Nature This Month | August

 Which picture is your favorite? Mine is the Blond Woolly Bear caterpillar clinging to an Iron Weed stem. 

A beautiful monarch I saw at the end of July.

I had been looking for monarch caterpillar all summer and had only found these moth caterpillars:

My sons brought me these cute little frogs to take pictures of them.

I have been getting some nice sunrise pictures lately.

This large Praying Mantis was perched of our porch eve.

This blond Wooly Bear is my favorite picture in this batch. We were visiting at my parents home when I captured this photo.

I was all excited when I saw this beetle one morning, thinking that I had found a true Ladybug, but alas, it was a Corn Beetle after all.

I learned that Corn Beetles have this M shaped marking and true Ladybugs do not.

And finally, I found a Monarch caterpillar! There were two on this plant. They were so tiny, probably in their 2nd instar.

I set up a habitat inside so that we could watch them grow.

I was a little worried about them at one point when they looked a little droopy after a molt, but there was no need for concern they perked up just fine.

Not everything in nature is beautiful. I saw ants scavenging this dead worm on a sidewalk and decided to capture a picture. Death is part of life. The ants need the nourishment provided by the dead worm and we all benefit from scavengers cleaning up dead carcases in our environment.

This was an interesting flying insect. I never looked it up to see what kind of insect it was.

Another sunrise.

And another.

A beautiful Garden Spider! 

As I gathered milkweed to feed our caterpillars, I ended up bringing in two more caterpillars unexpectedly.

Two of our caterpillars have gone into their chrysalis stage. You can see the final molted skin hanging onto this chrysalis. The butterflies should be emerging any day now!

We saw this beautiful sunset last night on a drive home.

And that is a wrap! Come again next month to see I find on my adventures.

Pumpkin Pie Season!

 

We live in an area where a lot of pumpkins are grown. Most are grown for the Libby's brand. Meaning they are not the decorative type, but the really good for pies type. 

I was able to get my hands on this one a month ago. The consignment store in town had a few of these Libby pumpkins out in front of their building with a free sign. I don't know the story of how they got there. I like to fancy that they fell off the truck. Honestly, that is because I have a very poor imagination and can't come up with a more creative story.

Last week I cut the pumpkin up and processed it. I cooked it until soft and scooped out the pulp. Then I blended the pulp in a food processors until it was smooth. I froze most of the pumpkin puree to use later. With some of it I made a large pumpkin pie. And, I roasted the seeds for a snack.

I am so embarrassed to show this picture because of the aluminum pie pan. Not only is it ugly but someone might think that I used a store bought crust- oh, the shame!

I didn't! I didn't! The crust is homemade and the pie pan is salvaged. I wanted to use this pie pan because it is so big. You can't tell by this picture, but this is a 11.5" pie pan. I multiplied the recipe by a small percentage to fill this pan. 

And to bring this post full circle: I used the Libby's pumpkin pie recipe. It is our family's favorite.

The Wild Geese By Henry Beer | Poem

The Wild Geese

I saw a flock of wild geese fly
Across the somber autumn sky,
In orderly formation!

As to the South they took their flight,

From wing to wing in cloudy height

I gazed in admiration.

A destined course they seem to take,

Their nests and summer haunts forsake,

And fly to sunny regions.

In close formation you can see

Them make the sign of victory

By following their leader.

They take their course high in the air

And thus elude the hunter's snare;

They know the Fowler's tactics.

I thought how much akin to life,

For men, like them, in earthly strife

Must have a guide and leader.

Our God and Father did provide

For us a Captain, shield and guide,

In Christ, the Prince, Emanuel.

If, like these fowls, we ever stay

With Christ, our leader, on the way

We'll find out goal in safety.

Thanks! Thanks to you, my friends on high!

As from my wandering gaze you fly

You've taught a noble lesson.

Chrysanthemums By Henry Beer | Poem

Chrysanthemums

Whene'er I see Chrysanthemums,

Arrayed in colors bright,

I think of Autumn's pageantry,

Each cool and frosty night.

In yellow, bronze, and snowy white

These flowers are displayed 

As lovely as the autumn trees,

In colors bright arrayed.

Chrysanthemums of snow-white bloom

Remind us of the snow

Which soon will cover hill and vale

As wintry winds will blow.

Ye artists henceforth should portray

With Cornucopia's horn

These gorgeous flowers, bright and fair,

With fruit, and grain, and corn.

As flowers in a patient's room,

Chrysanthemums give cheer;

These lovely flowers of varied bloom

Console the dying year.

We praise Him for these lovely things,,

For all that He hath done.

To see His power in humble works,

It makes us truly one.

By Henry Beer 

My Garden of Verse

Page 171

Gardening 2023 The Beginning

 

This is sometimes called, "Winter Sowing." The ideal is to make miniature greenhouses out of milk jugs. 

I used 1 gallon water bottles.

I cut the tops off of the water bottles, poked drainage holes in the bottom, and put 3 inches of steriled soil in the bottles. I then planted seeds and put the tops back onto the bottles.

I left the bottles outside. This was back on March 25th. It was still too cold to plant most seeds in the garden, but the water bottle greenhouses gave these seeds a headstart. 

