The Milkweed Is In! My Save The Monarchs Project

I finally put the milkweed into the garden this week. It is so late that I don't even know if it will help at this point. I was in San Diego on business and then the weather here in New Jersey has just been so wet, hot and humid, it was tough going to be out in the yard.


I planted both the tropical milkweed and the common milkweed. The tropical milkweed is supposed to be colorful and is treated as an annual. It will die off in the winter and will have to be planted again next year. The common one is a perennial and will propagate itself and while not as showy as the tropical variety, it is said to be very fragrant. I'm looking forward to that.  I grew both from seed.


I decided to devote one of my garden squares to the butterflies entirely. I used to grow vegetables in it. There is still some garlic, lettuces and a cucumber there, but most of it is parsley for Painted Lady larvae. Something said to me "Just do it! Make it a sanctuary for both the larva and the adults." And so I did. It now has both varieties of milkweed, the parsley, lavender and zinnias. I marked an old broken planter as my marker. And here it is:

In the garden we call The Divider we have mainly tall pines, lemon balm, roses, strawberries, hydrangeas, hollies and a magnolia we call "Stumpy." Stumpy was rescued off of the curb. A neighbor just threw him out. Because of this, his top died. Just picture my husband carrying this tree and it's root ball down the street. We cut it off and gave him some TLC. And yes, we pointed out Stumpy in all his lushness to the neighbors who tossed him. heh. 

I planted some milkweed there too, because there is a luscious butterfly bush there, and I wanted to be sure the butterflies were aware of the little nursery we are trying to start for them.

These are some of the common milkweed seedlings transplanted into larger pots until I figure out where I want them to go. There is a gully up the road, and I thought to plant them there to establish a wild milkweed area in the woods. But the thought of leaving them unattended and perhaps dying makes me hesitate doing that. I'm like a momma to my seedlings.

I found some additional sites for further reading about the monarch crisis and planting milkweed for them.

Stewardship Garden: http://www.ourhabitatgarden.org/creatures/milkweed-growing.html

Ecosystem Gardening: http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/butterfly-gardening-for-monarchs-got-milkweed.html

Michigan Live: (Great photos and Video) http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/10/bring_on_the_milkweed_to_bring.html

My "Save the Monarchs" Butterfly Backyard Project

I was driving around the beautiful New Jersey Shore when I heard on National Public Radio that the Monarch butterfly populations were in serious decline. The reason? What else? Pesticides, GMO's and land development! One more things of beauty in the ecosystem that is collapsing due to humans acting unconsciously.

When I got home, I read the in depth articles below.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2013/03/20/f-monarch-butterfly.html


Monarch Butterflies Numbers Down Again Source: Science Daily

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/03/130318-monarch-butterflies-animals-science-environment-nation/

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/home_blog/2011/01/milkweed-for-butterflies.html

I suggest you read them, but sufficed to say, milkweed is the plant the monarch larvae feed on and it's disappearing. One way we can help them is to plant milkweed in our own gardens and landscapes. You know me, I go on a crusade. I'm the Joan of Arc of Nature....so that is exactly what I'm going to do. And I'll blog my experience for you.

Won't you join me?  I invite you to join my "Save the Monarchs" Butterfly Backyard Project and blog about it too. Be sure to post your links in my comments section and let's do this!

This is where I purchased the seeds.
http://www.butterflyencounters.com/

The company was mentioned in the article I read. The website has a lot of useful information and detailed descriptions of the different milkweed plants.

Important Precaution: One thing I wasn't aware of was milkweed has a toxic substance to it's sap, which protects the butterfly that eats it, so you have to be careful handling it and seek medical attention if ingested or if it gets into your eyes. Read more about the precautions on the Butterfly Encounters website.

So, where am I at with my little project right now? My order came quickly and I have planted the seeds in seed starting flats outside.

Camp Wander: DIY Manuka Honey #Local Honey #Essential Oils!

Camp Wander: DIY Manuka Honey #Local Honey #Essential Oils!: While I love Manuka Honey, it's not always easy to find and it's definitely not inexpensive. I've had a small inner battle going...

Thoughts on the Storm from The Hermitage

Those We Take With Us…..
Photo courtesy of http://www.squidoo.com/royalty-free-bird-photos

Thank you so much for your prayers and concern to those of us in this storm.

