[forest-and-fauna]

Introduction

Pfp and background pic are mine.

Follows come from @path-of-grass-and-leaves

My preferred name on here is Moon. This is a sideblog where I talk about gardening, animal rescue, and urban/suburban rewilding.

I volunteer and foster for a cat rescue so you'll see a lot of content about that. I'm also studying for my wildlife rehabilitation permit, but that won't happen for at least a few more years.

I plan to post a lot about cat behavior and fostering/rescue as well as guides for rewilding and gardening. I'm also an artist and hope to make a living off of it someday, so I'll be posting my art at some point in the future.

I do sometimes talk about urban/suburban homesteading. Just to be clear, this is not a tradfem or cottagecore blog.

Resources/Guides:

Gardening, Native Plants, and Rewilding

Seed Stratification

Seed Saving

Brush Piles

Hügelkultur Raised Bed Guide

Sustainability

Vegetable Scrap Broth

Homemade Incense Wands

Cat Rescue, Cat Care/Behavior, and Feral Socialization

Resources for Beginner Rescuers (Also includes links for pet owners)

Scaredy Cats Socialization Guides

Socialization Saves Lives

Providing Mutual Aid as A Pet Rescuer

[forest-and-fauna]

Cat Feeding Site Update

This is the first time she's gotten this close and the first time I've tried physical contact. It's worth noting that she's not always present at feeding times and isn't familiar with me. I think her behavior is a great sign. Airplane ears and some flinching/crouching when I touch her but no fear aggression at all. She did very well and has rehab potential imo.

[forest-and-fauna]

The peas are reaching the end of production. But the tomatoes and peppers are just getting started. The golden cherries are so sweet!

[forest-and-fauna]

I put them in a broccoli salad!

[forest-and-fauna]

The peas are reaching the end of production. But the tomatoes and peppers are just getting started. The golden cherries are so sweet!

[forest-and-fauna]

We're getting so many blueberries. I can't wait to plant more so we can share with the neighborhood.

[forest-and-fauna]

Cat Feeding Site Update

So far I only have two regulars at the site, which is good. They're starting to warm up.

Maybe I just have a strict personal definition of semi-feral, but it's looking like these cats have the potential for adoption and I'll be able to pull them.

While they're super skittish, they'll approach me and don't seem to have that profound fear of humans and reactivity that I see in my personal cat, who better fits the description of semi-feral. The plan is to spend some more time on behavioral assessment before I take them in.

In other news, I discovered a grassroots organization in my neighborhood dedicated to the care of local strays and ferals. I've been floating the idea of getting involved with them but honestly I may just start up something of my own.

I love the rescue I currently volunteer for but we take mostly owner surrenders and friendly cats. I'll likely continue to foster for them but I also want to focus on helping owners keep their pets and rehabbing strays with behavioral issues, which are actions that I think would help the abandoned and outdoor cat population. And I want the work to be specific to my neighborhood.

[forest-and-fauna]

Today's tiny harvest

[krakenmonger]

Personally, I despise tomatoes, especially sweet ones. I admittedly have food sensitivities to tomatoes which don't help my hatred for them at all, but I just also don't. Like. Tomatoes. Never have.

I can, however, apparently grow tomatoes fairly well despite my not liking them.

Why do I grow them if I dislike them so, and have sensitivity issues with them and cannot eat them?

Bc I am a farmer; it's what I do. I grow whatever seeds I can get my hands on and get to grow. I'm a fifth generation homesteader who was raised that no food should ever go to waste, no matter what. I cannae eat these damn red fruits but my neighbor can. My 80+ year old neighbor who doesn't get around very well or have much money to spend on fresh vegetables at the grocery store. The latter being very much like a lot of other people nowadays. Myself included.

I have five plants of this particular variety of tomato growing in my garden that when ripe, every single fruit goes to my neighbor.i have zero use for this plant. But they look forward to my weekly tomato delivery with extreme anticipation. They admitted to me that since I have started delivering what is essentially my castoffs from my garden, they have started eating better. They have BLT sandwiches and salads with fresh tomatoes and vegetables instead of tv dinners from the freezer. They are saving money and eating better all bc I share with them the cursed red fruit from my garden.