This method worked out very well for me this year. I was able to keep more seedlings alive and to the point of being transplanted than some years that I start seeds indoors. Having little ones inside that want to play in my potting soil makes it difficult to keep seedlings alive.

My tomatoes are doing very well now that they are transplanted into the garden. The tomato seeds are the ones that I saved from last year's tomato fruits.

How are your gardens growing? Have you heard of, "Winter Sowing," before. Have you tried, "Winter Sowing?" I look forward to reading about it in the comments section.

Book Review| My Garden Of Verse

 My Garden of Verse by Henry Beer is the subject of this post.

I found this book of poems at a flea market a few years ago. I had no inkling that it was such a wholesome (God fearing) poem collection. I noticed it on a shelf and had for sometime felt that poetry was lacking in my life. I briefly flipped through the pages. I saw that most of the poems had a garden/nature theme. While I didn't think there would be any deep thought provoking poems, I thought that, at least, it would not have poems with  objectionable subjects. On that basis I bought it.

I had no idea what a treasure I had found!

My Garden of Verse by Henry Beer was published by WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company in 1945. The book is broken up into 5 chapters; Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, and In Memoriam and contains 162 poems in total. My copy is a third edition from 1960. (I did contact the publisher to ask permission to copy these poems to my blog. I was told that these poems are in the public domain now.)

The poems in this book have a special place in my heart because they bring to recall the places of my childhood that I hold dear. Particularly, the things of the woodlands; the plants, and flowers, and trees that I learned as a girl. The seasons and constant pace of nature that are so familiar and comforting are highlighted in Henry Beer's works. Sprinkled throughout the chapters is a poem for each month of the year.

The really neat thing about the month poems is that Henry Beer was from Indiana (I am, too) and so all the flowers and trees and wildlife mentioned in each month corresponds perfectly with the seasons where I am from and as I have experienced them. I don't know if you know what I mean, but sometimes what blooms, for example: in March, is different depending on where you are on the continent. Writers from these various places have a variety of experiences of when the snow melts or when the sap flows, etc.... And these experiences make their way into their writings. I think it is so cool that everything in Henry Beer's poems, as far as woodland life, is exactly as I know it to be.

The other thing that I love about these poems are the spiritual truths. In every poem Henry Beer uses creation to point to the Creator. There are many uplifting and edifying thoughts that really anchor the readers mind on heavenly things. There are poems that tell redemptions story, exalt Jesus, and call the believer to greater love and service. These poems are quite encouraging and contemplative.

I did some searching online to see if a could find more information about Henry Beer. I wanted to know who he was. Through his poems I had gathered that he was some kind of Christian and that he had a son named Marcus that had died in his youth. There wasn't any information about Henry Beer online. I thought that was unfortunate. His works deserve to be more widely known, in my opinion.

I shared some of these poems with friends who happen to be part of the *Apostolic Christian faith tradition. I was shocked to learn that my friends knew of Henry Beer. He had been a minister in their denomination and even written some hymns that they sing in their church. It's a small world!

You can order a copy of Henry Beer's My Garden Of Verse from Apostolic Christian Bookstore .org.

 I will finish this post with the forward from My Garden Of Verse, which is a poem. :-)

Forward
The gate to my garden is open!
In this garden of verse you will find
Many writings, all varied in nature,
With the noblest of virtues entwined.

Come out to the fields and the gardens

While the birds sing at break of day.

Here the trees and the fields and the forests

Have a message of truth to convey.

The charm of each season and splendor

Will here to your vision unfold;

The glory of spring and of autumn,

The time when the season grows cold.

Fond memories of home and of childhood,

With friendships endearing and true,

The problems we face in life's pathway

In verse are recorded for you.

May the seeds I have sown in my garden

Spring forth and bring cheer to your heart.

May they help you when careworn and weary,

And a message of solace impart.

Come browse through my garden of verses,

There the Master will speak to your soul.

You will see by the beauty of nature

Many reasons His name to extol.

*Some of my readers may not be familiar with the Apostolic Christian faith, so I have added this asterisk to provide some context. The Apostolic Christian Church is one of the many branches that came from the Anabaptist movement of the 1500's. Around here (where I live) people generally shorten Apostolic Christian to AC. In everyday speech it sounds like, "I know that family: they are AC's." Or "The AC church runs the nursing home in town." Or "The AC choir sounds like heaven!" Etc....  Some AC congregations are very conservative in their dress standards, with women wearing head covering, dresses, and keeping their hair in a bun, and the men being clean shaven and wearing white shirts and black ties to meeting. I will sometimes be taken for an AC when I am out and about because my style fits all the AC distinctives.

Pruning (Poem)

 Pruning

By Henry Beer

When spring has come and snow recedes,
And the chilling March wind blows,
I go to prune the apple trees,
The grape vine, and the rose.

I prune the trees which are too high,
And such that are too low;
And some have barren rampant growth,
On which no fruit will grow.

Some trees have branches all entwined,
And thus no fruit they bear.
I cut, and saw, and prune them out,
That light may enter there.

The grape vine, too, has gone astray
And far their vines have run;
I hesitate to cut them back-
Alas! it must be done.