There is devastation around me as this area was hit extremely hard. Only 5 miles away from us there is just….splinters for homes. A woman in our neighborhood is missing.

We had three days of no power, no heat, no contact with the outside world except for a transistor radio. Even though our cell phone was charged, the towers had been taken out so no calls could come in or out. I didn’t know how my family was (and have not heard from a couple friends still) so that was scary.

My family in Point Pleasant are still without power and the places my brothers work out of have been destroyed. But still and all, we have our lives and that is what is important.

On a completely other soap box subject, I would like to bring the awareness to global warming, and the importance of our championing the dire need to do something about it and support those voices, activists and politicians who are also championing wind, solar and other green energies.

Now, to get all metaphysical, spiritual or “woo-woo” depending on your use of jargon, when I was just out of my teens, my guardian angel Alonya told me that there would be changes around this time frame. She told me I would need to prepare for them. She said it wasn’t the end of the world or anything like that, but that I would need to prepare for more intense storms. I had no clue at that time about any of this stuff, or really what she was talking about, but I trusted her.

I had her promise me she would let me know when I needed to start preparing. Well, about 4 years ago, a day came when I got word from her. “It’s time.” I remember I was walking in my living room when those words came down and I knew what it was for. Apparently, we carry the wisdom to change the course of events, so believe there was a period of time where things could have gone a different way. “Wisdom erases Karma.”

I do prepare my home and my family for more intense weather and I urge you to do so as well. Not doomsday stuff, but the very real weather patterns we have created from global warming. I have lived on the NJ coast, 5 minutes from the ocean all my life. I have never experienced the weather changes like I have in the past 5 years. Never had two hurricanes in two years in a row, and never had to deal with tornadoes within storms.The Robins no longer migrate.They are no longer the herald of Spring for me.

So, as this election looms, I urge you to lend your support to those men and women who will not further the damage and give more power to that which is creating these changes. Global warming is not a myth, it’s not even close to being a question any longer.

I performed a ceremony before the storm, gridded the yard too. Whispered to the wind and spoke to my Nature friends here at The Hermitage. We lost nothing but a couple of small branches off a bush. Tomato plants still standing. The strays I take care except for one of are all accounted for. The birds are back at their feeders.

So completely blessed.

love, peace and Grace,

~*~Eileen

Related articles

• Bloomberg Businessweek: ‘It’s Global Warming, Stupid’ (thinkprogress.org)
• Did Global Warming Contribute to Hurricane Sandy’s Devastation? (green.blogs.nytimes.com)
• Scientists Unsure if Climate Change Is to Blame for Hurricane Sandy (nytimes.com)
• Sandy & Global Warming Not A Laughing Matter, No Matter What Romney & ‘Top’ Republicans Think (planetsave.com)
• Hurricane Fallout: Rep. Waxman Urges Congress to Hold Global Warming Hearings

Nature Notices Everything

I was leaving the hospital after visiting my mom yesterday and entered the parking garage. I saw a praying mantis, who looked exhausted. After several failed "get in the cup!" attempts, I finally just picked him up and put him in the bushes outside. Mom is coming home today. Pretty fast recovery from pneumonia at 83, wouldn't you say? 

Nature..She notices everything.....;)

What to Do If You Lost Your Dog/Cat

I was sent this email from someone long ago.I would give them credit for it but it was so long ago, it has since been lost. I wanted to post this in case you'd like to post it or send it along to people with lost dogs or cats too. 

I'm not affiliated with any of these sites, I just find this info helpful.

 Believe it or not, many people don't think to do what needs to be done to find their animal, because they are so upset or rely on the shelters or police to keep an eye out. My friend lost her dog and it had been sitting in a shelter for 2 days about 20 miles north of her. It was picked up and no one called her. She thought because she had contacted people they would let her know if the dog was seen. Please don't do that. If I hadn't urged her to call shelters in other towns on her own, she may have not been reunited with her dog. Don't rely solely on the police, animal control or shelters to contact you, they are so busy. It's important for people to be proactive and do the checking on their own.

 All the best and I hope you find your dog or cat.

