2 Comments
Daylilies are fully edible from the root to the flower. Most commonly (and most fun to use) the unopened flower buds can be used in stir fry, deep fried, or just tossed in a pan with other veggies. They are usually attributed to taste like asparagus with the texture and shape of okra. For a recipe, see below. Caution: Not to be confused with tiger lilies or commercial lily varieties, some of which can be toxic. Most lilies are highly toxic to cats, and somewhat to dogs. A great start to identification is to look at the roots. Daylilies have fibrous roots with small nodules. Remember: Harvesting or ingesting the wrong species of plants can have dire consequences, which is why experts suggest that you identify a plant based on three separate characteristics. Verify AT LEAST THREE between the fruit, stem, bark, flower, root, leaves, etc. Check here for an identification guide, and remember: Never ingest or handle any type of wild plant without being certain you know what it is.
Any doubt, LEAVE IT OUT !
Pros:
Cons:
The biggest takeaway, from an ecological standpoint, are that the world did achieve all of the pros listed above. Through a forced experiment, we have demonstrated that it is possible to change the environment and quickly assist in its recovery. The trick now is to find a way to maintain this while not entirely changing people’s chosen lifestyles. Like stated before, many of us may have enjoyed the peaceful solace of COVID. Now is a great time to take those lifestyle changes, make them work for you, and commit to them for a greener future.
Note: These are not the findings of the Hamilton County SWCD, but instead a compilation of different fact sources.
1. In the Saharan summer the sun warms the sand, which warms the air near the surface. 2. This hot air rises and brings small particles of Saharan soil with it. 3. As the hot, dusty air rises it joins in with the strong prevailing easterly winds and blows across the Atlantic to South America and the Gulf of Mexico. Saharan soil is full of iron and phosphorus. These minerals act as a fertilizer in the Amazon, replenishing the minerals that are often leached out of soils by the frequent rains. Think of it this way: when you have a big year in your garden you have to replenish the nutrients lost in the soil. The Amazon needs the same thing.
![]() Ginger Davis, Conservation Administrator No one knows how many horses there are currently in Hamilton County (1,074 in 2017) but most enthusiasts would agree that the popularity of horses continues to rise. At the same time, new residents keep arriving. Forecasters estimate 180,000 more people will live in Hamilton County by 2050. As a result of these trends, recreational horse owners in our area increasingly find themselves in the middle of rapidly growing suburban areas, where they often receive more scrutiny from their neighbors than do their counterparts in rural areas. To maintain good relationships, it is critical to know and practice proper manure and pasture management. Manure handling is viewed as a necessary evil of stall management with horse owners naturally preferring to ride rather than clean stalls. Did you know that one horse can call for the removal of about 12 tons of manure and soiled bedding from its stall annually? The good news is that manure can be a tool to improve soils. The burden of manure can be turned into a benefit to help improve your soil resources. Often, suburban horse facilities have limited or no acreage for disposal of manure and soiled bedding. Several alternatives for handling manure include land spreading on pasture or crop ground, removal from stable site to storage area for private or commercial hauling, stockpiling, and composting. Some stables have developed markets to distribute or sell the stall waste as a fertilizer resource to gardeners and landowners. Whether in a suburban or rural setting, proper manure management is based on simple principles that virtually eliminate environmental pollution impacts and nuisances such as odor and flies. Developing a horse manure management plan may seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t necessarily need to be. Most plans can be developed and implemented using an integrated holistic approach. A holistic approach means thinking about the big picture. An integrated approach means to work with your current needs and issues to find solutions that could benefit other aspects of your land or neighbors and fit it into the environment piece by piece (i.e. manure as a fertilizer source for poor soils). If you look at the big picture first then deal with each component keeping the big picture in mind, it allows you to see how each part of the system can work together. Departmentalizing the components of a manure management systems plan allows you to evaluate what is feasible, what options may be available, as well as, determining how the components may work together in order to develop a sustainable plan into the future. Because no two farms are exactly alike, each plan must be developed individually considering the land, water, soil, air, and neighborhoods in the area.
