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Is it Spring yet?

4/28/2023

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Enjoying life's abundance: rhubarb, asparagus, coffee & rye bread

P.S. Chickadees vs. Bumblebee Queen 
So, this week I've been watching two chickadees and a Bombus vosnesenskii queen (the yellow-faced bumblebee) going in-and-out of the chickadee's birdhouse. I'll keep you posted!
June: definitely the Chick-a-dees; the parents are busy all day long and the peep-peeping is getting louder. They'll be fledging soon and I hope to catch them at it this year.
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Shamrocks

3/17/2023

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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 40 years, including a dozen Arctic winters. 

​                      Curious about why the shamrock became a symbol of Ireland?
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SHAMROCKS VS. OXALIS: WILL THE REAL SHAMROCK PLEASE STAND UP
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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. 
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Celebrating Summer

7/18/2022

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Mid-summer notes:
We've got chickadees nesting in our nest box. Chickadees only have one brood per year, so a second family made use of our bird box :^) They have been keeping their parents busy and we have enjoyed the peeping.

Our garden thrived throughout our cool wet spring and we've been enjoying daily salad greens with lettuces, arugula, sorrel, kale, and chard. We are planting seeds and starts this week for our fall salad munching.
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Our wild backyard featured volunteer poppies, borage, and glorious 10' tall foxgloves this year.
Loving the lavender...mmmmmmm
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Lúnasa 2020=Sláinte

8/1/2020

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Today is Lughnasadh, the beginning Gaelic harvest festival which historically was observed throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. I will be celebrating by tidying up my garden boxes, harvesting the last of my spring kales and Swiss chard, and replanting for the fall season. 

Where did July go? Our mornings included drinking coffee on the patio and enjoying our resident Spotted Towhees, Bewick's wrens, and hummingbirds--(not so much the antics of the voracious and vociferous fledgling crow who continues to create endless ruckus).

Sláinte!
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Photos: August calendar by Linnea, super-tiny cilantro flowers (whose centers turn into amazingly large coriander seeds!), and our manzanita (Arctostaphylos) Towhee playground
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Rhubarb Cake

5/29/2020

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Tracey’s Rhubarb Cake
Step 1
Preheat Oven to 350 F. Grease and flour 8x8 square baking dish.

Step 2
In large bowl mix:
3⁄4 cup white sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1⁄2 tsp salt
1 cup white flour
1 cup ww flour

Stir in: 
2 beaten eggs
1 cup sour cream

Then fold in:
3 cups chopped rhubarb
Spoon into baking dish, it is thick!
Step 3
In small bowl stir together:

1⁄2 cup brown sugar
1⁄2 cup softened butter
1 tsp cinnamon
2 T of ancient seeds or chopped nuts
1⁄4 cup rolled oats
2 T rye flour

Spread mixture over top of cake
Step 4
Bake at 350 F for about 50 minutes (or until toothpick comes out clean)

Enjoy​! 

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On the verge-so much has happened

4/10/2020

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I am excited to share the link to my article, published Spring 2019 in Pacific Horticulture.

With everyone quarantined and staying at home, this is a wonderful opportunity to dig into your soil and to nourish your relationship with the flora and fauna in the neighborhood. 

Now, get outside and enjoy that spring sunshine!
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Simple Actions that Make a difference

10/21/2019

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Seven Simple Actions to Help Birds
Small changes in the way you buy groceries and products, drink coffee, and garden will yield great rewards for your local ecosystem, as well as promoting fair-trade farmers across the world.
Nurture Nature.
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local bugs and birds Thrive in messy backyards

9/18/2019

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These are not exactly the kind of backyard birds that most of us get to see, but I do love the Cape Dorset Inuit Art calendars and notecards. 
It feels like autumn here in Seattle, and even though we most likely will have another round of warmish weather, it is the time of year when people are getting busy raking and tidying up for winter. This year, I would like to invite you to consider taking a less vigorous approach to cutting back your grasses and raking and composting leaves and fallen branches. Check out these tips from Audubon on how to enhance your backyard this fall to encourage more wildlife action.

