Studiology

Tithonia and Stealth Cams

The biggest draw in the garden today were the leftover stalks of tithonia. Birds of all sorts feasted while it snowed, climbing in and out of the tangled stalks, breathing new life into something that's been dead since fall. Commonly known as the Mexican sunflower, I allowed 7 seedlings to grow to maturity, those 7 occupied a bed that was 16 feet long and 4 feet wide. They are beasts when it comes to largeness of an annual. 

Valuable as a nectar plant for butterflies, it might be even more sought after by birds in winter. No other plant draws so much attention on a snowy day. So as your flower catalogs begin to arrive, consider tithonia and don't cut the stems in fall! 

Since last spring I placed a couple of stealth cam's out in the yard and garden. My goal was to move them around, in time moving them to the furthest section of the farm to record the coyote population. Most photographs were pretty boring, the mower going by, the dog triggering the camera, etc. I started with them directly on the ground and eventually strapped them to a tree or used a monopod. Just recently I moved one to the other side of the farm, in time I will share what shows up, but here are a few while the camera was in the garden. Interestingly enough, a deer (or a few?) would walk on the same path, within 5 minutes of the same time, everyday. I have spared you the deer photographs, but here are a few that I found interesting. I actually liked having the camera on the ground, you know "bird's eye view". 

The dates and times have been corrected on the newly placed cameras. My hope is to also see the turkeys, which have grown in numbers and seem to be doing well, despite what I know or hear as large coyote packs. Some of the new cameras will record video as well, so this will be very interesting. Stay tuned.

 

Meet Glenn

In November I was given a very special gift, a diary written by Glenn Israel Dettweiler. A small 5 year diary, written from 1937 to 1941. Each page has 5 spaces, like a written paragraph in size, for the same date 5 years in a row. The cover is gone, and the pages are not secure, so I'm extra careful with this delightful little insight into Glenn's personal, professional, and social life. 

I suspect that the diary became available when his immediate family had passed. It was found in a lot of salvage items and the gift giver believed I might enjoy it. More so than he. 

My genealogy research has been pretty futile. I would love to see this stay in the Dettweiler family, which was very large and extended. From Fauquier County, specifically Midland, Virginia, they were land owners with a farm. 

Glenn married Lois, but at the time of this diary they weren't married but knew each other. There would be a daughter named Gail, but the birth year is a mystery, a dead-end on the internet. 

He was 1 of 9 or 10 children, born in 1915, so only 22 years old when the diary begins. Glenn was the second to the last in birth order, 4 girls and 6 boys, but I believe that one may have passed very young.

 Just about everyday I check in to see what Glenn was up to. From his entries I know that he lived in Washington D.C. and worked for the Gold Craft Company, canning Coca Cola. As of April 1940 he was single and received $1,218.44 in gross wages. He had chickens, 1 pig (or more), read a lot and went to the movies every week. 

He bought a Brownie camera on April 12th, 1939 for $1.98. New eyeglasses were $10. and six books cost $1.00. Glenn registered for the draft on October 16th, 1940, with snippets of war news beginning in September of 1939. Most days he read or wrote and received letters. The outside temperature, his weight, and hours worked, are listed just about every day. 

On December 31st for 5 years, this sums up his day:

temperature 38 to 41 degrees

worked 3 to 7.5 hours

had teeth cleaned and 1 pulled

cleaned out brooder house (house for young chickens)

drove his brothers car 3 miles (he always writes down home many miles any vehicle as driven, I'm pretty sure he didn't own one)

two of those years he took the train to Calverton

On January 1st he read the paper and a magazine (1939), drove another brother's car 12 miles (1939), went to the movies (1938) and sawed wood (1940).

I find the details of everyday life fascinating, it all seems so laid back or shall I say less hectic, but in truth, I wonder if he even owned a TV (they arrived in 1927), or had a phone. Hand written letters were the order of the time, so much was done by mail. 

I will continue to share Glenn's entries and maybe a family member will be found who would dearly love to have this valuable family heirloom.  

