Park Discovery

Yesterday was a day of discoveries in the Park!  I'm always amazed by what we can find and learn when we use all of our senses, and today we hit the jackpot.  While working on a trail in the Park, one of us heard a distinct sound.  Despite everything I did, stand in different spots, close my eyes, anything, I could not hear it.  But the sound was clear as day to my coworker.  A low hum.  A buzz.  Incessant and loud.  So we looked up and saw what looked like a million fuzzies swirling through the air.  NOT fuzzies.  But these...

a LOT of honeybees!

Due to the focus on the honeybee population and its recent decline, called Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD, I was excited to see a healthy population going about its business.  National Geographic posted an article this past May describing the current state of bees and how their benefits are largely unknown to the larger human population.  Not only do honeybees produce honey, they pollinate plants.  In essence, while they are collecting pollen for the hive, they move from flower to flower.  As they move, the pollen moves with them.  This pollination is imperative to the health and growth of so many of our agricultural staples in this region - apple trees, peach trees, pear trees, cherry trees, the list goes on.  Without bees, we lose out on honey and fresh crops.  This change affects what is available to eat, and also our region's and neighbor's income.  

I was happy to see this healthy hive!

Then, upon return to the never-ending bark chip pile, I discovered these - 

Guesses?

I've narrowed it down to Black Rat Snake eggs, Northern Racer Snake eggs, and Northern Brown Snake eggs.  I'm leaning toward Black Rat Snake, but I won't know until they hatch.  I gently replaced them in the mulch pile, which the mother had so carefully laid them.  I initially thought Garter Snake, very common in this area.  News to me - Garter Snakes give birth to live young.  As do Red-Bellied Snakes, another species I've seen in our Park.  So the field is narrowed to the three species mentioned above.  

Check out the fact sheet above, and the PA Snake fact sheet offered by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.  Let me know your guesses and thoughts.  Until they hatch (and I'm watching!), I won't have a definite answer.  I will tell you these clues:

1. The photo shows them next to a pencil tip.  They measure 3/4 inches long and there were eight total.
2. They are malleable/flexible.  They would not break like a chicken egg if dropped.
3. The shell feels leathery and soft.

Thoughts?

Summer Veggie Garden

Rain, rain, go away!  That was the mantra of many Erieites this June, including many farmers in the region.  We had near record levels of rainfall through the month, a reasonable amount in torrential downpours, which had a noticeable affect on our growing food.  I panicked about the strawberries.  How would they grow without the much-needed sun in June?  Where would I get my fresh berries for shortcake and just eating right off the vine while picking?  (Don't tell the u-pick-em farms).  Many farmers that apply sprays to ward off disease and insects needed to reapply several times, as the applications kept washing off in the rain. It is something to consider when you are growing food.  Many farmers utilize IPM, or Integrated Pest Management.

  This term is a fancy way of saying that rather than try to manage plant diseases and pests with just one method, growers try to use a combination of methods to have the highest effectiveness while taking care of the soil and waterways.  For example, rather than solely depending on an insect spray, a farmer may use the spray to supplement other methods, such as creating habitats for birds that eat crop-destructive insects.  

There are many ways to use IPM, both on large farms and small home gardens.  It's worth looking into various ways that might be successful in your own garden.  Not only do you have a chance of saving money on reducing your cost of chemicals, but you also might have healthier plants and edibles!

Although the rain was frustrating, it ended up having a generally good effect on the plants in the region (including weeds!  If we could take weeds to the Farmer's Market...)  Now that the weather has turned HOT and sunny, the garden inhabitants have just shot up by the hour.  I should measure our pole beans each day; I swear I can watch them winding about the bamboo poles.

The pumpkins are actively reaching by the hour, also.  I am continually moving the vines back up onto the concrete blocks to keep things tidy.  There are three different gourds growing in here, traditional jack-o-lantern pumpkins, jack-be-little pumpkins, and zucchini.  All are looking quite healthy!

Jack-o-lantern pumpkin just starting out.  If the amount of flowers on the vine are any indication, there will be a bumper crop in the garden this fall.

There are at least eight zucchini growing at this point.  However, if I know zucchini,  I'll be harvesting well into September.  It can be quite prolific, especially if the conditions are right and the plant is happy.

I am incredibly proud of our basil.  They have successfully grown from seed this spring (a first for me!) and look to continue well on into summer.  I can smell the tomato/mozzarella/basil salad now...  They have already begun to try to flower, which I nip off when I see them.  The flowers get nipped at the base to encourage the plant to put its energy into growing fuller, with more leaves, rather than producing flowers.  These herbs are in our handicapped accessible bed, raised up to be available for those needing to stand while gardening or to wheel a chair up under.  Because of the raised position of the bed, the soil does dry out faster, needing more frequent watering.

THE STRAW BEDS!  An ongoing experiment, I decided to try tomatoes in the straw bale beds this year.  Remember, we used straw rather than hay as hay bales also include seeds from the hay harvest.  These seeds will voluntarily pop right up out of the bale and begin to grow.  Rather than fight that battle, I chose straw bales to cut down on unwanted plant growth.

Four tomato plants

Off to a rocky start in June due to the rain, the tomatoes have grown exponentially in the sunshine.

They are a nice, healthy green now with numerous yellow flowers ready to grow the fruit!

I try to check the grapes daily.  I've not grown grapes, so I am often contacting friends and farmers for advice.  We are trying to grown four varieties, Steuben, Concord, Niagara, and Fredonia.  This season is the second one for growth, and we have grapes!

The strings you see are trainers, to train the vines along the various wires.

Come check out the growing fruits of the labor in the Community Learning Garden!