Sacred Gardener on Permaculture Podcast

Transitioners, 

This was a very wonderful podcast I listened to twice the other weekend. There were many ideas that seemed to resonate with me and some things I think you will appreciate as well. Give it a listen to while you work.

http://www.thepermaculturepodcast.com/2016/1638/

Reciprocity for the pollinators

Even this hoverfly needs a winter home. Yup! That's not a bee.

Insect pollinators can spend the winter in a variety of life stages and this varies, depending on the species. Some have eaten a lot to make it through the winter; others wait in suspense as larvae, pupae or eggs. Most native bees spend the winter in their nest cells as pupae, emerging as adults the following spring or summer, so it is critical to protect nesting areas from disturbance all year long, not just during the nesting season.  Old bark, cane, leaves and especially undisturbed soil are the winter homes of pollinators.

Bumble Bee in my garden!

One exception is bumble bees, which do not overwinter in their nests. Bumble bees are unusual in that they can still forage in very cold temperatures due to internal thermoregulation. But in fall, all the males die off and the new queen searches for a log, tree root, leaf litter, loose soil or other niche where she waits, already mated and fertilized, to emerge and begin a new colony when the weather warms.

Another bee that seeks out logs for winter is the bright green sweat bee, which prefers to nest under peeling bark. Dead logs are particularly attractive locales. Like her cousin the bumble bee, it’s only the female that overwinters, and she must quickly rebound to raise a brood in spring.

Some native bees snuggle into hollow twigs or the pathways dug by beetle larvae in trees. Mason and leaf-cutter bees count on these sources, as well as clumps of dried grasses or hollow canes from brambles or other woody plants, to provide shelter during the winter.

The majority of native bees nest in the ground, finding a sunny spot that won’t flood. It may be a few inches of bare soil with one nest, or a colony occupying several feet. You may have mistaken them for anthills or spider holes. Usually, the mother bee dies at the end of the warm season, leaving her babies to emerge in spring.

Cecropia moth found at a gas station this summer.. Not a lot of habitat at a gas station.

Butterflies and moths also overwinter in a variety of stages (egg, larva, pupa, adult) and use plant matter to insulate themselves for the winter.

While the monarch flies south to overwinter in Mexico, most other butterflies stay put and take shelter somewhere dry and safe until spring. Some butterflies, like the mourning cloak, comma, question mark, and Milbert’s tortoise shell, overwinter as adults. They nestle into rock fissures, under tree bark, or in leaf litter until the days grow longer again and spring arrives. Butterflies that overwinter in a chrysalis include the swallowtail family, the cabbage whites and the sulphurs. Many of these chrysalises can be found either hanging from dead plant stems or tucked into the soil or leaf litter.

Tiger Swallowtail found on one of my hikes this past summer.

Tiger swallowtails that hatch in the summer feed and molt five times, then pupate and hatch in as little as 15 days. But when the caterpillar pupates in the fall, the chrysalis is brown instead of green to match the woody brush where it hangs, and the butterfly won’t emerge until spring. 

And still other butterfly species, such as the red-spotted purple, the viceroy, and the meadow fritillary, spend the winter as a caterpillar rolled into a fallen leaf or inside the seed pod of a host plant.

Pollinators need sheltered areas in which to spend the winter. To provide these safe havens, set aside undisturbed patches of habitat allowing leaf litter, standing dead twigs or stems, and other ground cover to remain. Do not till soil where there might be ground nests. Some other pollinators spend the winter in tall grass, bushes, trees, piles of leaves or sticks, or on man-made objects. In general, the best way to protect pollinators in the winter is to leave them alone.  If you need to manage your pollinator meadows by mowing or burning, try to do so in the late summer or fall while the insects are still active and can get away. 

It's worth leaving some overgrown, weedy spots, designated pollinator areas, to give these important insects a winter home. 

Bumblebees buzzy about in the flowers

These are the insects you will gladly welcome come spring and summer in your garden, so why not give them a winter home in return for their pollination of your garden?

Know Knapping

Our next Transition North Twin Cities Gathering will be next Wednesday evening, August 17th from around 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.  We will be meeting at Tom Jablonski's house located at 866 113th Lane NE in Blaine. 

Bob has set up a flint knapping/stone tool making demonstration for us by Rod Johnson, past president of the Minnesota Archaeological Society and expert flint knapper.  Flaked stone tools similar to the ones that Rod and other knappers make have been a part of human cultures for tens of thousands of years and represent a significant indicator of fundamental human modernity.  We all have knappers in our past!  