Backyard birders: be sure to sign up for Project Feederwatch, This year's poster is a limited edition poster of backyard Hawks and Falcons of North America.  

If online learning is one of your passions, I suggest one of these Cornell Lab of Ornithology self-paced courses. Or, for a free quick fix:, check out their videos.

Wishing you lots of daydreaming and playtime in your backyard and neighborhood this fall!
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Summer Fun in my Backyard

7/24/2019

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GREENS, KOMBUCHA, KNITTING, STRAWBERRIES, AND ENDLESS HERBS

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Nymphs, Instars, and metamorphosis

6/19/2019

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Mystery bug #1                                                               Mystery Bug #2

What's that bug?

Have you ever found a cool bug in your backyard, tried to I.D. it, and been frustrated because you could not find it in any of your field guides, in a google image search, or even in BugGuide.net?

Do not despair, as you are not alone! As you may know, insects are the most numerous animal life form on the planet, comprising about 85% of terrestrial animals. Not only that, insects come in all shapes and sizes, and do magic called metamorphosis after being nymphs or molting their hard exoskeletons as they move through instars on their way to sexual maturity.

"Arthropods are a highly-successful group of invertebrate animals that includes insects, centipedes, millipedes, spiders, mites, horseshoe crabs, scorpions, and crustaceans. In terms of species diversity, arthropods are second to none. That there are in excess of one million arthropods species that have been identified by scientists and there are estimated to be many millions that have not yet been identified. Scientists estimate there may be a staggering 30 million species of arthropods alive today, the vast majority of which are insects."

The insect world is currently divided into 32 orders. The largest order, the beetles (Coleoptera), contains more than 370,000 species. Other major orders are moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera, 150,000 species), bees, wasps, and ants (Hymenoptera, 120,000 species), flies (Diptera, 100,000 species), and bugs (Hemiptera, 80,000 species).

To make mystery bug I.D. even harder, remember that all insects go through metamorphosis-which means that most of them look completely different from adults when they are in their immature stages as larvae and instars-making it quite a puzzle to identify them, since field guides and websites often only show images of the adult stages of many insects.
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For example, take mystery bug #1, found by my friend Lorene in her West Seattle garden:
after three fails (which included an image search, googling "green ladybug",  and BugGuide.net), I  googled "Seattle pest insects" and found a P-Patch reference document from the Seattle Dept. of Neighborhoods, that told me all about the invasive Green Stinkbug, which were first reported in Seattle in 2014.
Bingo! Lorene's bug turned out to be the 5th instar stage of the Southern Green Stinkbug Nezara Viridula. She found this insect alongside lots of little tiny black bugs (2nd/3rd instar) on a Dalia leaf, never before seen in her garden.


Mystery bug #2 is the larva stage of the Ladybug Coccinellidae. The first time I found baby ladybugs in my yard, I was pretty sure that I had discovered a new species of insect. Who knew?

Insects can go through complete or incomplete metamorphosis. Nymphs are tinier versions of the adults, and instars and larvae can look very different from the adult (think caterpillar/butterfly).

To see more examples of insects and their cycles, visit Mr.Science.

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Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus Philenor) life cycle stages
The thing to remember, when taking care of your backyard, is that often times immature stages of beneficial insects look very different from the adults. Be sure to be gentle when you are weeding and tidying up your garden for the winter, as many caterpillars overwinter in the grasses, leaves, shrubs, and woodpiles. These are your butterfly nurseries. If you do find a "pest" insect, such as the Green Stinkbug, please contact the Garden Hotline:  [email protected] or call 206-633-0224.
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    Tracey Byrne~

    I taught K-12 students from north of the Arctic Circle to the Puget Sound Ecoregion, garnering  40 years of experience as a classroom teacher, learning mentor, and private tutor. 

    I spent most of the 1980s and 90s in Alaska flying airplanes, floating wild rivers, winter camping, teaching, parenting, and living off the grid. 

    Here in Seattle, I am an advocate for environmental stewardship, place-based education, and outdoor play. I share my enthusiasm for birds, bugs, and backyards and have been a featured writer and photographer for Pacific Horticulture. 
    ​

    All photographs © T. Byrne unless otherwise noted.

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