Here are articles and links to helping you find your lost animal. Although it says "dog" it works for cats too.

CHECK IN PERSON TO SHELTERS EVERY DAY.

This a great article on how to increase your chances of finding your dog/cat.
http://www.petrescue.com/library/find-pet.htm

Steps to take immediately :

Walk the neighborhood, talk to everybody you run across, and leave your phone number.

www.lostandpound.com It's FREE and sends out alerts to a 45 mile radius to participating vet offices, police stations, shelters, rescues, etc.

PUT UP POSTERS Print Poster Now - Post flyers and posters within a minimum of a 3-mile radius of where your dog was last seen. 32% of lost dogs are found over ten miles from home.

Call your local Animal Control, humane societies, vets and animal shelters to report the dog - Get a Map of all shelters and vets in your area

Take the dog to a local veterinarian to be scanned for a microchip (Vets do not charge for this!) 

Contact your neighborhood association 

Place an ad in your local newspaper.

 Check the newspaper lost ads everyday

*In some cities it is not legal to post or hang signs on trees, Department of Water and/or Power poles. In Los Angeles county, CA you can be fined - please check with your city government. 

Search the Dog Detective database

Register the dog with Dog Detective (it's free) 

Tried all these things and still haven't found the dog? 

EXPAND Your Search Area - Dogs can travel amazing amount of distance in a short period of time. One dog can travel 25 miles in days. 

At the minimum - start your search within a 3 mile radius of where you last saw your dog, then go to 10, 25, 50... Keep expanding your search area until you find your dog. 32% of lost dogs are found over ten miles from home.

Posters
Do not underestimate the "Power of Posters!" Start by posting flyers and posters within a minimum of a 3-mile radius of where your dog was lost. 32% of lost dogs are found over ten miles from home.


Keep expanding your search area until you find your dog. 

Additional sites to post on:

 LOST/FOUND WEBSITES
http://www.dogdetective.com

Facebook Lost Pages. Here is one of them, there are many. Take the time to search for them.
http://www.craigslist.com
http://www.petfinder.com/post/classifiedhop.html
http://www.lostpets.com
http://www.lostpetsos.org
http://www.lostpaws.com
http://www.lostmypet.com
http://www.pets911.com
http://www.lostyourpet.net
http://www.petfind-usa.com
http://www.lostpetnet.com
http://www.pet-detective.com
http://www.telephonepole.org/entry.php?lost=true
http://nationalmissingpetalert.bravehost.com
http://www.lostandfound.com
http://www.missingpets.com

The Lavender Line of Harvest Moon Farms

Lavender bliss.
Heavenly lavender.

I have had a love affair with lavender since I was a teen. The stories, lore, uses and history spoke to my romantic heart and it's clean scent to my Virgo fastidiousness.

I have used lavender oil in my diffuser during my healing sessions so often that at this point, whenever I smell the scent of lavender I'm instantly raised up into a different state of consciousness.  The scent evokes a higher, peaceful, more balanced state for. Almost instantly. For my clients who have been with me for a long time, it can do that for them too. I have one client who told me that one of her favorite things about her sessions is the smell of my sheets. Here at The Hermitage I grow several varieties of lavender and after harvesting, I put some in my linen closet. The scent lightly permeates everything in there. It's lovely.

Butterfly in our Moon Garden 

I have tried so many essential oil and soap lines, and some are tried and true. In the past, when it comes to lavender oil, I usually buy whatever is most convenient at the time. But I have since learned that there are ethical and environmental consequences in the production of "cheap essential oils." The link has an important read on something most of us are not aware of. And if your a energy or bodyworker or just someone wanting to live a more conscious life, I suggest you look into how the oils you buy are harvested and made.

I recently tried Harvest Moon Farm's lavender oil and ...I am in love.Listen, I have been deeply inhaling the clean scent since I discovered it's beauty back in the 70's, so I have smelled a lot of lavender in all it's forms, believe me.

The smell of this oil had the classic clean scent of lavender but it was ...softer. The sharpness of lavender was blurred a bit, made rounder and fuller. I can't fully describe it. It's kind of intangible really, but it's beautiful. You'll just have to try it and see what I mean.It's like trying to describe energy work or Reiki. It's something you have to experience to understand.