Rod and Bob will guide us on a journey back to the times when humans lived a life with simpler handmade tools.  Living the simpler life is something we will likely need to relearn as we transition into the coming low tech future.  

Feel free to call Tom with any questions at 763-807-3698 or drop me an email at jablonski@usfamily.net.

Can We Keep On Trucking?

A reminder that on Monday August 1st Bob Suchanek has reserved our old meeting room in the upstairs conference room at the Coon Rapids Cub Foods located at 2050 Northdale Blvd in the Village 10 Center in Coon Rapids.  The meeting will start about 6:30 p.m and again will last until 8:30 or so or until we get kicked out. 

Bob will be playing a recent Podcast from James Howard Kunstler who talks with science writer Alice J. Friedmann about her book WHEN TRUCKS STOP RUNNING.  

The two talk about oil, trucking, transportation, and the fate of Western Civilization as we run out of the fuel that keeps the whole thing grinding along.  More on the hour long interview can be found here:  http://kunstler.com/podcast/kunstlercast-278-alice-friedemann-trucks-stop-running/.  

 We should have some time to talk about the talk, after the talk.  

If your interested in a prequel to the interview, check out this synopsis of Friedmann’s book here:  http://www.resilience.org/stories/2016-01-19/when-trucks-stop-running-so-does-civilization-energy-and-the-future-of-transportation .  

July 18th and August 1st Gathering Details.

On Monday July 18th Wendy Barron has offered to show us at least 20 medicinal plants that grow in her and Roger’s yard in Coon Rapids.  Wendy will tell us about the plants and how to make medicine like teas, tinctures, and salves out of them.  And if she has time she may even give us a handout to help guide us in our quest for our own home grown medicines.  Wendy and Roger’s address is 1336 107th Lane in Coon Rapids (see map here:  https://www.google.com/maps/place/1336+107th+Ln+NW,+Coon+Rapids,+MN+55433/@45.1655437,-93.301392,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x52b33b42fb70c595:0xaf84fd71aba4e3ff!8m2!3d45.1655399!4d-93.3007054 ).  We will meet at their place at 6:30 and the gathering will last until around 8:30 or until we get kicked out.  Let’s hope the weather cooperates for us.

And then on Monday August 1st Bob Suchanek has reserved our old meeting room in the upstairs conference room at the Coon Rapids Cub Foods located at 2050 Northdale Blvd in the Village 10 Center in Coon Rapids.  Bob will be playing a recent Podcast from James Howard Kunstler who talks with science writer Alice J. Friedmann about her book WHEN TRUCKS STOP RUNNING.  The two talk about oil, trucking, transportation, and the fate of Western Civilization as we run out of the fuel that keeps the whole thing grinding along.  More on the hour long interview can be found here:  http://kunstler.com/podcast/kunstlercast-278-alice-friedemann-trucks-stop-running/.  We should have some time to talk about the talk, after the talk.  The meeting will start about 6:30 p.m and again will last until 8:30 or so or until we get kicked out. 

I hope that everybody’s summer is going well and am looking forwarding to attending what I am sure will be two great gatherings and hope to see you there.  Also feel free to give me a call or drop me an email if you have any questions, or if you would like to share a Transition related topic in one of our other upcoming gatherings.  We always need new topics and I know there are a lot of folks with a lot of knowledge out there waiting to be tapped in our transition to simpler lives.  

Tom Jablonski
jablonski@usfamily.net

763-807-3698

Tuesday July 5th Meeting.

For our next Transition North Twin Cities gathering we will be meeting at the Springbrook Nature Center located at 100 85th Avenue NW in Fridley. Our meeting will be this coming Tuesday evening July 5th from around 6:30 to 8:30. See the website below for more info.  The center has been under renovation, and hopefully we can see some of the work that has been done, walk around the trails, and or find a place to just sit and talk.  

Experimentation in Vegitation Fermentation

Kraut-Chi

Experimenting with fermenting some vegetables.  Go to Blaine Farmers market and pick up some beets, carrots, radishes, & cabbage.  Wash veggies, chop them up along with their greens.  Go to garden and pick some green onions and chop them up.  Mix chopped vegetables and sea salt in a bowl.  Leave the lactic acid bacteria on the veggies.  Squish it all together with your hands until the liquids covers the mixture.  Spoon into quart canning jars makings sure that liquid covers the mixture.  Let sit a room temperature for several days.  Be sure to open jars daily to let off the pressure.  Eat - I hope.  

See chapter 5 of Sandor Ellix Katz book THE ART OF FERMENTATION for more details.