perfectly alive

native plant ecology of the northern piedmont & small, deliberate acts of resistance

[witchofthewildwood]

to rewild your witchcraft

walk barefoot on stones in shallow streams.

talk to the wind and let it carry away your regrets.

forage for wildflowers to place on your altar, press in thrifted books, or give to loved ones —be careful when identifying

watch sunrises and sunsets. wake up before the sun. bare witness to the painted sky.

spend hours in the woods among the wild. take long long walks or sit still and watch the world.

talk to plants and listen to them. make friends.

get field guides to trees, plants, birds, etc. that are native to your area. learn which are which. bookmark pages that you recognize or want to find.

sing back to the robins. caw back to the crows.

journal by firelight and feel the flame burn your worries away.

gather snow and bring a bowl inside. talk to it and tell it your worries. your fears. let it melt, transmuting your stress and worries into healing nourishment. bring it outside and water the soil. see how things can be changed.

dance. run. move your body to sweat, if this is something you can do

collect stones from the river and try to find the best ones. keep them in your pocket. hold onto them to remember that you’re an animal.

go to a lake and float. feel the water carry you. lifting you from your stress. bring a vial and collect some for spellwork.

make a necklace out of an acorn and thread.

stand in the rain. dance in it. lay down in the grass and let it pour. let it wash fears away, transform doubt to hope. start anew.

𖤣.𖥧.𖡼.⚘

(wild winter witchcraft here)

[germwarfare70]

Milkweed season is in full swing as we approach the summer solstice - here are a few species that one might encounter in the Piedmont this time of year.

Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa) is a compact, attractive plant that thrives in dry, full sun environments.

Common Milkweed (Asclepias syrica), pictured left, is perhaps the most commonly encountered milkweed on the East Coast. It can be aggressive and will readily colonize recently disturbed areas, but appears to be one of the preferred host milkweeds for Monarch butterflies. This could be because of its tendency to grow in dense clusters which provides a reliable food source for caterpillars.

Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata), pictured right, is a more conservation species that can indicate a high-quality ecosystem if found in the wild. It does not tolerate shade or consistently damp soil as it naturally tends towards rocky, barren-like habitats. It does not tolerate much disturbance but can be easily propagated by seed for at-home plantings.

Above are two of our less common, shade-tolerant species. Redring Milkweed, left (Asclepias variegata), and Four-leaved Milkweed, right (Asclepias quadrifolia). The former is relatively common in shaded, dry roadsides and woodlands across the Piedmont. The latter is slightly less common, tolerant of deep shade and tends to be restricted to base-rich soils.

Milkweeds best serve the ecosystem and faunal associations when co-planted with a diverse matrix of pollen and nectar sources. Species density + diversity, good cultural practices, and cultivating your space according to its preset conditions will yield better, life-producing results.

[weevilsdaily]

weevil found in backyard ‼️

[turtlesandfrogs]

What I was taught growing up: Wild edible plants and animals were just so naturally abundant that the indigenous people of my area, namely western Washington state, didn't have to develop agriculture and could just easily forage/hunt for all their needs.

The first pebble in what would become a landslide: Native peoples practiced intentional fire, which kept the trees from growing over the camas praire.

The next: PNW native peoples intentionally planted and cultivated forest gardens, and we can still see the increase in biodiversity where these gardens were today.

The next: We have an oak prairie savanna ecosystem that was intentionally maintained via intentional fire (which they were banned from doing for like, 100 years and we're just now starting to do again), and this ecosystem is disappearing as Douglas firs spread, invasive species take over, and land is turned into European-style agricultural systems.

The Land Slide: Actually, the native peoples had a complex agricultural and food processing system that allowed them to meet all their needs throughout the year, including storing food for the long, wet, dark winter. They collected a wide variety of plant foods (along with the salmon, deer, and other animals they hunted), from seaweeds to roots to berries, and they also managed these food systems via not only burning, but pruning, weeding, planting, digging/tilling, selectively harvesting root crops so that smaller ones were left behind to grow and the biggest were left to reseed, and careful harvesting at particular times for each species that both ensured their perennial (!) crops would continue thriving and that harvest occurred at the best time for the best quality food. American settlers were willfully ignorant of the complex agricultural system, because being thus allowed them to claim the land wasn't being used. Native peoples were actively managing the ecosystem to produce their food, in a sustainable manner that increased biodiversity, thus benefiting not only themselves but other species as well.