 

Last Art of 2018

Today I finished what will be the last piece of art before we begin 2019. It seemed a little fitting to be another wand, this one is called "Thunderbird" after the tradition of the thunderbird of Native Americans. Oversized wings can flap and create storms. It was the overseer of weather. It urged us to pay attention to nature. 

The holder has a landscape painted in it and the wand is held with magnets.

Twenty-nine inches tall, it's perfect for that skinny place in your home. I love skinny art!

I also love the meaning of this wand. And if there might be a moral or a lesson, at the very least we must recycle. This morning I watched two young girls throw a coke can out of their parked car. So close, so close I came to confronting them. I walked up to the car and decided it might not be a good idea (visions of a fight in the parking lot). Instead I waited for them to leave, walked over and picked up the can and recycled it at home. We must teach our children, we must impress on them how important this is! Let 2019 be the year we all take this a little more serious. One can at a time, one plastic bag at a time (or more).

Lastly there is a new Alice. She was created in the Disney version with blonde hair. An altered Pez dispenser, she is looking up, like "this is when I'm small". 

May you all grow in 2019, grow tall, grow wise, grow the garden. 

 

Whew, What a Ride

The holidays sped by, Christmas was yesterday, and today is my first official day of chillin. For 5 weeks I worked in the floral department at Merrifield Gardens, creating Thanksgiving arrangements and centerpieces followed by Christmas arrangements, advent wreaths and more centerpieces. My boss, the lovely, talented and patient Wilson, made this the most fun and exciting time I have ever experienced in floral design. I will miss her dearly as well as other associates at Merrifield, as I have decided to not return in spring. I have some other plans for 2019. 

During these last weeks I worked on another workshop (#5) with participants building a Christmas centerpiece. It took an army to create the right environment but all went smoothly and everyone left happy.

I was encouraged to be spontaneous and creative with my own work, which is exactly how a good boss should direct their underlings. These are a few of my arrangements and it was a joy to work with such an array of greens, ribbons, and flowers.

For my contributions to art there were only some Krampus figures. Time was very, very limited. All sold and I will give more time to December themed art in 2019. God willing and the creek don't rise.

The transformation from a raw nutcracker to Krampus can be seen here, when the painting has just begun.

Squeezed in was family time with Quinn's 4th birthday party and then Christmas. So here are my adorable grandchildren, making animal sounds during breakfast on this day after Christmas. A video would have been better!

Felicity loves to draw and is keeping a journal, naturally it's all animals. If Quinn had one, it would be trucks and tractors.

For Christmas I bought myself a new scroll saw and have some mighty big plans, none of which include chopping off fingers.

So you are up to speed on the December that flew by, the month that comes with a lot of pressure but a wonderful time to catch up with family and friends. 

Here is a parting shot of Chloe, the well dressed little Merrifield visitor that loves all of the employees and seems to live for each and every day that she gets to visit. I will miss you Chloe!

 

 

 

 

Plant Speak

Most, if not all, gardeners speak to their plants.  Scientists say the only benefit they receive from our spoken words are carbon dioxide. Of course we feel differently, our nurturing self believes our plants hear us, respond to us, maybe even think (like they have a brain). 

Recently I surveyed some friends with a question: do you talk to your plants? Given that all of my friends are gardeners, it was a resounding yes. Short sentences, mostly timed with boisterous growth or flowering, or the sad consoling when we've forgotten to water and the plant is wilted, these were the main reason for dialog. I also asked if it differed by plant, as in; do you speak differently to your outdoor hydrangea versus your indoor fancy orchid? No was the answer although there was a lot of gendering, male or female designations, some believing that all of their plants are male (or the alternative). 

When it comes to scientific facts about how a plant communicates with its surroundings, I believe that there may be more unknown than known. But I can site some studies that highlight recent findings. It's been proven that a caterpillar eating a leaf will trigger surrounding plants to increase certain chemicals in their leaves so they are less palatable. Is it hearing, vibrations, or smell? 

