...and bam! it's raining and we turned the heat on.
 Yesterday evening we were on the look-out in our favorite owl-spotting glen and had just about given up; we sat down on the bench overlooking the little creek and then, looking up, there was the owl perched quietly 10 feet above us! We sat in awe for ages watching it watch us, the butterflies, and other walkers obliviously passing underneath=Owl Blessings.  We started our afternoon saunters in late April, and over the next few weeks got to know this family of Ravens. It turns out that historically, Ravens nested in the Washington Park Arboretum, but until 2019 they had not been seen for 100 years. This year there were three hatchlings, and boy-oh-boy were they ever raucous! I caught them all doing their own saunter; usually we'd see them up in the trees or perched on the back of our favorite hidden bench.  Douglas squirrels: The Douglas Squirrel lives in the coniferous forests of North America's west coast. It wanders playfully throughout all parts of the forest and treetops, but prefers lingering close to the forest grounds (WA Nature Mapping). We not only have been seeing this chipmunk-sized boisterous squirrel in several locations throughout the Arboretum, but on a hot steamy evening we watched TWO of these little darlings chasing each other around and around and around an enormous tree trunk. What a joy.
 This oxalis/pink wood sorrel came from my maternal great-great-grandmother. Apparently, it is extremely hardy--still, I am proud to have kept it healthy and blooming for the last 30 years, including a dozen Arctic winters.
Curious about why the shamrock became a symbol of Ireland? ********************************************************************************** SHAMROCKS VS. OXALIS: WILL THE REAL SHAMROCK PLEASE STAND UP by Andrea Forsberg, Flowerworks History of the Shamrock This iconic Irish symbol began its journey to fame with the Celtic druids who considered the number 3 to be a perfect number, associating it with the three realms of sea, sky, and land, as well as the division of soul in the spirit, mind, and body, and the ideal of love, wisdom, and truth, among others. It was first recognized as a symbol related to the Celtic goddess Ana, representing her place as maiden, mother, and crone. During the 5th century, St. Patrick often used the shamrock to illustrate the Holy Trinity as he spread the Catholic faith throughout Ireland. The shamrock made an appearance on St. Patrick’s coppers, otherwise known as halfpennies, in 1675. By the 19th century, the shamrock became a symbol of Irish rebellion when the English forbade the “wearin’ o’ the green.” Those who wore it anyway faced death. The original shamrock is believed to be the white clover (Trifolium repens), native to Ireland but found growing in yards across America. Oxalis, the False Shamrock The plant typically sold as a potted shamrock plant is Oxalis regnellii. This small plant is loved for its clover-shaped leaves in various colors and the delicate flowers that bloom from fall until spring. Its delicate leaves fold up at night and reopen with the return of sunlight. Oxalis is a member of the wood sorrel family. Although both shamrocks and Oxalis have three leaves, they are from different plant genus, and the leaves and the flowers are shaped differently. True shamrocks are members of the clover family Trifolium repens. Oxalis plant species are extremely prolific and can be found throughout the world, with the most diverse plant being in South America and Southern Africa. While there are many different cultivars of Oxalis, exotic varieties make the best house plants. Oxalis may not be the original shamrock, but this beauty has captured the hearts of all of us looking to bring the luck of the Irish into our homes.  I'm celebrating the New Year with a sweet calendar created by Tessa who lives and paints in Wales. ********************************************* Resolutions? Pretty much a continuation of every year:   Yoga Plant Lady by Christa @ Wild Optimist
 This morning it was 28 F, bright and sunny! Our backyard was atwitter with so many birds. let me begin with a rare treat: a pileated woodpecker=woo hoo! the largest woodpecker in North America. We had our usual chickadees, finches, sparrows, and bushtits; also the Stellar jay, starlings, robins, and flickers; then, we noticed that our spotted towhees were traveling with a pair of Varied Thrushes! Oh joy, and they were having fun scattering the leaves along the edges of the path and in the garden boxes. The male is much brighter than the demurely colored female.   Backyard birding is one of the benefits of being homebound on our hill on an icy day. Cheers!
 Nature Photo Book pick: WILD HONEY BEES by Ingo Arndt and Jurgen Tautz. Dive into the biodiversity of a healthy forest hive. The images are absolutely breath-taking. For beekeepers and beepeekers alike. Scientific Inquiry: If you ever wondered about the honeybee "dance language" hypothesis, you need to read this wonderfully readable and thoroughly researched book.
 Midwinter finds Seattle cold, dark, and wet...but with lovely chilly sunshine breaks in the weather that draw us outside; we've been meeting up with a gorgeous barred owl in the arboretum and our neighborhood Cooper's Hawk has been gracing our backyard often these last few days.  Missing the snow, but we are keeping our spirits bright with saunas, candlelight, and eggnog! Sláinte friends~    Wilding: the return of Nature to a British FarmI devoured this book in three days and highly recommend it as a source of Earth Day inspiration. Due to the fact that I need to go play in my garden, I offer you this book review from Amazon :^) In Wilding, Isabella Tree tells the story of the ‘Knepp experiment’, a pioneering rewilding project in West Sussex, using free-roaming grazing animals to create new habitats for wildlife. Part gripping memoir, part fascinating account of the ecology of our countryside, Wilding is, above all, an inspiring story of hope. Forced to accept that intensive farming on the heavy clay of their land at Knepp was economically unsustainable, Isabella Tree and her husband Charlie Burrell made a spectacular leap of faith: they decided to step back and let nature take over. Thanks to the introduction of free-roaming cattle, ponies, pigs and deer – proxies of the large animals that once roamed Britain – the 3,500 acre project has seen extraordinary increases in wildlife numbers and diversity in little over a decade. Extremely rare species, including turtle doves, nightingales, peregrine falcons, lesser spotted woodpeckers and purple emperor butterflies, are now breeding at Knepp, and populations of other species are rocketing. The Burrells’ degraded agricultural land has become a functioning ecosystem again, heaving with life – all by itself. Personal and inspirational, Wilding is an astonishing account of the beauty and strength of nature, when it is given as much freedom as possible.
I just finished reading The Salt Path by Raynor Winn and I’m halfway through The Wild Silence which is equally engaging. Raynor and her husband Moth have been whiplashed by circumstances out of their control: betrayed by a friend, they are evicted from their beloved home after a three-year legal comedy of errors--which is catastrophic--but dwarfed by the news that Moth is dying of an incurable degenerative disease. What to do whilst figuring out what to do? As they are packing up their home they come across Paddy Dillon's guide to The South West Coast Path and they think "why not?" In their youth they were avid hikers and wild campers and the 630-mile Salt Path is calling to them. As Raynor recounts their physical and emotional journey along the Salt Path, you are drawn into their encounters with the seabirds and meadow animals, people on the path and in the villages, and the odd and unusual occurrences that she and Moth experience as they navigate their grief and plot their future. Bookends: two years ago I discovered two books by Cheryl Strayed which came into my life at a critical time--Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail and Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar. Together, these four books have been like good friends supporting me on my own salted path. I am grateful for these women who write of loss, love, betrayal, truth, healing, and the transformative power of nature. "Loss sets you free. In the empty void it leaves anything can happen." R.W. Note: I listened to the audiobooks which are read by the author(s). I also purchased the books and Raynor Winn's covers are illustrated by Angela Harding.  |
AuthorTracey Byrne~ 
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