Before anything else, it is a good idea to think about, write down, and draw a map of what encompasses your respective horse farm. Key points to consider here include:
The 4Rs of nutrient management serve as a guide for environmental concerns prevention planning:
Lastly, prevention is the most important way to avoid a possible manure spill. See our guidance below or in the checklist for an example emergency spill response. By doing this initial exercise, you get an unbiased perspective as a starting point rather than a reactive attempt at a solution. By approaching your manure management plan one step at a time, you can organize your resources to make the process more efficient and less overwhelming. The Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District has prepared a Manure Management Plan Check List with resources that may help in this planning. Manure & Nutrient Management may be eligible for assistance through the Natural Conservation Resource Service offices. Contact us for more information [email protected] Happy Trails! Emergency Spill Response Should a spill occur, here are the spill response steps that should be followed:
Andrew Fritz, Urban Conservation Technician
Are you beginning to wonder what to do with your surplus garden vegetables? Wonder no more. Donate them to your local food pantry! In partnership with the Hamilton County Harvest Food Bank, the Hamilton County Soil & Water Conservation District has updated its popular “Donate Your Vegetables” map including the most recent information for gardeners to donate produce safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Food insecurity in Hamilton County is real and many food pantries have limited fresh food items. Donating your extra garden vegetables, no matter how few, is needed. ![]() Andrew Fritz, Urban Conservation Technician From when I was a child and into high school, I often went out to the woods on the land where I grew up with my beagle dog, Sawyer. I’d pick a sitting spot, usually perched up on a mild ridge of higher elevation, and watch Sawyer put his nose to the ground, stick his white-tipped bobbing tail to the sky, and sniff out rabbits. Over the course of the next hour or so I’d sit, watch, and listen as Sawyer coursed with the subtle contours and shape of the land. He’d disappear behind worn ancient sand dunes, remnants of when current Lake Michigan reached far into northwest Indiana, only to reappear moments later sniffing and cajoling a rabbit in my direction. He would waddle to the edge of a wetland and look into it. I’d look into it, too. He’d find nooks and crannies – the kind where most of life happens beyond sight – examining each spot, following a phantom invisible path that the evolution in his nose could detect. Even when Sawyer would disappear for longer stints, I could hear him rustling through layers of dead leaves off in the distance. On a calm day it was quiet enough to hear for miles. But even when the wind blew, I could still hear him amidst the dappling canopy above, the groans of trees as they swayed, or in the rustling of grasses that grazed my shoulder. On occasion, if the wind was just right, I could smell the rich earthy aroma of the sandy soil ridge where he scratched to get a better scent. There were some days I felt a deeper trust of the space and allowed myself to sit longer. On these days I’d witness a sort of magic on display on the surface of the land. The shadows, animated by the changing perspective of the sun, moved an otherwise inanimate landscape. I’d sense the changing temperature of the air and soil and feel, at one moment, the afternoon warmth brush my left cheek, and then, like turning a page in a book, an evening cool response on the right cheek. It’s hard to imagine my life would be the same without my years spent gazing at the landscape of my youth. It’s fascinating to imagine our early human ancestors doing the same thing – watching how animals, like Sawyer, guide our psyche into hidden realms of the landscape, sitting patiently for nothing in particular except for maybe a mystery revealed and leaving us wanting for more. Today at 38 years old I look back at this time of contemplative, contentful, and curious observation - I never once made a judgement of my experience. I only noticed and learned. But I didn’t learn the names of things or how processes and earths systems worked. I learned a kind of knowledge that goes beyond the intellect and into the deeper aspects of my humanity; what some call the interior landscape. I can’t help but think that, because I sat in an unconditional acceptance of this landscape, it’s forms and contours, its way of relating to me, that it also reminded me of who I am, and, like the topography of the land, also enlightened the contours of my life. This is what I’ve come to call ecoforma; a whole acceptance of the landscape as it is. As a byproduct of its acceptance, it also accepted me and provides a mutual nurturing relationship of transformation. Ecoforma is to imagine that every living thing, even though different on the surface in form and habit, mirrors one another in the deepest way. Ecoforma is the recognition that we cannot be human without the Earth or the land we walk on. Ecoforma is when our posture and way of being reciprocates this acceptance. There were also mosquitos and ticks, poison ivy and sand burs. There were incredibly hot days and sometimes very cold days. I am aware that for some a particular landscape can trigger traumatic events in their life. Some landscapes can be confusing, mysterious, complex, or seem unsafe. In other words, discomfort and unpleasantness can sometimes interrupt the gaze of acceptance. Though I didn’t know it at the time, there were also invasive plant species that likely impeded the health of the forest. If I sat there today with the working knowledge that I have now, it would be easy for me to imagine managing the forest to be healthier or to manage its appearance and pleasantness so that there would be fewer interruptions. I might want to spray for mosquitos at the