In 2013 a project showed that plants have memory, at least the sensitive plant or Mimosa pudica. This plant was the perfect subject for the test; when touched the leaves quickly fold up. They are small leaves, arranged on a stem and it's an intriguing thing to watch them turn upward from stem tip to trunk in a matter of milliseconds.  The experiment took over 50 plants, dropped every five seconds, all rigged with mechanical devices for the drop to negate differences from potential human imperfections. In some cases Mimosa pudica stopped closing after the fifth or sixth drop.  Eventually they all stopped reacting.  A week later the same experiment was repeated and the plants ignored the stimuli, so it also went a month later, the sensitive plant remembered!

The Venus fly trap requires a certain, very precise set of movements before it snaps its jaws shut. Two small filaments must be touched together in less than twenty seconds for it to close on its prey. This dual action also keeps it from closing when it’s hit by raindrops, or a blowing leaf, or random environmental cues. Some may consider this thinking. I'm sure it's an adaptation developed over millions of years. If their jaws were constantly opening and closing, there would have to be a weakening. With evolutionary adaptation, those that opened less frequently would be stronger, better suited to thrive and displace the Venus fly trap, version 101. 

Maybe the most exciting research shows that tree roots are connected by a network of mycorrhizal fungi. Both are rewarded in the relationship, trees give the fungi sugar, the tree is then rewarded with minerals and nutrients transferred by the fungus. An underground communication system is now set up, like a network of phone lines, even linking different species. When a tree is in trouble, it will alert others in its network. There is even proof that an ailing tree may release its reserves to other trees as it dies, even helping another species that may survive better in a changing environment. This sure seems like thinking. 

So if you’re talking to your plants, doling sweet nothings in their ears (ears!), don't stop. One day it may be proven that they are listening after all. 

 

 

 

The Thanksgiving Theme

There's a new rule in the house, no hunting 3 hours prior to serving the Thanksgiving meal. Prompted by a repeated habit of family members missing in action when it comes to dinner time. As my daughter, son and Melissa (his girlfriend) sat and enjoyed our meal with the grandkids, we discussed the many times this and other events have altered the days plans. The events have boiled down to this, a dog escapes and is chasing the neighbor's cows, husband and son-in-law are turning in a coupon for an extra special deal and are held up in the store, and (most common of all) the deer has to go to the butchers. Of course the timing is perfect, the turkey, prime rib or ham has just come out of the oven and everything is ready. 

But there is plenty to be grateful for; we were together (well most of us), the kids love my New Orleans beads (so glad I kept them), Duke got sick and I thought he was going to die, but he is making a recovery, and there is always fun to be had on the farm (despite the cold). So without a real family portrait this year but plenty of photographs of grandkids and their new dog Scout, here is the Thanksgiving family clan. 

Quinn is holding a dried up ginkgo fruit and asking me what it is. Yes, I have a female ginkgo tree and it was a banner year for stinky seed pods.

Duke is now a 10 year old and I see him aging quickly. He has arthritis of the hips and spends a lot of time sleeping, but he has recovered from something very scary and I think he's going to live for awhile yet. I'm really grateful!

A Saint, Some Race Cars, and a Wand.

With only one more day out in the field, finishing the gardens, I have spent time in the studio. A commission had me revisit the Saint of dentistry, which is now completed and will soon be delivered. She is headed for a dental museum.

The parts and process were nearly identical to the first one I built, but no two are exactly alike. A different set of pliers, a variation on the Saint, these all factored together to change the outcome a bit. Here is a link to the first build of Saint Apollonia.

Then I signed up for Michael DeMeng's Hot Wheels class. A small racetrack and some altered Hot Wheels will be in the gallery. Three completed so far and many more planned, it's been a bit of a challenge finding small enough parts to decorate a Hot Wheels car. I mean really, they are only two to three inches long.

Next come more wands and this one is the "Wand of Pegasus". If there is magic here, the symbolism of the winged horse is wisdom, fame , and an attraction to poetry. Once again I used a magnet to hold the wand in place.

November is about change, at least for me. This last freeze laid the gardens down and another year is behind me. There will be many hours working in the Christmas shop at Merrifield Gardens but also more hours for studio time, and I have some lovely things planned to occupy my time. Also a few things in the works that will be announced later. Life is good!