The variety is early treat tomato for those that are interested. They absolutely are quick producing and prolific to boot, with fruits being around 2-3 oz on average. They are semi determinate which I have learned means they continue to produce even though they really only ever reach a certain size. So as long as the plant doesn't die it continues to put off sweet, globe tomatoes. If one is into that kind of thing, I'm told these are amazing to eat raw.

Photos show this mornin's harvest of about 15, 2-3 oz globe tomatoes in varying stages of ripeness, in my hand, green tomatoes on the vine, and the harvested tomatoes in a sourdough bread bowl. Final photos are of said tomatoes in a target plastic bag being delivered to my neighbor on their windowsill.

[the-habitat-ring]

This is why I grow cantaloupes. I absolutely cannot stand them but they’re easy for me to grow. My spouse likes them but can only eat so much. But lots of other people really like them, and giving people fresh fruit makes all of us happy

[gardenvarietygay]

This is so lovely. Giving away garden surpluses, whether to neighbors or to your local food pantry, is such a wonderful gift!

[sometiktoksarevalid]

[oh-he-grows]

Rarely do I pick up a brand new book at a bookstore, but this one really piqued my interest so I had to get it.

Plant This, Not That: Over 200 Native Plant Swaps for a More Sustainable, Pollinator-Friendly Garden, by Elise Howard

I love that it offers several replacements for every invasive, and also shows comparison photos of all the native alternatives AND their native ranges AND benefits.

(If anybody is looking to replace something lemme know and I'll see if it's in the book and scan the pages for you)

[kleefkruid]

As promised, some budget advice for absolute beginner garderners! It's a slow process to fill a garden while spending little money, but it makes the pay off all the sweeter, and isn't it nice to slow down in this day and age?

[turtlesandfrogs]

Also, find the garden swap groups in your area- gardeners are very generous(aka, every one I've been to had multiple people giving away plants without wanting trades), and by getting plants for free you know you're getting plants that do well in your area.

[atrusovaartist]

Acrylic on canvas, 50 × 50 cm

“Large Fish” (2019)

[forest-and-fauna]

Rose blossom harvest and my native Virginia Rose.

[forest-and-fauna]

Met a Painted turtle getting ready to lay her eggs and a Lady beetle with a single spot.

[bumblebeebats]

Why is it that every time I google something like "Are olives poisonous to cats" the top results are always like "Fun fact: Cats are carnivores! This means that they eat meat. There is no reason to include olives in a cat's diet. You should feed your cat cat food, which is dry or wet food especially designed for cats. You can purchase this at a store." like is there a single person alive on the planet who's googled "Are blueberry muffins safe for cats" because they're planning on switching their cat to a muffin-only diet??? No, I'm asking because the little bastard somehow popped open the packet while I was putting away the groceries and dragged one under the couch before I could react and now I need to know if I should call the after-hours vet. "Cats should not eat spaghetti." NO SHIT, SHERLOCK!!!! "Try to keep human food away from cats." i live in a studio apartment with a completely silent and permanently hungry apex predator who has the intelligence of a toddler and the desperate Machiavellian cunning of a creature who spent his formative months on the streets. He can already open doors and he is this 👌 close to learning how to open the microwave. He is stronger than me and covered in knives. So im gonna do my best but for the moment i just need you to tell me whether this yoghurt is going to kill my son y/n

[spectralhauntings]

I've been using the pet poison hotline's poison list cause it has a search function. It also tells you whether something is mildly, moderately, or severely toxic which can be very handy! It doesn't contain like everything but it might be a good place to start, it also includes plants for fellow houseplant lovers <3

Explore Pet Poison Helpline®s vast knowledge on poisons by reviewing our pet poison list. Explore our top 10 poison and holiday poison lists

[littlemousling]

For plants specifically, there’s also a wildly detailed set of posts and listings about toxicity on the old, wonderful, Plants Are the Strangest People blog

[oh-he-grows]

Kale harvest ❤️

[forest-and-fauna]

I usually love spice but this batch of salsa I made is diabolical. Far too hot to eat on chips. Maybe I shouldn't have added three large jalapeños when I only had 3 tomatoes.

Since I hate wasting food, I give you: frozen salsa cubes 🔥🧊

The salsa was portioned into one of those skinny ice cube trays for water bottles, covered in plastic wrap, and popped into the freezer. Perfect addition to sauces, soups, taco filling, ect.