. Wildflowers are ancient plants which have evolved over the centuries. They have developed special and unique relationships with the insect world, a world which is flat out necessary to create a planet good for human life. Without the wildflowers, there would be no bees or other pollinators, which, in turn, are essential to our food supply and the origins of a vast array of our medical drugs.

Wildflowers are easy to grow and carefree in the home vegetable or flower garden. They are not high maintenance plants. Their benefits are many. September is a great month to get a wildflower garden planned and even planted for next year or to improve, divide and take care of an existing one. It's good for us, good for the planet, good for the insects.

The bottom line – wildflowers are health care. They draw in insects which help pollinate healthy vegetable and fruits.

Enjoy the the late summer-early fall display. Money can't buy this ancient and brilliant wildflower show, and it's great for one's psyche, another health benefit.

Buy a Book

Looking for some reading? Maybe about wildflowers? Check out the link below to help your local independent bookstore.



Buy Local – It's Happening All Over the World



This is harvest season, buy local. The fruits and vegetables are home grown and more nutritious. Buying local produce saves on energy, less trucks are needed to haul produce from thousands of miles away. The local growers are often friends and neighbors who have worked hard all year through a particularly tough growing season this year. Support you local growers.
Thanks to Vincent di Fondi for the picture of a local growers market in San Juan, Costa Rica. According to Vincent, local growers sell a large number of fruits and vegetables in these stands and will make a fruit or vegetable drink on the spot for whatever ails you. And I'm betting there are some great jungle wildflowers for sale. Some of the hot peppers grown there are “real hot and tasty”, wouldn't mind trying some.

Clean Water Festival

The Crawford County Conservation District along with dozens of others will hold the annual Clean Water Festival, September 26th. If your in the area be sure to stop by and if you live in the area, make plans. It's free, fun and informative; there will be water dog rescue demos, fly tying and casting demos, conservation art projects, stream critter investigations, stream hikes and much, much more. For more information contact Brian Pilarcik at 814-763-5269 or festival@crawfordconservation.com

Grange

The Hayfield Grange will meet September 12 at 1 pm, be sure to dress in old fashion clothing for this meeting. September 18th -19th at the Crawford Fairgrounds the Grange will have a food booth for the annual horse sale. And don't miss October 4th Hayfield Grange Chicken Barb-b-que at noon – this is great food.

On the Subject of Horses



National Adopt a Wild Horse is set for September 26th in 19 locations. The adoption program is sponsored by the Bureau of Land Management to improve the health of the wild horses and to protect natural resources. Be sure to check out the article by Linda Nickerson for more information, give adoption a thought if you have the space and interest.

H1N1
Click the ad for updates and information. Be informed.


For the Heck of It

September 4th is the Full Corn Moon. Beware. But maybe a good time to enjoy the wildflower shows by moonlight? Did I suggest that?

With schools back in session, here's a little history and the impact the discovery in Titusville improved education.

Highly Recommended Blogs:

Vincent di Fondi- Vincent just published his first novel, Blessed Abduction, available through the Indie book link above. Or check his blog to learn more about the novel and his new home in Costa Rica.

On Your Way to the Top – Kathleen always has good insights

New York's Southern Tier – A travel destination in nearby New York by Richardson

Urban Veggie Blog – Dan is located in nearby Ontario and is a good gardener.

Other articles I have written for Helium can be found by clicking the title; others can be found below in the box at HubPages.

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HubPages

Jalapeno Kitchen Tip: When It's Hot, It's Hot

Jalapeño
I often wondered about this. Now, maybe be an answer. Ever buy Jalapeños and when you get home, some are hot, while others have little flavor and very little heat? It seems that the older the Jalapeño the more heat and flavor, according to one blog I was reading. And this tip seems to work.

Look for white streaks on the pepper and those turning red. They have more heat. Naturally, the seeds and the inner membrane are where the heat is concentrated but the hotter ones, even the green ones, have the white streaks on the outer skin.

I tried this. It works. I purchased two Jalapeños the other day. One was an appetizing green, the other a duller green with the streaks. The streaked one won in my kitchen taste test. It was hotter.

My garden Jalapeños are doing okay this year but like most vegetables, the Jalapeños are late. I blame the cold wet weather this region has had since the beginning of the season. The average temps, from the airport some thirty miles away on the more temperate lake shore, was 65 degrees F. Inland areas were worse than that, according to my unscientific observations with upwards of a foot of rain in July.

