6/30/10 FUN

OOPS!
ANOTHER FINE DAY

RED-BERRIED ELDER

Wednesday, 6:45 AM. 50 degrees, wind E, calm. The sky is clear with some haze. The barometer predicts sunny skies.
I have been telling son-in-law Doug how much fun I was going to have painting the house, and he has been asking me if he could join in the fun too. I finally relented, and am also letting him paint the high parts, as that is the most fun of all.
I described red-berried, or northern, elderberry (Sambucus pubens) when it was in flower some weeks ago. Pictured are its red berries, which are eaten readily by the birds and soon are gone. They have a pleasant (to me) pungent taste, and I would think would be a good flavoring for some meats. Other European and American species are much used in herbal remedies, as leaves and berries are quite astringent, also for food and wine. Elder branches have a very soft pith, that can easily be hollowed out, so they have long been used for whistles, flutes and other wind instruments. Many cultures attribute the elder with magical properties of one kind or another. Native American uses were quite similar. But I find little on the red berried elder, perhaps because it is not as widely distributed as some other species.
We made good progress with the painting yesterday and will continue today, but I don’t want it to become too much of a chore for us.

6/29/10 TWO HERBS AND BEAR POOP

COMMON MILKWEED
MILFOIL, AKA YARROW
A CONVERSATION PIECE

Tuesday, 7:30 AM. 53 degrees, wind W, strong enough to make the aspen leaves tremble. The sky is almost cloudless, and the barometer predicts fair weather. Our Denver family arrived last night and will stay with us past the Forth of July.
The common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca, is blooming. It has a very sweet scent and is an obligatory host for the caterpillar of the Monarch butterfly. Linneus mistakenly thought it to be Asian in origin rather than American, thus the specific name. It has had many herbal and other uses in the past, as has other plants of the genus, which is dedicated to the Greek god of medicine.
Milfoil, or yarrow (Achillea milifolium) is a common garden and roadside plant. Horticultural varieties may have yellow, white or rose colored flowers, the roadside plants (including several native species and their varieties) are usually white. It is said that Achilles discovered its styptic properties and used the leaves to stop the bleeding of war wounds, and promote healing. I have used it on cuts, and it works. It is often used to stop severe nosebleeds. So another common name is military plant. The specific name also refers to the finely dissected leaves, thus yet another name, “million leaves.”
The photo of the bear poop is added as a conversation piece, in case the conversation ever goes in that direction.

6/28/10 BLESSING OR CURSE?

A PRETTY HABITAT FOR A LITTLE SPIDER

Monday, 7:00 AM. 58 degrees, wind N, calm. The sky is overcast and it is raining lightly. The barometer predicts the same. Two deer crossed the road on 11th and Wilson this morning, and a bear left a large calling card on the road in front of the house.
The bouquet in the French flower container is made up of sweet Cicely (white), milfoil (yellow) and Anthony Waterer Spirea (pink). It is colorful and fragrant. There is a bulbous, long-legged little spider in there somewhere. I saw him and he saw me and scampered down out of sight. He (or she) is either a chameleon or genetically and specifically adapted to the sweet Cicely, as he is almost undetectable amongst it. That’s a pretty narrow habitat. What if we were adapted only to a corn field, or a wheat field? We would have to be very careful what happened to our habitat. However, we have evolved to be generalists and very adaptable to many habitats, some good and some not so good. As my mother used to say, “You can get used to hanging, if you hang long enough.” Or, as the blind poet Milton had the Devil say in Paradise Lost, “The mind is its own place, and can make a heaven out of hell, or a hell out of heaven.” Our supreme adaptability has allowed us to destroy our habitats over and over again, while creating and adapting to new ones. Is this a blessing, or a fatal curse? I’ll let you ponder and decide.

6/27/10 LIVING IN INTERESTING TIMES

QUIET SUNDAY MORNING
MICHAEL AND EMAY
AN ACCOMPLISHED MUSICIAN
CLASSICAL CHINESE 21 STRING INSTRUMENT
CHINESE WEDDING CLOTHES
Sunday, 7:15 AM. 60 degrees, wind W, calm. The sky is lightly overcast and the barometer predicts rain, but it is a quiet, lovely morning.
Our trip to Madison was uneventful and pleasant, and the wedding reception charming and intriguing. Michael and Emay, from two very different cultures and personal backgrounds, are in for an interesting life I am sure.
Emay is an accomplished classical musician (I can’t spell the name of her 21 string, harp-like Chinese instrument) and Michael is the typical self-made American guy, owner of a small trucking business. Chinese-American relations may never be quite the same, as they will try to live part of the year in each country and each continue their respective professions. She can certainly perform and teach here; will he try to have a trucking business there?
As they say, we live in interesting times.

