A Train into the Forest

An excerpt from an email that Howard and Donna shared on their recent California experience.

The Skunk Train out of Fort Bragg, California we boarded one fine day in October. I will never forget the people on board a tour bus of energetic elderly people, some middle aged people and one couple that I will never forget as the husband had so many stories to tell about being a test pilot for the USAF. None of us knew each other but we were there together to experience this wonder of going up through a foggy valley in Mendocino County. Our conductor had lived here some eons ago in this canyon far away from civilization. It was very cool and the open railway car was occupied by curious people from many places. As they gazed in wonder at the huge trees, I felt as if I had been lifted in time to a place that was once a dream world filled with spirits and messages from another world.

Our conductor told the story and history of this special place. I smelled the fog and fresh odor of the Redwoods and caught glimpses of a hint of blue sky above. Huge stumps some 20 feet in diameter with fairy rings of younger trees only 100 to 200 feet tall stood holding hands around them as if paying homage to their ancestry.

TO BE CONTINUED . . . . . .

Ion Exchange joins Iowa Native Plant Society

We at Ion Exchange are happy to announce we have joined the Iowa Native Plant Society. The more we learn about our environment the better it will enable us to care for it. Preserving and protecting our native plants should be important to all of us. We can each do our part to restore areas of beauty using the wildflowers, grasses and trees that are native to where we live.

Organic Farming Can Feed the World

Ion Exchange ran across this article and thought it might be of interest to our friends and neighbors of the world.

Study: Organic Farming Can Feed the World
Reuters, 7/10/2007 Straight to the Source
Organic farming can yield up to three times as much food as conventional farming in developing countries, and holds its own against standard methods in rich countries, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.They said their findings contradict arguments that organic farming -- which excludes the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides -- is not as efficient as conventional techniques."My hope is that we can finally put a nail in the coffin of the idea that you can't produce enough food through organic agriculture," Ivette Perfecto, a professor at the University of Michigan's school of Natural Resources and Environment, said in a statement.She and colleagues analyzed published studies on yields from organic farming. They looked at 293 different examples."Model estimates indicate that organic methods could produce enough food on a global per capita basis to sustain the current human population, and potentially an even larger population, without increasing the agricultural land base," they wrote in their report, published in the journal Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems."We were struck by how much food the organic farmers would produce," Perfecto said."Corporate interest in agriculture and the way agriculture research has been conducted in land grant institutions, with a lot of influence by the chemical companies and pesticide companies as well as fertilizer companies, all have been playing an important role in convincing the public that you need to have these inputs to produce food," she added.

"Mother Nature says it time to take a break and go fishing!

"Mother Nature says it time to take a break and go fishing with
friends and family!" Taken at The Natural Gait

Hummingbirds - Helpers for the Honeybees?

I recently took some pictures at Ion Exchange and of all the pictures I took I was most pleased with this picture of a hummingbird in flight. I have always been fascinated by hummingbirds and I had never experienced seeing so many together and so close as the ones on the office porch. I could set and watch them for hours.

Upon hearing of the plight of the honeybee and the possible disruption to the pollination of our foods and other plants I did a little research into pollination and found that although most pollination is done by honeybees other insects and the beautiful hummingbird also help with pollinating.

The hummingbird will soon be making its migratory trip to Mexico and Central America for the winter. The cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) provides nectar in August into September to see them on their way. Their high energy needs require that abundant supplies of nectar be available throughout the migration corridor, which can range through thousands of miles of habitat. Although Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are well recognized as nectar feeders, they also eat spiders and tiny insects such as flies, gnats and aphids as a source of fat and protein. A single migration can become a nonstop flight of up to 500 miles over a period of 18 to 22 hours.
Some hummingbird favorites include native wildflowers such as Wild Bergamont (Monarda fisulosa) and Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis). There are speciality mixed wildflower seeds that are available that appeal to hummingbirds and butterflies.

The hummingbird laps up nectar by flicking its long, forked tongue deep within a flower at rates up to ten times per second. It forages while hovering airborne, inadvertently collecting pollen on its feathers and bill before darting off to its next meal. Its efficiency as a pollinator is comparable to that of a honey bee.
An extraordinary little creature! I wish them well on their long journey. Kay at Ion Exchange

Life - A Woven Web

LIFE, A WOVEN WEB

Just as the sun comes up, a web appears. A beautiful work of art is left behind but the creator is nowhere in sight. Will I make this world more beautiful as I weave my own web? No credits, no praise is needed as we leave this world imprinted with the kindness and beauty of our own gift to others.

Howard Bright
August 16th 2007

Our own Howard of Ion Exchange shares his art with us. By the way does anyone know what kind of spider weaves such a web?

More On Natural Insect Repellents

Our own Gabi posted a reply on the Natural Insect Repellent article posted a month ago. I thought everyone woud enjoy her ideas as much I did. Gabbi wrote....
Hi Kay!This is Gabi, also from Ion Exchange, and as I read your blog on "Natural Insect Repellents", I felt compelled to share some techniques that I find useful for repelling bugs from ME! Very rarely do I use store bought insect repellents, instead choosing to rely on the plentitude that nature has put out there, and have found that the leaves from both peppermint and wild bergamot, if crushed and rubbed on the skin, work very well to repel unwanted insects (and you smell GREAT!) Both plants contain varying degrees of citronel (probably one of the best known bug repellents), which is what makes this quick, easy remedy successful.In the garden, a spray bottle primed with soapy water and a little bit of rubbing alcohol is by far my best friend when it comes to pest control. I am also a big believer in using companion plants and beneficial insects, and both marigolds and catnip work great when planted around beds/crops that are especially prone to invasions. Be wary of catnip, however, as it will probably need to be controlled from spreading rampantly. I hope you find these suggestions helpful, and thanks for the great idea of using baking soda to tackle garden fungi--can't wait to try it!Happy Planting!Gabi