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A Touch Of Nature
Donna L. Watkins
December 1, 2004 Issue

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What's Happening Here at Bluebird Cove
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It's chilly here in Virginia and that makes me feel even better about throwing out our fruit and veggie scraps to make all the little critters happy. Keeps them out of the trash can also. We've never had a problem with raccoons in our trash because we provide better alternatives on the ground.

Apple cores, carrot peelings, potato cuttings, and squash trimmings are amongst the regular feedings for the little guys. We have an automatic floodlight that comes on at night and I get so tickled knowing that something is enjoying our ground dining buffet.

We also rake a bunch of leaves under the deck to provide some cozy lodging for anything that might need a night's cover or a dry place during the rain or snow. I often wonder who might be sleeping there when I go to my warm bed at night. We make sure that there are no possible entries for a nuisance problem before doing all of this, so it can be a win-win situation for all of us.

Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving. Being vegetarians for 25 years, we don't do the turkey on the table. We do give gifts of turkey adoptions from Farm Sanctuary and that's been a fun thing to do. A friend of mine called us on Thanksgiving Day [a fellow vegetarian] and told us that they had the picture of Voila on their dining table. It was the adopted turkey that we sent as a gift a couple years ago and she was still enjoying it.

If you're interested in Adopted Turkeys as a unique gift, you can support a rescue.

Don't go crazy shopping in December. Keep it simple and give alternative gifts that won't be stuffed away in a closet. Take a look at Samaritan's Purse. We have sent lots of gifts from this catalog and already gotten amazing comments back.

Peaceful Holidays!
Donna

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Critter Facts
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Elephant Questions Answered
By Martha Irvine, AP National Writer

Elephants are one of the most beloved animals on earth - and yet their populations continue to dwindle to the point that now both African and Asian elephants are endangered.

Some have been killed by poachers, despite an international ban on ivory trade. And in countries such as Kenya, other elephants have been killed by farmers or wildlife rangers in recent years as the animal's indigenous habitat has been overtaken by farms.

The Associated Press asked fourth-graders from Sandra Murray's class at the Burris Laboratory School at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., to submit questions about elephants.

The answers were provided by Jason Bell, an elephant expert who is regional director for southern Africa for the IFAW, a conservation and animal welfare organization. Bell is based in Cape Town, South Africa.

From Peter Moskalew, age 9
Q: Why do elephants have tusks?

A: An elephant uses its tusks to dig in the ground and forage in the brush for food. Tusks also are used by an elephant to defend itself and to attract mates. Tusks are actually special kinds of teeth that keep growing throughout an elephant's life. While both male and female African elephants have tusks, only males have them in Asia.

From Eva Cross, age 9.
Q: How do elephants communicate?

A: Elephants are extremely social and communicate using different senses such as touch, smell, sight and hearing. Touch, in particular, is very important to elephants. Mother elephants "trunk-slap" children as a form of discipline, and elephants wrap trunks as a greeting - like a handshake or a hug. Elephants also "talk" to one other using a variety of calls that serve as greetings, warnings, screams, roars, cries and other messages. Elephants have at least 25 distinct calls and can recognize the calls of specific elephants, just as you and I recognize voices. Many of their calls are inaudible to humans.

From Celeste Alexander, age 9.
Q: When people kill elephants for their tusks do they leave the rest of the body?

A: Yes. This is called poaching and it is the primary reason elephants are endangered. Elephant tusks are made of ivory and although buying and selling ivory is illegal, there is still big demand for it on the black market.

From Austin Ludwick, age 10.
Q: How many elephants were in the world before mankind started hunting them?

A: No one is exactly sure how many elephants there once were, but they are highly endangered now. In Africa, for instance, there were about 1.3 million elephants in 1981 - and now only about 300,000 remaining. Worldwide, there are only about 350,000 elephants left.

From Josh Jones, age 10.
Q: What does an elephant eat?

A: Elephants are vegetarians and eat flowers, fruits, roots, leaves and grasses. They eat hundreds of pounds of food and drink up to 50 gallons of water a day.

From Manal Ansari, age 9
Q: Why do elephants have small eyes compared to their huge bodies and other body parts?

A: It's not that an elephant's eye is so small, but that the rest of it is so big. Elephants are the largest living land animal. Males can be over 13 feet tall and weigh over 15,000 pounds.

From Jared Gambrel, age 9.
Q: How fast can elephants run?

A: Elephants can run up to 30 mph, faster than a person.

From Molly Boylan, age 9.
Q: How old do elephants live to be?

A: Elephants can live 60 to 70 years, if protected. The older an elephant is, the more important it is to its family. Elephants live together in herds, like families, and the oldest female elephant is the head of the family. This female leader - called a matriarch - is important because she teaches the other elephants where to look for food during droughts, how to respond to danger and other survival skills.

Elephants are extremely smart and have excellent memories, so the older an elephant, the wiser. Older male elephants are also considered the most attractive mates. However, older elephants are more threatened by poachers because they usually have the longest tusks.