Late Tomato and Potato Blight Update

Late blight is continuing it's fatal march across much of eastern north America. A google news search on the subject is something of an eye-opener. There are reports of the blight in counties in some Pennsylvania counties, nearby Ohio and New York. No reports as of yet in the northwestern areas of the state.

However, the blight travels quickly with the wind, so I would think it is likely to make it's nasty appearance. For some photos and more information and links on the blight, what to look for and do, click here. I have a few questions in to local ag extension offices which I will share when they respond. The blight is not dangerous to human health or peppers like jalapenos.

To learn more about precautions and what to to do, click here.


Grange

Judging for Grange Family Activities contest will be held at the Hayfield Grange Thursday, August 5th beginning at 7 pm. The contest involves quilts, sewing and embroidery and baking. First place winner will move on to state Grange competition in October. I don't think they have a jalapeno chili cook-off but a lot of good pies and cakes.

Hospital dolls should also be brought to the grange hall the same evening. This is a great program where volunteers make dolls which are used by the local emergency volunteer people and medical centers and given to injured children. This is a terrific program for kids and means a lot to them,

Grange membership is open to anyone and there are a lot of activities and fun things for the entire family. More information, just leave an comment here and it will be forwarded or contact any local grange hall. It is a great organization.

Union City Art Project

Everyone, all ages, even the non-artists, are invited to help construct a mosaic tile bench in downtown. The bench was built by Union City High School students with material donated by a local manufacturer, MFG. Times are, beginning August 12th, from 9:30 am to noon and again on Fridays from 1pm to 5:30 pm. For more information, contact abbebiebel@aol.com

For the Heck of It:

This is really scary – as of today August 4th, only 49 days till Autumn. Ughhhh. And to reader BW, I haven't seen any chupacabra in the woods yet but did see a game commission vehicle on the road yesterday. Buy some Jalapenos and give a holler if the tip works for you.

Blogs that are good and well worth reading:

Vincent di Fondi Vincent just published his first novel, Blessed Abduction, be sure to check it out. Available at Amazon and at Barnes and Noble. Read more on his blog.

On Your Way to the Top

New York's Southern Tier

Urban Veggie Garden

I have other articles, mainly gardening, at Helium, just click on the title above, and HubPages below.

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HubPages

Thanks.

One Down, Two to Go

There has been one snowfall since the peepers started to sing on March 28. According to the weather lore, that means we will have two more to go. It snowed, about an inch on March 29th, the day after the frogs chorus started. We'll see what happens.
Here the spring peeps normally start the last week of March, last year was an exception; it was April 3rd. For me, it means time to plant the peas. If you have any weather lore about spring, why not place a comment?
According to some news articles, a lot of people are planning a vegetable garden this year, “Recession Gardens”, to save food money. It is possible to save hundreds of dollars this year if planted wisely. Be sure to check out some of the links; CNN News and Dan at Urban Veggies Blog
Fellow Helium writer Kathleen Richardson also has some great gardening artciles. She also wites a good Zone blog on the southern Tier in nearby New York State.
On April 11 in Sagertown at the H&H store, the Crawford County Pomona Grange will have a bake sale beginning at 9 am. The proceeds help to fund the many activities sponsored by the Grange, which is also a great resource for vegetable garden information. If you would like to contribute or need more information, just leave a comment at the end of this entry.
Also on April 11th at 7 p.m., there will be a Pomona Grange meeting at the Hayfield Grange Hall. Everyone is welcome to this meeting. It is a good time to get aquainted with the active organization which has a wide range of activities for the entire family.
On April 1st, students from the Linesville High School Envirothon Team planted trees and shrubs to help form a riparian buffer zone at the Wilson Boat Launch area of Pymatuming. Trees and shrubs are planted to help erosion problems, pollution concerns and a better habitat area for fish and other wildlife. The Crawford County Conservation District was one of the major sponsors in the effort. Brian Pilarick, a watershed specialist at the district was one of the leaders in the project. We'll have an update soon and how the project went.
For other gardening articles please visit some of what I have written at Helium. The latest artcile is on comapnion planting. For even more information, click on the title. It will take you to my Zone blog, Rosy Reds, the Frogs and the Vegetable Garden. Thanks for the visit.