9/07/09 LABOR DAY, PEARS AND ACORNS

Monday, Labor Day, 8:30 AM. 63 degrees, wind NE, calm. The channel is lightly wrinkled and hazy. The sky is mostly sunny and the barometer trends down, predicting partly cloudy skies.
The pears are ripening, the tree pictured is in the Bonney yard on Ninth and Manypenny. Erickson’s Orchard now has pears. The red oak acorns are ripening also, and it looks like a good harvest for deer, squirrels and grouse. Red oak acorns are not edible for humans, but white oak acorns are, and were much used by the Indians.
I just finished re-reading Ayn Rand’s classic, “Atlas Shrugged,” a fitting novel for the holiday, with its celebration of free enterprise, free people and the dignity of work. Now it’s on to David McCullough’s “1776” and his account of the Revolution (his “John Adams” was a wonderful read!)

9/06/09 FALL PHLOX

Sunday, 8:00 AM. 60 degrees, wind W, calm to light. The channel is crawling slightly. Air and water currents at various levels from often distant sources can create wave action that seems contrary to observed wind conditions. The sky is lightly overcast, and the barometer trends down, predicting partly cloudy skies.
The Phlox genus, in the Polemonium family, consists of about 60 species, mostly North American. They are common and important garden plants, various species and varieties blooming spring, summer or fall. They range in appearance from the spring blooming, creeping P. stolonifera of dunes and dry hillsides to the tall, fall blooming P. paniculata of dry eastern woods and meadows. Phlox range in color from white to red, pink to blue and everything in between. They have few culinary or medicinal uses.
There is a common misconception that American native plants such as Phlox are underused in American horticulture, which is not really the case. American native flowers, trees and shrubs are a staple of gardening and arboriculture both here and in Europe. The issue is confused by the fact than many North American plants, introduced to Europe hundreds of years ago by plant explorers, and often much hybridized there, have been traded back over the years to North America as European plants. And of course many Asian plants have been introduced here also, since the climates of Japan, Korea and northern Asia are very similar to our continental climate and they adapt well.
The pileated woodpeckers are calling from many directions this morning.

9/05/09 WOODPECKERS, RAINGARDENS AND BEARS

Saturday, 8:00 AM. 60 degrees, wind W, calm. The channel and Island are mostly obscured by fog, but the barometer predicts sunny weather. Except for birdsong and a boat motor or two it is a very quiet morning.
I am nursing a sore foot so had to walk quite slowly this morning, which allowed me to get very close to a magnificent pileated woodpecker looking for grubs on an old telephone pole. I watched him for several minutes before he uttered his characteristic high pitched trill and flew off.

Judy Larsen is a weaver, and when in camp sets up her loom in a screen tent in the woods. She has been trying to weave scarves to sell, but a fashion conscious bear has taken a liking to her work (note the claw holes Judy has her hands through). Maybe she should just weave a nice winter scarf for mama bear and leave it outside the tent.

9/04/09 IT'S CRUNCH TIME!

Friday, 8:00 AM. 65 degrees, wind WNW, very light. The channel is dimpled, the sky clear except for some haze in the east. The barometer is trending down, predicting partly cloudy skies.
Yesterday was a fine top-down day, and we went to Hauser’s Orchard on Hwy J for some early apples. They celebrated their 100th anniversary last year, and are still a family business, growing apples, berries and perennials.
Their early apples are Duchess, Dudley, Whitney crab, Transparent and Melba. Early apples are best for baking, but are eating apples as well, although not as crisp and tart as later varieties. I think the Whitney crabapple is the tastiest of the early apples.
Our edible apple (Pyrus malus, synonym Malus pumila) is native to south-central Asia, probably Kazakhstan, whose capital, Alma Atta, translates to “mother of apples.” Cultivated since ancient times and brought to Europe thousands of years ago, apples are now grown throughout the temperate regions of the world, virtually everywhere there is a moderate climate with seasonal changes. Our North American crabapples are not the edible apple.
The apple gene pool is very young and plastic, allowing for virtually unlimited variation in fruit characteristics through hybridization, either natural or horticultural. There is nothing quite like the satisfying “crunch” of biting into a crisp, tasty apple.

9/03/09 BLOWIN' IN THE WIND

Thursday, 8:00 AM. 64 degrees, wind WNW, moderate with strong gusts. The channel is wrinkled, the sky mostly clear, and the barometer is trending down, predicting partly cloudy skies. It will be a warm day.
I collected ripe seed of fireweed for the condominium project yesterday. Epilobium angustifolium, in the evening primrose family, is also called great willow-herb because of its willow-like leaves. It is a circumboreal species, growing in Eurasia as well as North America. I was amazed and amused by the copious, milkweed-like seed heads, which I had a hard time keeping from blowing away. The back of the truck may sprout fireweed from dirt filed corners next spring. I finally got a fair amount distributed where I wanted them, even if a lot of it went “blowin’ in the wind.”

9/02/09 LOOKALIKES

Wednesday, 8:00 AM. 55 degrees, wind WSW, calm. The channel is lightly wrinkled, the sky is clear with some haze in the east, and the barometer predicts sunny weather. It will be a gorgeous day.
The tiger lily, Lilium tigrinum, is an old fashioned garden favorite, a native of eastern Asia. It is quite similar in appearance to the native Turk’s cap lily, both of which have spotted, recurved petals and are very handsome. They bloom at the same time of year. The tiger lily has more strongly recurved petals and, a dead giveaway, little bulblets growing in the axils of the leaves. It is a common escapee from gardens. The native lily has green coloration at the base of the petals inside the flower. Otherwise they are strong lookalikes.

9/01/09 EXPLORER'S POINT

8:00 AM. 58 degrees, wind WNW, light. The channel is dimpled, the sky clear, the barometer predicts sunny skies.
Explorer’s Point , just west of Ashland on Hwy 2, overlooks lower Chequamegon Bay. It’s name refers to the 17th Century French explorers, Radisson and Grosseillieers, who wintered nearby in 1624. Much of the landscape has been naturalized, and blends in with the native vegetation of the Bay.
The handsome plant with pink flowers is Monarda fistulossa, Oswego tea, in the mint family (characterized by square stems and minty odor). It is a native plant of prairies and meadows, and was much used medicinally by Indian tribes for colds and stomach problems.
The plant with the small blue flowers on multiple spikes is Salvia reflexa, also in the mint family, a sage native to meadows and prairies.
Waterfowl migrations; ducks, geese and swans, are great to watch here in spring and fall.