Environmental news roundup

The environment includes your backyard. Something as simple as a screen of evergreens can greatly improve the environment for overwintering birds.

Since the weather suddenly got cold, we’ve been hearing a lot about the polar vortex. This is simply the normal circular flow of cold air around the Arctic that sometimes moves south and brings with it abnormally cold temperatures. It’s not unusual, and it’s not a sign that global warming is a hoax. Check out the National Weather Service‘s excellent explanation and graphics. The actual prediction for the coming winter is for slightly above-normal temperatures in our area.

The effects of global warming are most extreme in the polar regions, where the climate is heating up fast. For a fascinating article about how this is affecting residents of the Arctic, both human and nonhuman, read this article. It explains what happens to polar bears when the sea ice they need for hunting disappears, and what happens to people when, as a result, the polar bears show up in their villages.

All environmental news is not bad. In recent years the cost of renewable energy, particularly solar power, has declined precipitously, making it cheaper to use clean energy than many forms of greenhouse-increasing energy such as coal. Solar is rapidly becoming the cheapest source of new electricity. Market forces are at work.

Local governments all over the world are on board with renewable energy: San Diego; Rochester, MN; Burlington, VT; Barcelona; Adelaide; and countless more. You can read a report from the International Energy Agency here or google the phrase “renewable energy local government” to find many more examples. And you can encourage your local government to join in.

And don’t forget to check out Global Weirding every two weeks for a new episode of this information and funny YouTube series.

Stay warm.

More plums

What is there to say? I’ve never seen such a color–what a shame it will change to purple. I don’t know what combination of rainfall and temperature and heaven knows what else led to this abundance and beauty. I only wish it would last. Or come back next year. But I can’t count on it. With a garden, you never know.

The evil forces that surround us (or, baby bunnies)

By “evil forces,” I am of course referring to baby bunnies. You’re a gardener, so you knew that, right? These horrible pests are now about the size of my fist, and there is one hanging out in each of my perennial beds.

Here is a list of the native plants rabbits most  like to eat, in order of preference, as I have discerned it over 20 years of gardening on this spot: asters and phlox of all species (tied for first place), boltonia, rudbeckia, Culver’s root (Veronicastrum), spiderwort (Trandescantia), coreopsis, liatris, and, of course, strawberries (only the fruit). I didn’t even include echinacea, because it’s been years since I’ve been able to keep one alive, they love it so.  We also have deer and woodchucks, among other wild critters, but the rabbits, due no doubt to their to propensity to multiply like, well, rabbits, seem to do the most damage.

However, I am smarter than they are, so I do manage to grow all these plants, with varying degrees of success from year to year. Last year was the worst I ever experienced. The preceding winter was exceptionally mild, so relatively few critters had been killed off. They repeatedly ate perennial plants to the ground, so not a single phlox or boltonia  or Culver’s root bloomed. I did get a few asters, mostly from plants in pots or tucked far back in the borders. But last year was very unusual.

This past winter was quite cold, and this season is more typical: the rabbits are enjoying my garden, a bit more than I think they should, but most plants are doing fine. (And note that even the plants that didn’t manage to bloom last year are back this year on their own–I didn’t replant them. Native perennials are tough.)

I do have several strategies for minimizing rabbit damage to perennials, and I’ll share three important rules with you. But first, here’s how I figured this all out: My first foray into native plant gardening involved planting 7 grey dogwood shrubs across the backyard. All were immediately eaten down to the ground. My next attempt involved many more plants–upwards of 100 woody plants, all very small. Most survived. So Elaine’s first rule of outwitting furry critters is to plant lots of plants and many of each species.

Those 100 plants were scattered randomly, not planted in neat rows or groupings by species. That’s now nature does it, and I like the random look. But it also helps outwit the pests: if a rabbit likes phlox, I want to make it really hard for him or her to find all the phlox. And these furry guys aren’t really that smart–they tend to return to the same plant over and over, leaving the rest of that species to grow undisturbed. So Elaine’s second rule is to mix it up.

Note that some plants don’t get eaten. These include milkweeds, penstemon, native grasses, sundrops, ferns, and columbine. I tuck the most attractive plants among these distasteful ones as a kind of camouflage–a couple of phlox in the center of a group of milkweeds. So the third rule is to use the critter’s tastes to your advantage.

Notice that I haven’t mentioned poison, or traps, or dynamite, or firearms, all of which have crossed my mind (they are illegal here). I have tried repellents, including our own dog, who spends lots of time in the backyard, but none seem to work. Rabbits invariably make their nests just outside the range of the dog’s chain, and they are not repelled by the scent of fox urine or dog hair or anything else I am aware of.

And then there are the critters in the vegetable garden and herb plot. Don’t get me started.

It’s raining!

Finally! We are having our second dry spring in a row, but last year it was hot and dry and this year it’s cool and dry. At any rate, we need the rain badly. Our normal average monthly rainfall is over 4 inches; in the past 30 days, we had had only 1.3 (according to the NY Times). The soil has been so dry that I’ve been holding off on doing any transplanting, and I’ve been watering my veggie seedlings almost every day.

In case anyone was wondering what I planned to do with all those herbs I planted, here’s a recipe I made up yesterday that uses lots of parsley and mint:

Minty Grain and Bean Salad

For the salad

1 cup bulgur

1 large can chick peas, drained

1 ½ cups green beans, cut into 1-inch lengths

1 ½ cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 2 ears)

1 red or orange bell pepper, chopped

1 scallions, chopped

1 cup chopped parsley

½ cup chopped mint

optional: pine nuts, cubed feta cheese

For the dressing

2 Tbl. fresh lemon juice, sherry vinegar, or white wine vinegar

4-6 Tbl. fruity olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups of water and a little salt to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the bulgur. Set aside until the bulgur has absorbed the water—about 15 minutes.

Steam the green beans and corn until crisp-tender and set aside to cool (or place in ice water to chill rapidly, but that’s not really necessary). Chop the pepper, scallions, and herbs.

Combine the bulgur, chick peas and dressing in a large bowl, and mix well. Set aside for half an hour or so to cool. Add remaining ingredients, taste for seasoning, and serve either slightly warm or chilled. If you like, garnish with more herbs and/or some pine nuts. (Served cold with the addition of feta cheese, this becomes a main course.)

And finally, an interesting link from today’s NY Times. As you probably guessed, we eat a vegetable-based diet and seek out local food whenever possible (we belong to a CSA, but more about that in future posts). Here’s a link to an interesting article about the food scene in the Rust Belt: