Notes from the St. Francis Valley Naturalists’ Club
our club are always excited to see their first “hummer” of the season. Some birds such as the Killdeer. The Red Shouldered Hawk and the Northern Flicker have already returned to our locality. We have also seen both Hooded and Common Mergansers on Curry pond now that the ice has gone but my Juncos have left for their summer homes. In the Hatley area there were some Barred Owls showing off by hooting up a storm during the day. Farther out in the country birds have been seen with nesting material in their beaks, so if you are planning to put up some nest boxes do it as a soon as possible.
In the woods, the first woodland flower, the Colt’s Foot, is in bloom. This is a small yellow flower of the aster family; you will find it on sunny slopes. This bloom is nice to see so early but it is not a good idea to transplant it to your garden since it is extremely invasive. Colt’s Foot was traditionally used to treat coughs until the preparations were found to contain a liver toxin. Not all natural things are safe no matter how popular their use or how persuasive the seller. In the “you learn something every day” category, I was curious about the many rings of brown or reddish grass that appeared on the golf course once the snow was gone. I discovered that these rings are caused by “snow mold” which grows on the leaves of the grass under the snow during the winter. Luckily, it dries up in the spring sun and new shoots are not affected. However, be careful if you are raking grass that contains this mold because some people are particularly allergic to this fungus; wear a mask (if you can find one).
Spring and being at home seems to have triggered a need in many people to plant something and this has translated all over the country to a huge demand for seeds. I do enjoy picking fresh peas and beans just before dinner. Unfortunately vegetables such as snow peas can be eaten raw and quite often they don’t make it between the vegetable patch and the table. If you need advice, gardening experts are popping up like weeds all over the internet but after talking to several members, I think that my own experience might be useful. Several plants such as tomatoes need to be planted indoors and then moved outside when the weather is warmer. In the past, I have planted seeds in little pots and gleefully watched them grow and then less gleefully watched them become tall and thin and eventually fall over and rot. I now have a system of trays and lights, which keep things under control. However, the best solution to this problem is to have some good friends who have been planting seeds indoors for years and are so successful that they have too many seedlings for the size of their garden. The second best solution is to buy your plants as seedlings and plant them outside at the right time. Despite the expense, you are pretty well assured that they will grow. I am sure that most garden centers will be open for business later in the spring. To make sure I contacted Cathy Neville at Les Serres Neville to see if they will be up and running this year. She assured me that they have permission to proceed as usual even if the current restrictions are in effect. Something will be worked out to reduce contact between customers, but for the more paranoid amongst us you should not spray your purchases to remove the potential virus (which shall not be named), just wash your hands. If you do decide to sow your own seeds there are several plants which are quite resistant to cool temperatures and can be seeded outside when it is “warm enough to work the soil”. What that really means is that you may have to do several plantings if a killer frost kills them one night. Snow peas, onions, lettuce, kale, radish, and broccoli are a few of the popular ones. Unfortunately, the list is shorter for me since I do not like kale, radishes give me gas and each time I grow broccoli I spend too much time in the kitchen taking out the little green caterpillars before I cook them (I always miss one and find it floating in the pan, UGH). If you are thinking of planting enough vegetables to offset the potential shortages and price increases in the store you will need a big garden, some good fertilizer, and a strong fence to keep out the deer. You will not lack for advice from everyone who sees you laboring out there every day. Several members have reported that the smelly deer repellant sold at Clark’s works very well to save your Hosta and Lilies from the deer although it is quite expensive. This should be a safe product but I would not use it on vegetables, make sure you stay upwind when you spray or you will soon discover what social distancing really means.
Enjoy your walks and watch for the flowers on the maple trees they are easy to miss.
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