A Touch Of Nature
Donna L. Watkins, Editor
October 15, 2004 Issue

*******************************************
Search Previous Issues and Mailing Maintenance Info
*******************************************

*********************************
What's Happening Here at Bluebird Cove
*********************************

We've been having lots of migrating Monarch Butterflies in the garden and one morning after taking mail to the mailbox, I got a picture of one that was on a blade of grass down on the butterfly bank we put in earlier this year.

It had something beside it that looked like a chrysalis, but I didn't dare hope that it had just climbed out! I looked online for information on Monarchs and chrysalis and found it to be the exact same thing that I saw beside this Monarch.

I was SOOOOO excited! That butterfly must've just come out! How very cool for it to be on our butterfly bank. We had put in some milkweed this year that we rescued from a lot that would be developed. I saw eggs on it many weeks back that seemed to be what the website described as monarch eggs, but I couldn't believe that either at the time.

This chrysalis was only a few feet from the milkweed plants. Amazing! I am just so super delighted about it! God's Creation is so awesome! We can do so much for nature in our own little piece of land, no matter how small.

Here's a link to the picture in our online album.

Slow Down and Look! You never know what you will find to start your day with a bit of joy!

Donna

*************
Critters & More
*************

Releasing Butterflies Is Not a Good Thing!

It looks like a harmless, uplifting way to end a wedding ceremony, but the popular practice of releasing mail-ordered butterflies could leave a legacy of lasting damage, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) biologists warn.

The biologists' chief concern is that released butterflies could decimate their native counterparts here by introducing disease, competing for food and altering survival behavior by interbreeding with them.

Besides that, releasing butterflies in habitat where they can't survive or have offspring survive is a sad thing to think about. Read more and spread the word

Why Do Fall Leaves Change Color?
By Brian Handwerk for National Geographic News

Fall foliage delights leaf-peeping tourists. But how does the change in color benefit trees? As scientists explain, there is a reason for the season.

John Shane, chair of the University of Vermont's forestry program, notes that the increasing darkness in the Northern Hemisphere this time of year" indicates to the plant that fall is coming on. So it starts recouping materials from the leaves before they drop off."

Evergreens protect their needle-like foliage from freezing with waxy coatings and natural "antifreezes." But broadleaf plants, like sugar maples, birches, and sumacs, have no such protections. As a result, they shed their leaves. Read the whole article at their site.

*******************
Those Amazing Birds!
*******************

Hawk Migration - Take a Day Trip!

While autumn leaves tumble from trees this fall, another natural wonder is soaring overhead. Hawks across North and South America are taking to the air as part of their seasonal migration.

Some species will journey thousands of miles. For bird-watchers in the United States, a day trip can take them to an ideal spot to catch the raptors in flight.

" You get to see these wild birds, which are normally kind of secretive and build nests in places you couldn't find," said Laurie Goodrich, a senior monitoring biologist at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Kempton, Pennsylvania. Many hawk-count sites offer lectures, how-to talks, and docents who answer raptor questions during the fall migration. Such sites also rely on volunteers to assist during seasonal hawk counts.

Hawk Mountain, Pennsylvania, for example, has been recording hawk numbers since 1934. It is one of the longest-running count programs in the world.

Find a place near you from the Hawk Migration Association of North America site.

*********************
Nature's Bounty For Us
*********************

ADHD’s Outdoor Cure

For the 7% of American KIDS who suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), relief may come in the form of green fields, leafy trees and open sky.

Andrea Faber Taylor and Frances Kuo, researchers at the Human Environment Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, have found that spending time in ordinary “green” settings—such as parks, farms or grassy backyards—reduces symptoms of ADHD when compared to time spent at indoor playgrounds and man-made recreation areas of concrete and asphalt. The findings were consistent regardless of the child’s age, gender, family income, geographic region or severity of diagnosis.

The study, which appears in the American Journal of Public Health, builds on the lab’s previous finding that adding grass and trees to the grounds of public housing developments is linked to fewer reports of domestic violence and stronger neighborhood ties.   Read the entire story

Herbal and Supplement Solutions by Health Topic

Do you need to build a body system for better health and wellness? Herbs work! They've been used by people all around the world for thousands of years. We've been using Nature's remedies since 1979 and found them to be so much help in gaining and maintaining health. This catalog lists natural solutions by health topic.

**************************
Pets Are Part of Our Nature
**************************

Pet Success Stories Using Nature's Remedies

Free Natural Pet Email Newsletter

Healthy Pet Corner for Birds, Cats, Dogs, Horses, Rabbits & Reptiles

Flint River Ranch - Oven-Baked Dog and Cat Foods and Treats

Healthy Pet Net - Natural Pet Supplements, Treats, Foods

***************************************
Gardening For Wildlife - Restoring the Balance
***************************************

Why Make Compost? It's a Natural Fertilizer For Wildlife!

Compost is one of nature's best mulches and soil amendments, and you can use it instead of commercial fertilizers. Best of all, compost is cheap. You can make it without spending a cent.

Using compost improves soil structure, texture, and aeration and increases the soil's water-holding capacity. Compost loosens clay soils and helps sandy soils retain water. Adding compost improves soil fertility and stimulates healthy root development in plants. The organic matter provided in compost provides food for microorganisms, which keeps the soil in a healthy, balanced condition. Find out how here

**********************
Shopping With Purpose
**********************
Please Note: We receive no compensation for promoting these businesses,
other than the delight of sharing alternative shopping experiences for those
who would like to make a difference while shopping. :-)

Global Handcrafters

Promoting fair trade by importing from Bangladesh, Africa, Mexico, and other developing countries, while assuring that the artisans are provided with fair wages and good working conditions. It provides an opportunity for self-reliance and economic betterment.

Jewelry, crafts, journals, cards, gift bags and more at Global Handcrafters

*******************************
" Green" Info - Making It a Way of Life!
*******************************

Sharing Books With Strangers

BookCrossing.com lets you share books with total strangers. All you do is slap on a BookCrossing label and release it into the wild. You might try an airport or Grand Central Station. Then you can track where it goes on the website. Fun way to make sure your books get well used. Visit the site

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. Sunshine Concentrate

*************************
Muse On Nature
*************************

" If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt .... we must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it."

-- President Lyndon B. Johnson, upon signing the Wilderness Act, 1964

************************************
Nature Organizations - Making a Difference!
************************************

Forest Guardians

Forest Guardians is leading the fight to protect and restore the forests, rivers, grasslands, wildlife and wilderness of the Southwest, Southern Rockies and Southern Great Plains. We believe that the diversity of wildlife, plants and ecosystems, and our untrammeled wild spaces, hold the key to the rehabilitation of an impoverished region whose economy and culture are inextricably tied to a healthy land. Forest Guardians

*****************************************************
The Frugal Life - Learning to Live With What You Already Have
*****************************************************

Living more simply is a great way to effect change in your own personal environment. It helps the planet also. The Frugal Life website has lots of ideas on getting back to basics. They also have a free newsletter emailed twice a month.

Written to encourage families wanting to stretch their dollars, it includes articles or tidbits on topics such as: finance, decorating, gardening, and household tips from subscribers and questions from the website forum. Sign up for their free email newsletter

*****************************************************

If you enjoy this newsletter, please forward it on
to somebody you know. It's how we grow! Thanks!

***********
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.