So that's cool. If you want to read more, I suggest "Ancient Pathways, Ancestral Knowledge: Ethnobotany and Ecological Wisdom of Indigenous Peoples of Northwestern North America" by Nancy J. Turner

[turtlesandfrogs]

And then I think about:

How we hunted the beavers to near extinction, and a beaver pond effects the soil moisture level, wetlands, etc.

How we banned intentional fires, and now are dealing with bigger, hotter, more dangerous fires. And that one of the tools in invasive species management is intentional fires.

How we have all these invasive plant species invading everywhere, and if people were still allowed/encouraged to "forage" like they did pre-colonialization, that would include removing those invasive species. And people would have eyes everywhere, so the populations of invasive species would not have had the chance to get established.

The land needs people. Leaving it "wild" and "untouched" is actually neglect.

[germwarfare70]

Eastern Yellow Stargrass (Hypoxis hirsuta) is a small flowering monocot that can colonize dry, shady forest floors throughout most of the Eastern US. It is a perennial that arises from a small corm, which are sometimes browsed by small mammals. It is also a pollen source for various solitary bees, and certains flies and beetles.

Keep an eye out in the morning when the flowers open, before they fade with the afternoon heat.

[germwarfare70]

Perforate Bellwort (Uvularia perfoliata) tends to pop up in this zone around early April when other ephemerals start to wane. It tends toward nutrient-rich forest beds but is fairly tolerant of various moisture and light levels. It's name "perforate" refers to the manner in which the stem penetrates the leaf blade, as opposed to merely attaching to it. It can be confused with its relative, Uvularia grandiflora, but is distinguished by a smaller flower that has distinct golden papillae or bumps on the inner tepals.

[depsidase]

[moss-and-bugs]

Genus Trombidium

Harms Woods - Glenview, IL - May 6th 2024

These little guys belong to the Family Trombidiidae also known as red velvet mites. I always think its such a treat when I get to see these just as the bright red color makes them pop so much and they are so weird shaped.

[femcassidy]

the solution to the systematic (and purposeful) destruction of the environment is not simply “no one ever touches nature again because humans are not a part of nature and should leave it alone” lmao. colonialism has destroyed the environment in ways which are targeted specifically toward indigenous people first, as well as impoverished communities who suffer the negative affects of environmental damage first. the response is not the self-deprecating and humanity-as-conglomerate attitude taken on by everyone from vegans to leftists to apolitical worriers… a solution is not to point and cry and say “think how much better animals would be without us!” because not only is human life as valuable and something you should be concerned over, not only should you think critically about the ways in which you define that “us” clause, you should also remember the human species is part of the ecosystem

[germwarfare70]

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is the next spring ephemeral of interest. A member of Papaveraceae, or poppy family, it is a rhizomatous perennial that has a diverse ethnobotanical background.

This plant is one of many that relies on ant colonies to disperse its seed, a process called myrmecochory. The seed contains an "elaiosome," a lipid & protein-rich deposit which entices the ant to bring the seed back to the nest. Once the elaiosome is ingested by the colony, the remaining seed is discarded in underground tunnels where it will germinate and grow.

[germwarfare70]

Rue-anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides), a small perennial ephemeral that thrives in base-rich forest floors. The flowers are considered 'perfect,' meaning they contain both the male and female reproductive parts within the same flower.

The flowers are subtended by ovate, pinkish-white "petaloid sepals," rather than traditional petals. Small, solitary bees as well as flies aid in the pollination of this delicate spring-bloomer.

[forestofsprites]

as if nature isn't the most prolific storyteller out there with her layers of sediment and mountain-top fossils. with her trodden down paths and carved out river beds. with her fresh springs and billowing waterfalls. rotting branches and hollowed tree trunks. creeping coastlines and collapsing cliff faces. a living record of time immemorial; both an archiver and witness!!

[germwarfare70]

Eastern Prickly-pear cactus (Optunia humifusa) is one of three species of Pickly-pear native to Virginia, this being the most common. It is distinguishable from its counterparts (mesacantha and cepitosa) by its lack of spines and uniformly yellow blossoms.

[headspace-hotel]

There is a project on Inaturalist for Bigfoot with 0 observations

[germwarfare70]

After 3 months of persistent cotyledons, the true leaves on each of these Curlyheads (Clematis ochroleuca) uniformly emerged shortly after the winter solstice. Curious if this was triggered by the lengthening daylight hours.

[ironweedarts]

more experiments with poem and image today / not trying to wish away winter but the spring ephemerals are on my mind

[germwarfare70]

visible mending project no. 1