Daily Moss

 Some of my friends have been taking photos of moss every day and I have joined them on this quest. It's simple. When you go outside to get some fresh air and fill your senses from nature's offerings just find some moss. I confess I don't know much about moss, and I think that's part of its appeal. It's sensual delights comfort me and give the cognitive part of my brain a rest.

 Even the labels I put on the photo files have the quality of found poetry:

finger moss
oak moss
birch moss
fairy moss
carpet
bee nest
nuzzle
mood
salmonberry petal
poplar bud 

There are clues to the phenology: detritus from trees and shrubs fall on the moss and lay there like a seasonal gift.

I notice the company moss keeps: bark textures and the lichens they like to nudge up against. Cling to. Like I would like to cling to you. This pleasure now forbidden, seems even more desirable.

 I notice how they change when it rains, drinking in the moisture and giving us the gift of their viridity.

Hidden, subtle, ubiquitous, and never boring, moss is a good companion. An introvert we can share out secrets with. The longing.

 The moss would like you to admire its beauty. Daily.

You don't have to know its botany, chemistry or astronomy. It is there for you to love unconditionally.

It soaks up the harsh sounds of the city and mean gossip and transforms it into a gentle murmur of assurance.

It holds time for next time.

It doesn't need labels because it know that stickers and price tags are not far behind.

It is moss. It is.

Family Day Fun at Terra Nova with Victory Gardens for Diversity!

What a glorious day we had for the launch of Victory Gardens for Diversity! Many thanks for the lovely time we had at the little red barn.

As we prepared the tables for some creative action, one honeybee from the Sharing Farm apiary was trying to be extra helpful.

One of the reasons I love collaborating is because I get to spend time with some of my favorite people: Lori Snyder, Jenn Pearson, Catherine Shapiro (in photos below) and Crystal Lee. Do check out their artist bios at the link on the right of this blog.

Using wind-fallen materials gathered by yours truly, we invited participants to create a "nest" or sculptural piece which would later be returned to the birds for them to use as nesting materials.

The "eggs" that you see were made out of playdough that Crystal Lee made with kitchen ingredients and dyed with carrots and beets!

There's the lovely Catherine Shapiro (on the front left) making her sculpture with our guests. Catherine is giving an artist talk at the library at VanDusen Gardens on April 15. Reservations recommended!

Lori Snyder suggested these nests could be attatched to an Alice band or ribbon and made into fascinators, which I think is an awesome idea!

The batting in the background is unbleached cotton. You can also put out human hair, string, yarn and raw wool for the birds, but make sure it is cut less that six inches in length so they don't get tangled in it. You can put materials out in a bowl, net bag, or suet feeder. Natural fibres are best.

Lori Snyder spoke about the important of making your own medicines from sustainable local sources. She has made her own incense from Christmas trees!

The fragrance of the powder used to create the incense was the essence of the forest itself!

Here's a peek at the barn owls I talked about on our tree walk.

Photo by Crystal Lee

Another honeybee came and visited the pot of rosehip tea Lori prepared for us!

Photo by Crystal Lee

Yours truly, Madame Beespeaker channeling Frieda Kahlo and Miss Frizzle from the Magic School Bus!

Lori Snyder is a member of the David Suzuki Butterfly Rangers and we'll be collaborating with them to add more butterfly habitat to the site!

Lori Snyder was separating medicinal milkweed seeds from their fluffy bits, so she gave us the chaff to add to the nests.

 

Participants also made impressions from the tree pieces with the natural play dough.

 We installed some of the nests in the nearby trellis. It was so cool to see everyone's unique creations!

Next, I lead a tree walk on the site, with the assistance of Lori Snyder, who always has amazing plant knowledge to share. We agree it's good medicine to hug a beautiful beech tree!

I hadn't noticed this fungus on the weeping birch in the archway on the west side of the farm. I'll have to ask Michael Griffith about that.

Pussywillows are blooming alongside the red osier dogwood!

The beaver lodge on the right is a formidable structure, but the inhabitants were being shy and hunkering away from human eyes.

Finally, leave it to the youngest person on our tree tour to discover a very cold bumblebee queen hunkered down in a purple crocus blossom! She'll have a drink of nectar and then find her spot under the ground to wait until it's warmer and there's more food available. You might keep some sugar dissolved in water (50/50) to feed queens that emerge prematurely.

Terra Nova Tree Walk: Part 3

If you look closely at the right hand of this pond, you can see the house belonging to the beavers that have been chomping on the nearby trees. We are making a map of the site, so we'll have to be sure to include the spot with the beaver house. If there are any of your favourite places at Terra Nova, please let us know, and we will include them.

 

 There are some fruit trees remaining from the settlers farms that used to be here. These are a couple of old gnarly pear trees (Pyrus). I can't wait to see the bees tucking into the flowers when they are in bloom! Norwegian Maples (Acer platinoides) line the driveway. These can become a problem because the keys tend to take root quite easily and they spread all over the property.

I was surprised to see a gingko tree (Ginkgo biloba) in this part of the yard. Michael says he's never seen a female gingko tree in Richmond because the fallen fruit tends to be messy and smelly. (Some folks do collect the nuts and eat them.) It's the oldest living species of tree on earth.

This oddity is a Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria). It's the national tree of Japan, where it is called "sugi". Perhaps it was planted by, or in honour of, the Japanese Canadian family who used to own one of the farms here. It's often planted by shrines in Japan, where it's considered a sacred tree. The versatile wood is used to build houses and furniture.

To the north of the Nature School is an ecologically sensitive area where the City is planting some native species. This little one is a grand fir (Abies grandis) which could grow up to be 70 metres tall.

Next to the school house is one of Michael's favourite trees: a big oak (Quercus) that is over a hundred years old.

I asked him to put his hand against the crenulated bark of this venerable oak. This tree is a sentinel, witness, and survivor.

Once a tree becomes a safety hazard, it does need to be cut down and put in a safe place. These become interactive sculptures that the children can explore and climb on. They also act as wildlife trees, providing home and food for insect and plant decomposers.

This photo shows the black, stringy rhizomorphs of a fungus that weakens trees and contributes to their death. It's called Armillaria, and can cause "white rot" root disease.

"Trees are more resilient than humans, says Michael. "They can fall over and keep on growing." A great deal of Michael's work is helping trees age gracefully—a kind of horticultural gerontologist. In this way, he is a hero for protecting urban biodiversity. His work is not always appreciated by developers and home owners. They must consult with Michael before they do any work around city trees. They often see trees as an inconvenience rather than an asset. If trees are the lungs of the city, then Michael is also like the pulminologist of Richmond. He is wise and knowledgeable about the sentinels of our city, and should be celebrated and honoured. 

On the way out of the site, Michael points out a black locust tree (Robinia pseudoacacia). He says that this species is on the watch list because it is becoming increasingly invasive. There's a protected area he monitors that has a zillion baby black locust trees growing in the yard, which becomes a management issue. This is unfortunate, since the trees produce a great deal of nectar, much loved by bumble bees.

Since many of the exotic trees on the site are affected by too much water, I asked Michael about the effects of the recent drought we've been having during the warmer months. "The great western cedars (Thuja plicata) are dying all over the city. We have to keep a close eye on them." These majestic local trees are showing the effects of climate change. Often trees planted in cities are subjected to many stressors, and the continued drought is just too much for many of our largest trees.

By the time we'd finished our walk, the sun had broken through the clouds and a mackerel sky appeared. I felt grateful for the people who make our cities more beautiful and healthy. It's what they do every day.