risk of culling birds and bats that require them. I may want to remove the shrubs and distorted trees so that I could see further into the woods and feel a comforting safety. Doing so would remove the hidden trails and nooks and crannies that Sawyer found delight in. I would lose whole registers of sounds that played among the different plant and insect communities. Maybe even the soil aroma would change. But I would feel safer from distraction and worry. If I were to do this, my relationship to the landscape would change and its transformative benefits alter. This relationship is what could be referred to as egoforma; where my concerns impose the needs of the ecosystem, economy, and the well-being of myself and others. It does not see the whole and or accept the whole. Egoforma forgets that to be human is also to be of the Earth. But it’s great at managing, controlling, and being productive. Egoforma is conditional. Ecoforma and egoforma does not limit us from caring for a space. What they are attempting to describe is how our attitude or posture toward the landscape reveals to us the type of relationship we have to the land. In other words, the way we manage and view the landscape is a mirror into who we are. Truthfully, we likely exist somewhere on a spectrum between the two that changes with time, mood, culture, knowledge, and life experience. Yet, as the complexity of world events continue to interrupt our awareness of safety and comfort it may be more necessary to liken ourselves toward an egoforma attitude. Notes: The two words, ecoforma and egoforma, are created using two Latin words, ego/eco and forma, together. Eco, in Latin, means “relationship.” Ego, in Latin, means “I”. Forma, in Latin, means “form, contour, figure, shape; appearance, beauty, an outline, pattern, design, or condition.” ![]() Taylor Wilson, Conservation Technician and Outreach Assistant The Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District held the Annual Meeting on February 20th to showcase their activities in 2019. During the meeting the District celebrated conservation, honored conservation awards winners, and held an election for a board supervisor. This year the District hosted Melissa Widhalm from the Purdue Climate Change Research Center to speak about climate change and Building Resiliency for Tomorrow's Climate. Each year the district awards organizations and individuals for outstanding work in protecting our natural resources. Conservation awards for 2019 included Jason Armour from the City of Fishers Storm Water Program was awarded the Outstanding Partner of Urban Conservation award. Kim Gauen was awarded the new individual partnership award for Outstanding Partner of Urban Conservation The Nature Conservancy was awarded the Partner in Conservation award. Amy Jo Farmer of Farmers Gold, Inc. won the River Friendly Farmer award, and Jennifer Jacks from Sand Creek Elementary won Outstanding Natural Resources Educator. Doug Quear was also recognized with a Service Award for his contribution as Soil and Water District Board Supervisor since 2007. Attendees re-elected Jared Kakasuleff as a supervisor for the Hamilton County SWCD Board. After the vote Hamilton County Council member Ken Alexander graciously conducted the oath of office. Jared is a grain farmer who lives in Arcadia, Indiana and has served 14 years on the SWCD board. Supervisors on the SWCD board give guidance and insight to the SWCD’s activities. The board meets once a month to discuss the goals of the District in relation to their five-year strategic plan. Board members serve a three-year term and donate their time to provide conservation leadership and help to protect the natural resources in Hamilton County. Claire Lane, Urban Conservationist
Statewide CISMA Conference Postponed The statewide CISMA (Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area) conference originally scheduled for March 26th has been postponed until August 20th, 2020. Tickets will be honored on that date. More information on CEUs, an agenda, and registration options are all available at www.cisma2020.eventbrite.com Postponed- 2020 Spring Sustainability Workshop- Invasive Species The annual spring sustainability workshop, this year focusing on invasive species and their management, has been postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. We hope to reschedule this event for later in 2020 and will also be sharing a series of videos and/or online webinars and resources to help you learn about invasive species this spring. Hamilton County Weed Wrangles Weed Wrangles At this time, Weed Wrangles status is being decided on a case by case basis as there are developments. Check the Weed Wrangle website or with the event host directly for confirmation of even status. In late April and on Saturday May 2nd, the Hamilton County Invasives Partnership will be hosting a series of Weed Wrangles across Hamilton County. These events will be perfect opportunities to join with other like-minded individuals for a volunteer workday targeting invasive species that are threatening beloved local natural areas. At Weed Wrangles, volunteers (supervised by an expert) across America are learning to identify and manage invasive plants. Six Weed Wrangles are being held in Hamilton County and we invite you to find one to be part of. Visit our Weed Wrangle webpage for more details and to learn how to sign up! https://www.hamiltonswcd.org/weedwrangle.html Hamilton County Parks Weed Wrangle (Noblesville) 4/22/2020 from 1pm - 3pm Potter's Bridge Park Fishers Spring Service Day 4/25/2020 from 8am-1pm Ritchey Woods Nature Preserve Teter Organic Farm and Retreat Weed Wrangle (Noblesville) 5/1/2020 - Event is full Fishers Weed Wrangle 5/2/2020 from 9am - 12 pm Cheeney Creek Natural Area Hazel Landing Park Week Wrangle (Carmel) 5/2/2020 from 9am - 12 pm Hazel Landing Park Westfield Weed Wrangle 5/2/2020 from 9am -12 pm Midland Trace Trail Noblesville Weed Wrangle 5/2/20 from 9am-12pm Dillon Park |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
July 2024
Categories
All
|
|