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A Touch Of Nature
August 15, 2004 Issue

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What's Happening Here at Bluebird Cove
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Hi Subscribers!

I need your input for the nature center/preserve section. Send me your submissions for this new segment of your newsletter. I want readers to know about many wonderful places where wildlife and fauna are being nurtured and provided for. I'm excited about getting to learn about them too!

One of my favorite things is to find a new plant that the birds or wind dropped in. Recently I found Culver's Root. It's probably known more by herbalists because it was named for Dr. Coulvert, an American physician of the late 17th and early 18th century. Culver's Root is an old-time American doctors' remedy for liver congestion with accompanying constipation.

Butterflies are known to enjoy it but our other flowers and butterfly bushes are keeping the butterflies coming in. My favorite has been the Great Spangled Fritillary which has been a daily visitor in numbers. Our state butterfly is the Tiger Swallowtail and has always been a consistent visitor. The colors are so striking and they are so large that when they fly off you can feel like you are joining them to the skies.

We began our pond/waterfall project and Randal's working on that this weekend. A friend came from AL to help concrete the pond area and begin the waterfall. It will be so exciting to hear the frog sounds at night when it's all finished. The birds and wildlife are already checking it out. We put a very shallow end in it for the birds, but Randal is raising that up today since it was much lower than the other end so the water couldn't level off.

We've already placed some concrete benches out there that we picked up with Big Red. That's the name of the truck that our friend came in. :-) My favorite part of it all was getting to spend time with his wife, Louise, since she's one of my old-time friends and fellow butterfly and flower lover.

Well....enough about me. Let me know what's going on in your part of nature! I'd love to hear from you! Take time to notice the butterflies!
Donna

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Critter Facts
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It's been butterfly time at our Bluebird Cove as it is everywhere in summer. They are such delightful creatures to watch! It makes you feel like life truly is glorious and simple as you watch them fly about carefree and take each moment as the breezes carry them onto the next moment. Here's two that we've been seeing the most of at Bluebird Cove.

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Great Spangled Fritillary Butterfly

This is a frequent visitor to our garden.

Here's a few images of this butterfly.

What to plant to attract it Great Spangled Fritillary Butterfly.

We've got a few of these plants. I was reading about the eggs being laid on or near violet leaves. Hopefully they will be near because our violet leaves are continually being eaten by the browsing deer that come through the garden.

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Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

This butterfly is easy to identify with distinctive yellow and black striped markings on its wings and body. This relatively common butterfly has a wingspan of 3.5-6.5 inches (9-16.5 cm). Southern sub species are larger than the northern ones.

Here in Virginia it is our state butterfly. These butterflies are called swallowtails because they have long "tails" on their hind wings which look a bit like the long, pointed tails of swallows (a type of bird).

Butterflies need nectar plants as adults and they also need specific plants for laying eggs because when the egg "hatches" the caterpillar, it needs specific food to eat.

Tiger Swallowtails especially like nectar from the pink flowers of the shrub abelia. The female Tiger Swallowtail butterfly lays its spherical, yellow-green eggs on the leaf high in a tulip tree, sweet bay, wild black cherry, ash, lilac, aspen, birch, or choke cherry. When the egg hatches, the leaves will be easily available to feed the caterpillar.

Here's a link to a site with photos and more information

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Those Amazing Birds!
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The Light That Maims and Kills - Birds in Migration

It's migration time again for the birds and every year so many are lost due to the lights of tall buildings and structures. Some tall office buildings and other edifices may only destroy a small number of birds, perhaps two or three on the odd night during the spring or fall. Others may be responsible for destroying birds in staggering numbers.

In one September weekend more than 10,000 birds were killed when they flew into floodlit smokestacks at Ontario Hydro's generating station at Lennox, near Kingston.

An estimated 30,000 birds were killed at a TV broadcasting tower in Wisconsin in one night. Sometimes the toll on a single species can be huge. In one night about 2,000 Palm Warblers died hitting a TV broadcasting tower in Florida.

All effort should be made to reduce or eliminate lit windows, floodlighting, illuminate advertising or other light sources on tall structures during the peak migration periods, from about mid-August to late October, and from about mid-April to early June; and, with regard to time of day, from about midnight until dawn.

The problem of nocturnal migrant bird kills is little known. Cleaning and security staff often sweep up dead and dying birds before office staff arrive in the morning. Even when birds are present, they are usually overlooked by most people.

There are now disturbing indications that populations of our native songbirds are in decline, songbirds whose presence on our planet make life more pleasant in many ways for all of us; songbirds with which we can share an environment that is as much theirs as ours. We can help them by trying to keep them safe as they migrate overhead, unseen amid the stars in the darkness of spring and autumn nights.

Here's what to do - please spread the word to those who can make a difference:

* Management should endeavor to instruct occupants to leave offices dark at night or, if that is not feasible, to close curtains and blinds. Incentives can be provided for compliance.

* Public relations departments should promote interest in darkening the skyline and tell the media, customers, staff and others why it is being done.

* Workers who pick up stunned birds should keep them calm and quiet by placing them in unwaxed, brown paper bag temporarily. If there is a wildlife rehabilitation facility nearby, the birds can go there.

* Avoid putting indoor plants close to broad expanses of plate glass.

* If you see a tall building that is illuminated during spring and fall migration, contact the building's management authority, explain the situation and request that the lighting be eliminated during critical periods. Many management authorities are entirely cooperative once the situation is explained.

* Never use searchlights for promotions on wet, foggy or drizzly nights, particularly from about midnight to dawn, during the spring and fall.

* If you are involved in designing tall structures, avoid having large, bright areas of illumination on them, particularly on the higher levels.

Source: The Toronto Humane Society

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Nature's Bounty For Us
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Say Goodbye to Mosquitoes Without Deet

James Rouse, ND, recommends this natural insect repellent to keep bugs at bay: Mix together a few drops each of citronella, geranium, lemon and rosemary essential oils with a few tablespoons of unscented oil (almond, safflower, etc.) and apply to your skin.

Research shows effectiveness doesn't last as long as the toxic DEET, so reapply more frequently. It smells a lot better too!

Get more information on essential oils and/or purchase essential oils

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Gardening For Wildlife - Restoring the Balance
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Herbs for Butterflies

Many people are planting herb gardens for home use. Whether it's cooking or
for medicinal use, herbs are hearty plants and easy to grow. If you've got
critters eating a lot of your plants, like we do with the deer, herbs are a
good choice since many of them are not of interest to critters because of
the essential oils in them.
Herbs are also a good choice for butterflies so I thought I'd include a list
of herbs that butterflies like, so you can plant what you will use and enjoy
while having butterflies visiting your herb garden also.
* Yarrow (Achillea spp.)
* Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
* Elephant Garlic (Allium ampeloprasum)
* Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)
* Dill (Anethum graveolens)
* Angelica (Angelica spp.)
* Wild Celery (Apium graveolens)
* Dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum)
* Caraway (Carum carvi)
* New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus)
* Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota)
* Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
* Eupatorium (Eupatorium spp.)
* Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)
* Cow Parsnip (Heracleum spp.)
* Hyssop (Hyssop officinalis)
* Lavender (Lavedula spp.)
* Lovage (Levisticum officinale)
* Mints (Mentha spp.)
* Bee Balm (Mondara didyma)
* Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
* Horsemint (Monarda punctata)
* Basil (Ocimum spp.)
* Oregano (Origanum spp.)
* Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)
* Anise (Pimpinella anisum)
* Plantain (Plantago spp.)
* Rosemary (Rosmarinus spp.)
* Scarlet Sage (Salvia cocinea)
* Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans)
* Virginia Skullcap (Scutellaria laterifolia)
* Thyme (Thymus spp.)
* Culver's Root (Veronicastrum virginicum)
* Chaste Tree (Vitex agnus-castus)

Source: Florida Gardener.com

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Nature Around the World
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Osa Peninsula

One of my Top Three trips was to Costa Rica a number of years ago. We stayed in a jungle lodge in the southwestern area of the country near the Osa Peninsula. The place was incredible. It's what I imagine Heaven to be like!

More than 375 bird species are found on the Osa Peninsula including the country's largest population of the threatened scarlet macaw.  These birds were incredible to see with their brilliant red and blue colors.

Find out more about protection of this area at The Nature Conservancy's website.

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" Green" Info - Making It a Way of Life!
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Eco-Friendly Furniture

If you were to dissect a typical living room couch, you would likely find an environmental disaster: a frame made of unsustainably harvested wood that is treated with formaldehyde and varnish that can pollute indoor air; unrecyclable foam cushions dosed with flame-retardant chemicals that accumulate in fish when released into the environment; and upholstery colored with chlorine-based dyes and tacked on with toxic glues.

In fact, toxic materials are used throughout the traditional furniture-making process. The paints, varnishes, and waxes commonly employed can release the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are known to decrease indoor air quality.

One of the most common VOCs is formaldehyde, which is used in glues in pressed wood products, such as particle board, and is added to paints as a preservative and to upholstery to give it a permanent press quality. Formaldehyde emissions can cause eye and throat irritation, allergic reactions, and possibly cancer, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

" Traditional furniture can off-gas for years," said Tom Heerman, co-founder of Baltix Furniture, a four-year-old office furniture manufacturer in Minnesota. Heerman says his company only uses finishes that don't contain formaldehyde. Instead, Baltix dries products with an ultraviolet process that prevents off-gassing.

- DEAD LINK REMOVED - Learn more about environmentally friendly furniture

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Sunshine Concentrate - Detoxify Your Cleaning!

This environmentally-friendly cleaning and washing concentrate is nothing less than wonderful!! We've used this for 15 years and love it for laundry, hand soap, pet baths, soaking produce, dishwasher, cleaning, and a multitude of other uses. This product has saved us hundreds of dollars over the years.

Makes life much simpler and takes away the "itch" of chemical soaps.

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Musings Of Nature
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" Extinction raises moral and ethical questions that modern society realizes
it must address. Do all species have some innate right to survive? Most
developed, modern societies acknowledge that humans have the right to live,
but for lower species, we accept the death of individuals if there is some
benefit to society at large, especially if it benefits people."

-- Walton Beacham, 1997, WWF Guide to Extinct Species

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Featured Nature Center and/or Preserve
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Grandfather Mountain

In April for our 27th anniversary, we took a trip down to North Carolina - the Asheville area. On the way back, we stopped at Grandfather Mountain which is along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Linville, NC.

What a delightful day we had even though we had some misting off and on. Grandfather Mountain has the highest peak in the Blue Ridge Mountain range (elv. 5,964 ft). The place is privately owned and is operated as a scenic travel attraction, but is a globally recognized nature preserve.

There is beautiful mountain scenery, a mile high swinging bridge, and environmental habitats for native wildlife such as Black Bears and Cubs, River Otters, Cougars, Eagles and Deer.

On site is a nature museum with excellent exhibits about the natural history of the region and a theater that shows nature movies made on the mountain. A restaurant and gift shop are part of the place also.

There are more than 12 miles of regularly maintained trails ranging in difficulty from easy nature walks to strenuous back country challenges. Special activities, programs and guided tours with the Mountain's naturalist are available for an additional fee.

Visit their website.

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Disclaimer
The content, suggestions, and web links in this newsletter are for informational purposes only and not necessarily endorsed by our sponsor "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.