6/25/10 COMMING UP ROSES

OUR ROSES ARE GREAT THIS YEAR

Friday, 7:00 AM. 62 degrees, wind NW, calm. The sky is lightly overcast ad the barometer predicts rain, of which .5” fell last night.
We leave shortly for Madison for a reception this evening for newlyweds Michael and Emay Frederickson. Michael is a second cousin on my mother’s side of the family. Michael and Emay had an internet romance and were married in China, and she has recently come to the US. She is from a very large city in central China. Although Madison is a lovely community and she has seen some of the pretty Wisconsin countryside, the culture shock must still be great.
We look forward to visiting with relatives, and the party is at Olbricht Botanical Gardens, which we will be happy to stroll again.
This is a great year for roses, all of ours surviving and blooming beautifully. A lot of things are coming up roses, despite all our problems.

6/24/10 "THERE'S A YELLOW ROSE IN TEXAS..."

HARRISON'S YELLOW ROSE
AKA "THE YELLOW ROSE OF TEXAS"

Thursday, 7:00 AM. 61 degrees, wind W, moderate. The sky is clear but hazy and the barometer predicts sunshine.
There is a large rose bush on the corner of 6th and Wilson that I am quite certain is the old fashioned “Harrison’s Yellow Rose,” which has been grown for almost two centuries and is still available. It is only a spring bloomer but when in bloom is covered with semi-double, fragrant flowers. It is thorny and spreads, so must be used with caution, but is a worthwhile plant in the right spot. This is the rose that was carried across the country by settlers moving west, and has thus become also known as “The Yellow Rose of Texas.”
The song, “The Yellow Rose of Texas,” is thus associated with this rose. The “Yellow Rose” of the song, however, was a young mulatto (hence the "yellow") woman. Named either Molly Morgan or Emily Wade, she is credited in folklore as a heroine of the 1836 Battle of San Jacinto, in which the Texas militia under Sam Houston destroyed the Mexican army of the tyrant Santa Anna with virtually no Texas casualties, thus attaining Texas independence from Mexico.
Molly (or Emily) supposedly seduced the Mexican general on the afternoon of the battle, facilitating the Texan surprise attack. Soon after the battle, the song “The Yellow Rose of Texas” (composer unknown) became popular and has remained so as a Texas folk song. In 1955 it was arranged and played by Mitch Miller and his orchestra and became a national hit song, even eclipsing Bill Haley’s “Rock Around The Clock.”
Texas became an independent republic in 1836, and voluntarily joined the Union in 1845. I think the legend and the song say a lot about Texas and Texans. By the way, The Battle of San Jacinto was considered payback for the massacre at the Alamo, a visit to which cannot fail to stir the American soul.

6/23/10 ONE OF THE JOYS...

THUNDER OVER THE LAKE
MMM......
STRAWBERRIES AT ROCKY ACRES STAND

Wednesday, 7:15 AM. Wind WNW, light. It is a bit foggy and raining, with thunder over the lake. There is another .5" of rain in the gage and the barometer predicts partly cloudy skies.
We drove through the orchard country yesterday late afternoon and stopped for fresh strawberries ($3.25 per qt.) at the Rocky Acres self-service stand. Truly delicious, we ate some out of hand, and on ice cream for desert.
The new varieties of California strawberries have been readily available and quite good, but there is nothing like vine-ripe fruit, and the seasonal availability of berries, cherries, pears and apples is one of the joys of living in Bayfield.

6/22/10 TREES AND SHRUBS IN THE FOG

FOGGY MORN
MULTIFLORA ROSE
FALSE SPIREA
GOAT'S BEARD
JAPANESE TREE LILAC

Tuesday, 7:15 AM. 61.5 degrees, wind N, calm. The city is immersed in dense fog, and the fog horns have been blowing. There is another 1.5” of rain in the gage. The barometer predicts partly cloudy skies but it will be a while.
The Japanese tree lilac (Syringia reticulata) and the Chinese tree lilac (Syringia x chinensis) are quite similar, the former more tree like and the latter more shrubby. Both make excellent landscape ornamental plants, and the Japanese tree lilac a very nice small ornamental street tree.
The goat’s beard, Aruncus dioica, is a handsome, hardy shrub native to the lower Midwest and should be used more in landscaping than it has been.
The Asian false Spirea, Sorbaria sorbifolia, is an attractive shrub but spreads greatly in the landscape and should be used with caution.
The Asian multiflora rose, Rosa multiflora, was formerly used much in conservation work but is very invasive and is now out of favor.
It is too wet for yard work so I will stay at my desk today.