Happy Halloween

Four pumpkins carved. A lovely warm night. Best wishes to everyone for a Happy Halloween. 

And I would like to thank everyone that has bought art from me this year. Here is a photograph from the show with myself and Kathleen Kendall. The show closes today, but it was the best one ever!

October 27

Despite the deary day, I am excited. There are 2 new pieces of art to deliver and I have a fabulous costume. There will be photographs of the "Meet the Artists" reception, but maybe I will see some of you at Art A La Carte, before the day is done. The address is 310 Mill Street, Occoquan, VA (reception is from 2 to 5).

In the late hours of last night, I finished this fabulous piece. Her name is "Fearless Miss Emma', complete with daggers made from fork tines.

She is 24 x 17.5" large, and the wheel turns.  To say that this was a complicated piece of art to build is an understatement. Magnets hold her in the upright position. 

I also finished another wand, this one is the "Wand of Spirituality'. Created with a Hindu deity and rosary beads, as well as a glass eye, it's for spiritual health, prosperity, and balance. 

A magnet also hold the wand in place, she can be lifted off and replaced as needed.

These join the show for October, the "Admit One Show" which is circus themed. My dear friend Kathleen Kendall has also created circus art, which includes oil paintings and clay figures that have moving parts. Together we have put together a large body of art that we are truly proud of. No small task! We have already decided to move forward with another joint show for next year with a theme of sea or ocean. Title will be announced in time, it's only a year away.

Mild in the Middle

It's that time of year when the woolly caterpillars are traveling. I'm not sure if they do it for several months, or I just remember that they cross the highways in September. As a naturalist, or a lover of nature, I veer a bit as I drive, trying to avoid smashing them.

Woolly caterpillars don't seem to be going in any one direction. Yesterday I saw two pass each other, one traveling east, and the other west. Folklore will tell you that if their all headed south, winter will be cold. Folklore will also tell you that the bands of black and brown can predict when winter will be cold or mild. 

The common woolly caterpillar is the larvae of the tiger moth. In this case the term "common" is key, there are over 200 species of tiger moths. The scientific name for the one that so frequently crosses the road is Pyrrhactia isabella or the Isabella tiger moth. She, and I will always think of her as a she, was born from an egg in fall. 

These seemingly misdirected wanderers are looking for a place to spend the winter, a dark and sheltered spot. The bristles act like insulation, slowing down the effects of freezing temperatures. Internally the caterpillar won't freeze, a chemical protects them, in fact they can survive -90 degrees Fahrenheit. 

In their larval stage there are many food choices. Preferences are dandelions, sunflowers, nettles, and greens like cabbage, and spinach. The actual Isabella tiger moth will emerge from a cocoon in spring, living a few days and laying eggs for the generation before these October babies. 

There are 13 segments or little ridges on their body, we also have thirteen weeks of winter (December 21 - March 20), hence the belief that they can predict our winter weather. Typically you have black bands at each end and brown in the middle. Black means cold, brown means less cold, or milder. 

Some of the most profoundly intelligent gardeners will rely on the markings of the wooly caterpillar to predict winter. Of course there are other indicators; the thickness of an acorn shell and/or the height of a bees nest, which is best expressed with this old rhyme;  "See how high the hornets’ nest, twill tell how high the snow will rest". 

I decided a long time ago that I was a terrible predictor of winter. Those of us that have outdoor jobs are often relied upon for this kind of predictive power. Of course I observe the wooly caterpillars as they cross my path, and the bee's nests, and numerous other age old beliefs. But I don't count those wooly bands and mark my calendar, or crack open an acorn and measure its shell. 

Knowingly or unknowingly, the wooly caterpillar has been right for a couple of years, or at least pretty darn close. Last winter came in very cold and fast, February say a big thaw, and March was rudely cold. So cold was last March and the March before that I have come to expect it. 

Giving the weatherman some credit, the real prediction is for a milder winter with a weak El Nino. Today’s woolly caterpillar sported a thin black band for late December, a long brown band, and then a nasty looking black band to end it all. Seems pretty clear to me, but then I don't make these predictions.