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Those Amazing Birds!
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This time of year we get to see hawks without all the foliage on the trees. Hawks enjoy this advantage at a time when they need more food to winter through the colder months. Birds need evergreen cover nearby to feel comfortable feeding.

My neighbor, Ken Bushell, has been watching a hawk for a couple of months and has taken a good picture of the one that seems to feel at home in his yard. I'm hoping he stays there. We don't have much evergreen cover since our plantings are young. Hawks are beautiful, but I can't stand the thought of what they consider a meal. I've seen some dining leftovers [feathers] in our yard a couple of times and don't like the thought ... but then, that's part of the natural world. Reality is sometimes brutal!

Ken got a great shot of the Cooper's Hawk last week and shared it with me. If you'd like to see it, here's the link

Cooper's hawks belong to a family of hawks known as Accipiters. These hawks prey mostly on other birds, but they also eat small mammals and reptiles. Their long tails act as rudders that allow them to be extremely maneuverable in wooded areas as they hunt birds on the wing. The Cooper's hawk is about the size of a crow. Of its relatives, the sharp-shinned hawk is smaller and the northern goshawk is larger.

Cooper's hawks have recovered from the brink of extinction because they have adapted to urban and suburban environments.

More information and detailed photos of various aspects of the Cooper's Hawk.

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Nature's Bounty For Us
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Nature offers essential oils with potent properties that can be used in many ways around the home. For health, bath, beauty, and household cleaning supplies. Here's our featured recipe for this issue:

Female Blend
12 drops rose
12 drops bergamot
24 drops clary sage

Read more about the benefits of these oils, find other recipes, and purchase oils

 

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.

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Pets Are Part of Our Nature
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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

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Gardening For Wildlife - Restoring the Balance
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It's winter here in Virginia and I'm missing all the time I spent in my garden. The birds are still enjoying the seeds from the dried flowers. It's a comfort to see what appears to be dead, providing food and life for another living thing.

I read the following about a week ago and thought of my A Touch of Nature subscribers. I felt you would enjoy it as much as I did:

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From the book: Streams in the Desert

The day closed with heavy showers. The plants in my garden were beaten down before the pelting storm, and I saw one flower that I had admired for its beauty and loved for its fragrance exposed to the pitiless storm. The flower fell, shut up its petals, dropped its head; and I saw that all its glory was gone. "I must wait till next year," I said, "before I see that beautiful thing again."

That night passed, and morning came; the sun shone again, and the morning brought strength to the flower. The light looked at it, and the flower looked at the light. There was contact and communion, and power passed into the flower. It held up its head, opened its petals, regained its glory, and seemed fairer than before. I wonder how it took place--this feeble thing coming into contact with the strong thing, and gaining strength!

I cannot tell how it is that I should be able to receive into my being a power to do and to bear by communion with God, but I know it is a fact.

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Nature provides us with resources of character that we can see living before us and is a great example of how we should live our own lives. Even in the winter of those lives :-)

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Shopping With Purpose
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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. :-)

Flowers, Fruits, Gifts and Vases From Around the World

OrganicBouquet.com is the Internet's first organic florist. Their goal is to
provide you and your loved ones with high quality flowers and gifts that
contribute to the betterment of humankind and the Earth. Choose from our
beautiful selection of freshly picked organic flowers, delicious gift-packed
organic fruits, unique seasonal gifts, and handcrafted vases from around the
world. OrganicBouquet.com

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" Green" Info - Making It a Way of Life!
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Splaff Flopps (Don't Ya Love the Name?)

I found this company in the Real Money magazine I get which comes with our membership in Co-Op America. Splaff products include sandals, handbags, belts, mirrors, and a coffee table.

Their sandals are handcrafted from used tires, recycled bicycle inner tubes, and hemp are produced in a 100% waste-free, earth-friendly process in which all leftover materials are either reused or recycled. Comfortable, long-lasting, and environmentally conscious. Splaff Flopps

Sunshine Concentrate - Detoxify Your Soaps and Cleaning!

This environmentally-friendly cleaning and washing concentrate is nothing less than wonderful. We've used it for 15 years for laundry, hand soap, pet baths, soaking produce, dishwasher, cleaning, and a multitude of other uses. This product has saved us money and health. No more "itch" of chemical soaps. Sunshine Concentrate

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Muse On Nature
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I thought this would be appropriate with the Holidays already in gear:
" Less is More!"

--- Robert Browning

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Nature Organizations - Making a Difference!
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Project Seahorse

Its origins can be traced to Cambridge University, where the team's director, Dr. Amanda Vincent, carried our her early seahorse research. Seahorses are still a central concern of the team, but members are also involved in studying marine protected areas, bycatch, small-scale fisheries, and other aspects of marine conservation. Project Seahorse

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

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

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Copyright and Reprint Information
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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 L. 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 L. 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. This newsletter may be forwarded without any alterations without seeking permission