6/21/10 ROADSIDE FLOWERS, ROADSIDE BEAR

A LARGE PATCH OF SWEET CICELY
SWEET SCENTED FLOWERS
A FIELD OF COREOPSIS

Monday, 7:30 AM. 60 degrees, wind NW, calm. The channel is glassy. The sky is partly cloudy and the barometer predicts more of the same. It is another lovely day.
Yesterday afternoon we put the top down and drove about looking at roadside flowers. A large patch of sweet Cicely, Osmorhiza chilensis (a plant noted by Fassett as quite specific to Bayfield in Wisconsin) is growing along with lupines on Hwy 13 south of the Sioux River. Native Americans evidently used sweet Cicely root much as one would mint. I did not dig up a root to taste it but nibbled some flowers and leaves, which were not very good. P.S., don’t taste anything in the parsley family unless you know definitely what it is, as many species are very poisonous. Sweet Cicely has a very delicate, sweet scent, and the air was permeated with it.
Tickseed, Coreopsis tinctoria, is blooming in profligate abundance in the orchard country along Hwy J. Whether these are truly native populations or escaped from the flower farms is hard to say, but they are a beautiful sight. This plant is used in dyeing, thus it’s species name. The common name comes from the appearance of the seeds.
While driving along Townsend Road a young bear, maybe 150 pounds, ran across the road in front of us, but there was no opportunity for a photo.

6/20/10 BEACH BLOOMS

A MORNING AT THE BEACH
BLUE FLAG IRIS
MEADOW RUE
WILD ROSE
DEWBERRY

Sunday, 9:30 AM. 66 degrees, wind W, light. The sky is partly cloudy, changed from overcast earlier. The barometer predicts fair weather.
Lucky and I went to the beach and found some interesting flowers blooming this morning.
Away from the beach along an old railroad right-of-way is a large patch of single petalled, fragrant wild roses, Rosa blanda, which is native to the shores of the Great Lakes.
The blue flag Iris, I. versacolor or perhaps I. shrevei, is blooming in the marsh back of the beach dune.
The meadow rue, Thalictrum dioica or T. venulosum, accompanies the Iris.
A very low, spreading blackberry, the northern dewberry, Rubus flagellaris (of which there are innumerable varieties) creeps along the beach dune.
I do not always have the time, patience (or perhaps skill) to identify a lot of the more obscure plants to their exact species or varieties, but I am usually in the ballpark. It is a cool, refreshing day and we will spend much of it outside.

6/19/10 WILD AND NATURALIZED

BEACH PEA
DAISY FLEABANE
OX EYE DAISY
AMERICAN VETCH

Saturday, 7:00 AM. 67 degrees, wind SW, quite windy with strong gusts. The sky is mostly overcast with high gray storm clouds and the barometer predicts rain. Minnesota was hit hard with severe storms yesterday but hopefully we have dodged the worst weather and this will blow over.
The fields and roadsides are now filled with wild and naturalized flowers. The American vetch, Vicea Americana, a spreading legume, is growing along Eighth Street. The beach pea, Lathyrus japonica, is a circumpolar sea and lakeshore plant, our variety glabera is specific to the great lakes shores. It is very pretty, the peas more or less edible, grows everywhere hereabouts but is quite invasive.
The daisy fleabanes are a large group of annual and perennial daisy-like flowers. This one may be wild or a garden variety.
The common ox eye daisy, Chrysanthemum leucanthemum, is a garden escape of European origin that has naturalized everywhere.
We are still catching up from our absence, the lawn needs to be mowed and the emails read

6/18/10 HUNT TESTS AND YOUPER JOKES

PRETTY, BUT....
THE MACKINAC BRIDGE, A THRILL AS ALWAYS
MASTER HUNTER ATTICUS IN ACTION
A BEAUTIFUL RETRIEVE
THE BIRD'S THATAWAY
SENIOR HUNT TEST

Friday, 6:30 AM. 65.5 degrees, wind SW, light. 2” of rain fell in our absence and the barometer predicts more. It is a very quiet morning except for birdsong and the splashing of the fountain in the park.
The meeting of the Urban Forestry Council at the Art Center in Milwaukee was O.K. as such things go. Downtown Milwaukee looks good these days. The trip to Columbus went well, the highlight being daughter Greta’s running her Flat Coat retriever Raven in her first Senior Hunter test, held near Cleveland on Sunday, which was completed with great flair. Master Hunter Atticus, her Lab, did a fine job as backup retriever for lost birds. We spent another two days helping daughter Greta put in her flower garden and catching up on yard work.
The trip back to Bayfield through lower Michigan and the UP was pleasant, and crossing the great Mackinac Bridge was a thrill as always. The hanging basket “tree” was outside the welcome center at Marquette. The “tree” is quite artfully done in reinforced concrete. I have named it Concretus flouribundus, in the family Concretaceae. I don’t really like it very much.
I overheard a typical Youper (Upper Peninsula resident) joke at a restaurant:
A Youper called the game warden to ask how to get rid of a skunk living under his porch. The game warden told him to put something under the porch that smelled worse than the skunk. The Youper said, “I’ll put under it some lutefisk” Several days later he again talked to the game warden. “Ya, den, da skunk iss gone. But vat do I do now vit all dem Norvegians under dere?
If that’s too politically incorrect I apologize.

