Mutts Cartoon: a long-tailed male
birdie perched on an extended branch,
serenades his intended mate in a nearby tree:
“Sweet as sweetest Grecian honey will my song
be when I sing,
O Beloved…in the season of the Spring!”
(written by Ruben Dario)
Spring has sprung,
the grass is riz;
I wonder where the
flowers is.
Although originally credited to Ogden Nash ~ an American poet
(1902-1971) writing pithy and funny verse, the author is in fact...the very
famous poet...'Anonymous' ...according to one writer. There are various
versions. The Brooklyn version and by
many considered the borough's National Anthem reads:
Spring has sprung,
the grass is riz;
I wonder where the
boidie is.
The boid is on the
wing, but that's absoid
From what I'm
told...the wing is on the boid.
Other
Versions: Spring has sprung and the
grass is riz; I wonder where the daisies
is.
The birdies are chirping in the trees;
The
wind is blowing as it please.
Everyone's as happy as can be
'Cause winter's gone as my eye sees.
“The More Snow, the Better”
writes Kathy Renwald. “Fluffy snow is
good for the garden, and we got gobs of it this winter. Light feathery snow insulates your precious
plants like a goose down comforter.
Fluffy snow has lots of air in it...and that keeps the temperature
warmer at ground level around the base of plants. When the air temperature was
-25C degrees, it was -2C under the snow at ground level where the plants
reside. The bonus is that when the snow
melts, it waters the plants. That phenomena, called the freeze-thaw cycle is
the worst thing for our gardens...often pushing the plants out of the ground
exposing their roots to the elements.”
By the reaction of the returning
song birds, they all appear to be wondering just why they flew back so
soon. A few...dared even to spend the
winter here...grateful for the humans who kept their 'feeding stations'
operating. Spring now invites us to consider gardens with a view of protecting
butterflies.
Ancaster's 'Butterfly
Family' dedicated to preserving threatened species...written by David
Churchill ~ The Hamilton Spectator.
Devin Melanson stated, “It just happened. It started when we decided to go
'pesticide-free' and plant some native species.
Five years ago, the garden included milkweed plants attracting plenty of
butterflies. After a trip to Cambridge's
Butterfly Conservatory, it's been a journey of discovery, commitment and love
for the entire family...with my wife Sunila and boys now 10 and12. We raise the butterflies from eggs and then
we release them.” Their backyard operation
has expanded beyond native plants.
Our outdoor 'dining tent' has become a summer home for dozens of butterflies. Eggs are nurtured and caterpillars are
fed in the 'caterpillar crib'. The boys help keep a daily watch on the
operation and educate neighbours and friends.
Some might only see milkweed as
an invasive species and a bit of a nuisance...but it's a source of life for Monarch
Butterflies...and being THE ONLY PLANT THE CATERPILLARS EAT.
Last summer the family
successfully raised more than 150 Monarchs and gave away another 100 or
more eggs for others to look after.
Devin states, “You don't need a big yard and the job's not difficult.”.
Sean, their 10-year
old calls the Monarchs...beautiful,
and says he likes how
they feel when they land on his hand.
Buy a Toque...Help the
Monarchs: Francois Simard is
developing a new line of textiles with a secret ingredient...MILKWEED. Even someone who's followed the story even
slightly knows this much:
The decline in the Monarch
Butterfly population ~ 90% over the past 20 years (by some estimates) is the
result of the loss of milkweed. Milkweed
is disappearing...largely due to agricultural herbicides used in critical
Monarch breeding regions.
Francois says that during his
textile work on hemp and flax, someone pointed out to me, “Here's another
fiber...milkweed.” We tried something
and it worked. Encore 3 is now
launching its first milkweed product...an absorbent textile kit for
Parks Canada to clean up oil and fuel spills.
Milkweed can also be used for cold weather clothing. Francois Simard plans to launch a garment
line in 2016 with a Chicoutami, Quebec-based manufacturer and in transportation
as a base material for light-weight thermo-formed panels. It can be blended
with other fibers to make textiles for clothing, too.
“Plant a Wild Flower Garden
to save the butterflies!”
I Wandered Lonely as a
Cloud…commonly known as ‘Daffodils’
is a lyric poem of four verses
by William Wordsworth.
The inspiration for the poem came from a walk with his sister
in England’s Lake District
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills;
When all at once I saw a crowd…
A host of golden daffodils..
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And tumble in the milky way ~
They stretched in a never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay.
Ten thousand saw I at a glance
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
Merle Baird-Kerr…compiled March 10, 2015
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