I prune the branches of the rose,
Which grows entwined and high.
The rose, when pruned by skillful hands,
More flowers will supply.

My friends, take note, I will explain
A truth profound and rare.
The Master's hand must prune our lives
If we good fruit would bear.

How blest the man who will submit;
He ne'er will suffer loss.
God knows just how to prune our lives,
And cut away the dross.

The barren and the harmful growth
The Master will remove.
He will, by purging of each branch,
His loving kindness prove.

The Beauties Of Springtime (Poem)

The Beauties Of Springtime

By Henry Beer

Some people think the springtime 

A seasonable event,

With birds, and bees, and flowers,

Which nature's hand has sent.

To me spring is the season

When Heaven does bestow

On earth it's tenderest blessings,

And causes things to grow.

The Lilacs show their color,

The Cherry flowers are white,

The Apple trees are blooming

With petals sweet and bright.

In marshy vales and meadows,

How lovely to behold 

The Buttercups like sunshine,

Arrayed in shining gold.

And there out in the woodland,

What precious gems we see!

The Adder's Tongue, and Trillium,

And Rue Anemone.

There stands Jack in the Pulpit,

Without a word to say,

And everywhere Spring Beauties

Are growing by the way.

The air is filled with fragrance,

The blooming flowers and trees

Dispense their pleasing odors,

And sweetness for the bees.

The Cardinal and Robin,

The Oriole so bright,

Are singing in the orchard,

A song of sheer delight.

The Meadow Lark in rapture

Goes soaring in the air,

And Swallows in the barn-loft

Their nests of mud prepare.

If things which are created

Are truly fair to see,

How beautiful and perfect

Must the Creator be!

I hope to live in Eden,

It's joys sublime to share;

For it excels in beauty-

It's always spring-time there.

Paw Paw Time!

 We went to the Paw Paw Grove this week 

 to see if there were any ripe fruits. 

 We found a few!

You can read about our Paw Paw harvest in 2020

in a blog post HERE.

Paw Paws are native to the North American continent.

The fruits have a very tropical taste and aroma.

They are a special treat!

This is the time of year when many 

treats are being harvested.

Apples, pears, and grapes,

are a few that come to mind.

It has been several years since I have had

any local pears or grapes.

Genesis 1:11 
And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass,
 the herb yielding seed, 

and the fruit tree yielding fruit
 after his kind, whose seed is in itself, 

upon the earth: 
and it was so.

Have you been busy with harvesting

or preserving?

Let me know your favorite fruit!

Seed Saving

I have been saving seeds from the plants in my garden. I have looked up information on collecting seeds. Hopefully, I am doing it right. It will be interesting in the Spring to see how well the seed I have saved germinate. And then next summer to how the fruits or flowers compare to their parents.

I have many Bachelor Buttons that came up voluntarily. I collected a bunch of seed heads. 

Bachelor Button Seed Heads

I am mixing together several different herb and flower seeds as I collect them. I think it will be fun to have a mixture to sow in an area of the yard. I have cilantro, dill weed, bachelor buttons, calendula, borage, and cosmo in my mix thus far.

Calendula seeds develop on the maturing flower head in a visually interesting way. The shape of calendula seeds are quite unique, too.

Looking directly down at a seed head of calendula.

Calendula seeds 

Borage usually self sows very readily. I have included borage seeds in my mix just as insurance.

Borage

I have these gorgeous rust colored sunflowers that I am saving seed from.

Also some ordinary sunflowers.

This sunflower was still opening up one morning.
Can you spot the sleeping bee resting on the flower?

I heard that once the rays have fallen off of the sunflower blooms the heads can be cut and dried in a paper bag as the seeds continue to mature. The seeds look quite under developed at this stage, but I hope they turn out to be viable.

This is my first time saving tomato seeds. I have Black Krim, Rutger, and Roma varieties.

I followed the fermentation method for saving wet seeds with my tomatoes and my cucumber.

I wanted to save pickling cucumber seeds. I don't remember the exact variety of cucumbers that I planted. I didn't grow anything that would cross with cucumber so, I'm sure the seeds I saved will grow some kind of cucumbers.

Once the seeds were clean and dry I put them in labeled, paper envelopes for storage.

Do you save seeds from your garden? 

A Bunch of Drying

 I've been drying some of summer's bounty the last couple months.

The children and I picked pineapple weed all throughout June. We were able to collect almost a full quart jar of dried pineapple weed flowers. I blended them with mint and lemon balm for tea.

The rest of the herbs and flowers from my yard, that can be used for herbal infusions, I have been collecting and blending together. 

There is a little borage, calendula, mint, lemon balm, lavender, and rose petals. I added some anise seed and ginger. I'm calling this Yard Blend Tea. :)

From our neighborhood community garden I have all this basil to dry.

These hot banana peppers are from my garden. I did not feel like pickling them. I decided to hang them and once they're dry maybe I can grind them into some kind of chili powder. ? I have never done anything like that before. Have any of you ever dried banana peppers? I could use some advice!

Psalms 104:14
He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle,

and herb for the service of man: 

that he may bring forth food 

out of the earth;