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A TOUCH OF NATURE
January 15, 2002 Issue

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DONNA'S COMMENTS
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MARK YOUR CALENDAR and GET INVOLVED! GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT The bird count will take place February 15-18, 2002. Count the birds you see at your backyard feeder, local park, or other area and log them into the BirdSource database, managed by the Lab and the Nat'l Audubon Society: http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc You'll find maps, graphs, bird bios and songs, materials for teachers, and past count results. It's fun and your help really adds up! Want to do more for the birds? Help spread the word about the Great Backyard Bird Count by becoming an ambassador. Cornell Lab of Orinthology will send you posters, press releases, and other material to provide to your community. Get youth groups and classrooms involved. Our Backyard Wildlife Club is going to participate here in our community. If you'd like to help, http://www.theherbsplace.com/help.php?section=contactus&mode=update Brian Mingle.

Stay warm!
Donna

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CRITTER FACTS
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BIRD FACTS

Eyesight: Day birds see in color, night birds in shades of gray.

Egg Laying: Finches, wrens, and hummingbirds lay at sunrise, pigeons in afternoon, pheasants in evening.

Territory: In spring the male finds a spot to sing to warn off other males. The female hears the song and joins the male. He tries to fight her. She doesn't fight back, so she becomes his mate.

Migration: Birds use the sun, moon and stars to migrate and travel about 4,000 feet high for about 50 miles before resting and feeding. Travel may be 500 miles a day.

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CHARACTER QUALITIES IN NATURE
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DILIGENCE: Acorn Woodpecker

In the last issue, we learned that the Acorn Woodpeckers displayed "thriftiness" in storing up in times of plenty to provide for themselves and others in times of lack.

To enable the Acorn Woodpecker to be thrifty, it must also be diligent. When we're in times of plenty, some people tend to get lazy and slothful, spending their extra money to have others do work for them. In Creation, God shows us that long-term survival requires diligence at all times. The amazing diligence of the Acorn Woodpecker to store away is an illustration of Psalm 112:3 which says, "wealth and riches shall be in his house."

Just as the Acorn Woodpecker gathers not only for itself, we are told in the Bible that a righteous man is one who "hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth forever." (Psalm 112:9) The woodpeckers will take every possible spot (opportunity) to place an acorn for storage. In one situation, the woodpeckers were storing acorns in an old hollow pine tree. Acorn after acorn was diligently pushed through a knothole in the bark, which fell into the tree's hollow center, until the eight inch by twenty foot (8" X 20') cavity was filled.

We learned in the last issue that 1,000 acorns are stored for each member of the group. It takes diligence and team work to make the holes that the acorns are stored in. Each storage cavity takes about 30 minutes of actual work time to chisel out the hole. It's rarely completed in a single work session and seldom done by only one bird. One may make an indentation in the bark and another may enlarge it, while another will finish it for use.

This is an example of working together for the common good of all. Acorns shrink by 6% as they dry out, and when they become loose in the hole they are in, they are moved into a smaller hole. A nut may have to be moved up to six times before it completely dries out.

Diligence along with thriftiness allows us to always have a harvest and enough left over to provide for others which will give us a greater reward later. Proverbs 10:4 states that "He becomes poor that deals with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich."

Source: Character Sketches, Vol. 3 - Inst. in Basic Life Principles

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GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE- Resoring the Balance
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Plan an herb garden for springtime planting. There are many herbs that attract butterflies and hummingbirds and bees. They can also serve as host plants for caterpillars to feed off of when they emerge prior to becoming a butterfly.

Here are just a few herbs that will attract the above. Here's the key to the initials:
B=bee    Bu=butterfly    C=caterpillar     H=hummingbird

Borage - B, C Catmint - B, Bu, H Chives - B, H Dill - C Foxglove - Bu Horehound - B Lemon balm - B Mustard - B Sage - B, Bu, H


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"GREEN" INFO- Making It a Way of Life!
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SHADE GROWN COFFEE

The coffee industry has destroyed a lot of habitat, but there are still a growing number of coffee bean growers that are doing it the old-fashioned way. If you're not aware that there's an option in the flavor of your coffee or the environmental impact, read more.

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REDUCE, REUSE, THEN RECYCLE
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RECYCLING APPLIANCES

By weight, the typical home appliance (stove, washer, dryer) contains about 75% steel. Thanks to the mobilization of community appliance collections, 84.1% of discarded appliances were recycled in the U.S. last year, according to the Steel Recycling Institute.

While fewer and fewer of our gadgets are ending up in landfills, reuse is still preferable to recycling. If your appliance is still kicking and is not an energy guzzler, donate it to a charitable organization. Goodwill Industries is a good place to start since it funds job training programs for disabled and disadvantaged people. Call 1-800-664-6577 and enter your five-digit zip code to find a Goodwill serving your area, or look onlline.

If the appliance is beyond repair or is an energy hog, look for a recycling center by contacting your local waste management facility. Some towns have free days for pickup. You can also call the Steel Recycling Institute at 1-800-937-1226 to find steel recycling in your area.

Source: Co-op America's REAL MONEY newsletter (Oct. 2001)
Authors: Nate Albee and Josh Sadlier
(800) 58-GREEN

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CREATION IN THE BIBLE
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Romans 1:20 ASV

"For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, [even] his everlasting power and divinity."

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MUSINGS: POETRY & PROSE
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"I found everywhere the wisdom and goodness of the Creator: but too seldom saw any inclination among men to make use of them."

Peter Kalm, "Travels Into North America"

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NEWS ABOUT OUR PLANET
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Forests offer stimulants, tranquilizers, contraceptives (like "the pill", which gets its active ingredient from the Mexican forest yam), and perhaps someday soon, a cure for AIDS. In 1987, researchers found a tree compound from the Malaysian rain forest that was 100% effective against the HIV-1 virus. Sadly, scientists were never able to find that tree again. Rainforests are important. Visit the Rainforest site to make a difference.

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DISCLAIMER: The content, suggestions, and web links in this newsletter are for informational purposes only and not necessarily endorsed by "The Herbs Place.com" This is a personal publication by Donna Watkins. The ideas and information expressed in it have not been approved or authorized by anyone either explicitly or impliedly. In no event shall Donna Watkins or "The Herbs Place.com" be liable for any damages whatsoever resulting from any action arising in connection with the use of this information or its publication, including any action for infringement of copyright or defamation.