“To be content with little is difficult, to be content with much, impossible.” –Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, 1830-1916
The December whirlwind is upon us, and so we strive for balance to enter the season of celebration: Chanukah, solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s. It is not how much you get, but the act of giving that enriches, and is the significance of, these holidays. Take time to remember their greater symbolism; practice kindness, good humor, and a generous spirit.
Red Stocking
The Red Stocking Fund can use donations, at any time of year. Whether your contribution serves Island children in 2019, or next year in 2020, the need is sure to continue. Red Stocking Fund, P.O. Box 600, Edgartown, MA 02539.
No acorns
As noted elsewhere, Island oaks produced few to no acorns this season, which represents a trough in the so-called mast cycle. (If you are curious for more in-depth info about the mast cycle, go to http://bit.ly/MastCycle.)
Masting is the fruiting of trees and shrubs determined by various cryptic, phenological conditions, which create patterns or cycles of abundance and scarcity. These peaks and troughs in a food supply in turn affect the life cycles of the species dependent upon it.
Thinking about acorns for a minute, and who/what eats them, it is easy to understand that, ecologically, large chunks of Island life are affected by their presence or absence. From the white-footed mouse and similar rodents, their ticks, the gray squirrel and the chipmunk to the deer and many bird species, an absence of acorns spells a lean winter. This in turn affects follow-on birth rates.
In the garden, expect more deer browse, as these acorn eaters come in close and attempt to make up for the scarcity. For instance, Japanese hollies, usually of little interest to deer, will probably be heavily browsed. As long as the ground remains unfrozen, it is not too late to erect rebar and netting barriers.
Holly (Ilex spp.) too comes in for damage, especially since the highly ornamental, smoother-leaved hybrid forms have become widely planted. If deer pressure is high in your area, choose the spiniest holly cultivars you can find. This spininess is thought to be an adaptation to eons of browsing by all sorts of herbivores; as trees mature or gain height, the spininess diminishes. The same anti-browse adaptation occurs in native junipers.
Is it possible that the disturbing appearance of paralyzed young deer has something to do with their foraging unwisely on plants that have sickened them?
Poultry care
Parasite activity in chickens becomes more pronounced in winter when birds are cooped up. Be sure to give them a box to dust-bathe in when their outdoor spots are wet, frozen, or snow-covered. I use COLD wood ashes from the stove in a corner of the henhouse litter.
I also use the deep-litter style of henhouse insulation. Rake the droppings into the litter, and top with a layer of fresh shavings; some compost action takes place and provides a little warmth. This accumulated litter becomes wonderful garden top-dressing when aged. Scrape roosts and wipe them down with an application of diatomaceous earth or vinegar. Empty nesting boxes of shavings, sprinkle with DE, and fill with fresh shavings.
The following parasite-cleanse formula for hens comes from Scarlet Blair: Using a food processor, grind 1 lb. pumpkin seed; 1 Tbsp. red pepper (birds do not have receptors for pepper’s heat properties); 1 head of garlic; mix with 1 to 2 pounds of rolled oats. Dispense it in the hens’ feed hopper.
Winter moth worries
An abundant flight of male winter moths is evident driving home at dusk. These little creatures would be quite invisible and beneath notice, except the headlights pick them up.
Right now, no one knows how severe the caterpillars’ damage will be when they hatch next spring. Maybe entomologists do? Like many other things in nature, interrelated phenological data that entomologists document will be influencers.
I am not going to write that caterpillar damage is always minor, nor that it should be shrugged off, but at the same time, I do want to encourage a more measured response to it. The outraged reaction “WORMS on MY trees?” does not permit room for any trust in ecological balance. (The exception or blip is the outbreak event, such as Martha’s Vineyard experienced in the early 2000s, where cankerworm, winter moth, and gypsy moth populations simultaneously exploded.)
The knee-jerk “just spray” response is not the answer, although it is a moneymaker. Populations of insects fluctuate, like mast cycles: some years large, other years small; some years serious devastation, other years little or none. It depends on those inter-related factors, but — just saying — birds’ “work” is to eat insects.
Birds are the creatures whose food consists primarily of insects; “no insects” is a little more serious than telling a kindergarten class “no snack”! Insects are the basic food unit of earth. Now, insect and bird populations, in every country, of every description, are seen to be plunging; and our own bodies do not have systems to protect us from pesticides.
Scalloped Potatoes
Scalloped potatoes are crowd-pleasers at holiday buffets. On page 73 of “More Home Cooking,” Laurie Colwin, the food writer and novelist, delivers the quickest, best version, here paraphrased: 2½ lb. potatoes, cut thin and plunged in cold water. Bring 2½ cups milk to boil in a large saucepan, pat potatoes dry, boil them in the milk until barely tender, add salt to taste, and tip the whole into a buttered dish. If desired add garlic, scatter breadcrumbs on top, and bake potatoes at 400°F for about 15 minutes, or until bubbly and browned.
Very happy holiday wishes to all!