6/09/10 GO FIGURE!

A FINE MORNING AFTER THE STORM
GO FIGURE!

Wednesday, 7:15 AM. 55 degrees, wind W, light with stronger gu sts. The sky has cleared but the barometer still predicts rain. It is a fine morning after yesterday’s downpour that brought us another 1.25” of rain. Everything is soaked and will take half the day to dry out. The herring gulls pictured were sitting on a rooftop, just like in a shooting gallery, in the torrential rain. Why that was a better place to be than anywhere else I don’t know. Go figure!
There probably will be no post for a week, as we leave tomorrow for a Friday Urban Forestry Council meeting in Milwaukee and then will go on to Columbus to visit daughter Greta and go to a retriever competition with her in Cleveland.

6/08/10 NESTING HABITAT

BAYFIELD HOMES ARE SELLING AGAIN

WASHINGTON HAWTHORN

Tuesday, 7:30 AM. 58 degrees, wind WNW, very light. The sky is clouding up and it feels like rain but the barometer does not yet predict it.
The hawthorns (Crataegus species) are valuable landscape small trees, but most of the are outrageously thorny (Washington hawthorn is not). As a young guy working in the nursery fields I cursed them each time I got stuck or cut up. But, their thorny nature renders them very valuable nesting habitat for small birds.
The Bayfield housing market has been in the tank for several years but shows signs of improvement, as three neighborhood homes on the market a long time have sold in the past two weeks. At least two of them will be occupied by families moving here to live and work, a truly welcome addition to our tourist and second home community. Home prices have fallen so much that ordinary folks can actually afford to nest here again.

5/07/10 A BEAUTIFUL DAY FOR A "WALK AROUND"

Monday, 7:15 AM. 46 egrees, wind WNW, calm. The sky is cloudless and the barometer predicts sunny weather.
I have a “walk around” this morning on the WITC (Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College) Ashland campus with its landscape committee, the first step in designing a conceptual landscape master plan.
WITC is increasingly a “green” institution, with an emphasis on solar, wind and other environmentally sensitive technology. It has a commitment not only to provide leadership in course work in energy system technology, but also to have the campus reflect this emphasis in its appearance. Solar collectors, wind turbines and rain gardens will be a working part of the landscape.
Ordinarily I am wary of making political statements in landscapes, as historically they have often become outmoded , and can also appear contrived. I will keep this caution in mind as we proceed, and do the best I can to design a landscape that reflects the mission of the school, and also improves its general appearance.
A concern has been raised that the landscape should “look like a college campus,” as it now could be mistaken for an office or medical complex.
This project will be a welcome challenge, and I will post its progress along the way

6/06/10 BEACHES AND BUCKEYES

BASSWOOD ISLAND AS SEEN FROM THE BEACH
RED BUCKEYE BLOOM
RED BUCKEYE AS A WELCOMING STREET TREE

Sunday, 8:30 “AM. 51 degrees, wind W, light to moderate. The sky is overcast and there is another .25” of rain in the gage. The barometer predicts sunny weather.
Lucky and I went to the beach this morning. It was blustery but nice. The dark, low clouds scudded across the islands, offering a real seascape.
The red buckeye is a grafted tree, I don’t know its derivation, but it is completely hardy with us and I have planted an alle’ of them on sixth street (Hwy 13) coming into town from the south, and in a few years they will provide a spectacular welcome, blooming just after the flowering crab trees.

6/05/10 SOME OLD FASIONED SHRUBS

'TWAS JUST A GARDEN IN THE RAIN...
DOUBLE-FILE VIBURNAM
WIEGELA
SNOWBALL VIBURNAM FLOWER...
GIVE IT PLENTY OF ROOM

Saturday, 8:15 AM. 52.5 degrees, wind W, light. The sky is overcast, the channel and Madeline Island enshrouded in mist and fog. The barometer predicts rain but the sun is peeking through the gloom. Today’s weather is anybody’s guess, but an inch of rain has fallen in the last 36 hours.
There is a lot of Victorian and other Nineteenth Century architecture in Bayfield and plenty of appropriate plants to go with it. Pictured are some old stand-bys: the familiar snowball Viburnum, which needs lots and lots of room but is striking in flower; the Wiegelas, ditto; and the double-file Viburnum. One could add the French lilacs and many more shrubs and trees. Choosing plants and design appropriate to an architectural style is one of the most important aspects of a good landscape and garden.