Food for thought: Gaia Warriors

I happened upon the book Gaia Warriors (by Nicola Davies) earlier this week in our school library. I was feeling like I needed some serious fuel for my brain and fictional YA lit just wasn't going to do it-- but I lucked out and ran across this eco-warrior book targeted for teens.

Gaia is the name for the earth and all of its delicate life systems intertwined with it. Therefore, the book is urging teens to get serious about fixing Gaia by facing global warming head on. Gaia Warriors is broken into super-fast-to-read chapters, by starting with the basic science of global warming: essentially, the earth is getting warmer on average because the gases we put off trap heat between and earth and the atmosphere. There are some ways to decrease these gases (and therefore stabilize this super-heating process) and these include some of the basics we hear all the time: plant trees to soak up the CO2 and stop using so many fossil fuels for driving, heating, cooling etc... However, starting the book in this way, may have scared off many readers who may have found the science- particularly without easing into it-- a bit daunting.

The book does a nice job of spotlighting individuals the world over by interviewing them about their contributions (since they are eco-warriors) and it ties in how different cultures/regions are being effected and have been effected by the global climate shift. The book also shows how lots of little changes can mean large-scale changes. I especially enjoyed how the book connected various professions and how some professionals in these area have been using their skills to bring awareness to the topic and have helped cut down on use of resources. Some of these professionals included an architect, a lawyer, a fashion designer and handful of various scientists.

Toward the end of the book there are more resources to learn about climate change and there's a fabulous glossary that explains all of the basics of the topic. I particularly found the definition for "Cap and trade" to be useful to review exactly what this term entailed. This book would be a great gift- along with a tree whip (teeny-tiny tree sapling) for a great Christmas or even Earth Day present.

Overall, it reminded me just how much trees really can be the answer! It also made me wonder why it is that we don't all have roof-top gardens with solar panels for a little shade and small trees and veggie gardens to suck up CO2 and provide some basic veggies while they're in season..? And then I remind myself, "Be the change you want to see in the world..." and I know that once I get my rooftop, solar garden put together, then and only then, can I wonder why others haven't followed suit.

A little sweet on Sweetgum

I'm a total nerd for color. So I'm sure you could guess that fall is my favorite time of year because of this. Spring is a close second, but I can't get over the wonderful colors of fall.

Earlier this fall, I found myself wandering around my neighborhood and taking a lot of pictures of trees and anything that struck me as particularly interesting. Over and over, I found myself photographing Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) trees because of their brilliant colors and their fun little star-shaped leaves. What I also find particularly fun about these trees is that they have "balls" that they drop. These balls remind me of Velcro in that they're a bit prickly, and especially when they first fall, they have a tendency to get caught on fabric and other soft materials.

I wasn't really familiar with Sweetgum trees until I lived in Athens, OH a while. After spending a few years working on my education at Ohio University, a realized how prevalent these trees really were in Southern Ohio. And, I couldn't help but notice how colorful they always seem compared to other trees.

According to the Peterson Eastern Tree Guide, these trees were named because of the sap they sometimes exude. Apparently some people actually chew on this, hence sweet gum. The Peterson Guide also explains that Sweetgum lumber is often used in furniture making as well as other common wooden items.

While some people avoid using these trees as landscaping material because of the balls they drop, I've actually seen these seeds collected and strung together in such a way that they make cute Christmas tree decorations or even wreaths. I guess it just depends on whether or not such tree droppings will annoy or delight you, but I know I'd pay a neighbor kid a few dollars to pick up the droppings just so I could enjoy their great fall color and shade qualities.

(non-)native party favors & native favor suggestions

Over the weekend, my husband and I attended a family member's wedding. Along with the many traditions associated with American Weddings, all of the guests received party favors to take with them. There was chocolate and champagne glasses, but my favorites were the "live" party favors-- the blue spruce 'whips'. The spruce whips are not Ohio Natives (bad), but they're at least a step in the right direction (good). The Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens) is native in the western United States (duh, think Colorado and the Rocky Mts.).

The reason I wanted to share about these party favors is because I'm thrilled that other brides and grooms are including green measures in their festivities. My husband and I also had similar whips for our party favors (slightly over 6 years ago) and I know that many of our guests were excited and very appreciative. There were several who even volunteers to take any leftovers so they could use them as windbreaks and erosion control in their yards. Had I to do it over again (the getting married part), I would have chosen some native trees instead-- say a nice native crab apple (which I recently received from my mom-- courtesy of Dawes Arboretum-- pic. on right), a dogwood or even a Buckeye (which I heard one of the wedding guest mention that he would like to get his hands on). These trees are great because the crab apple tree has pretty blooms and fruit for birds. The dogwood has great blooms and fall color and the Buckeye is fun for the gung-ho Ohio-Staters in your family (and it's easy to collect the buckeyes and make buck-nut necklaces for celebrating on game days).

So as you know of young lovers preparing for nuptial festivities, recommend some party favors that won't stick to the guests rears (so no chocolate and no thorn-infested trees!). Instead recommend a pretty tree with some pragmatic benefits.

...applying chemicals to more than your plants...

I've been blessed, or some might even say cursed, to have botanists on both my side of the family and on my husband's side of the family, so it's no wonder that issues concerning the environment naturally strike a chord with me-- especially since so many of my family members must be environmentally in tune in order to help their clients be aware of the concerns (One parent leads eco-tourism trips and does public speaking on the topic and my husband's parents work in the tree nursery/landscaping business). With this, many discussions come up that average families probably don't have around the dinner table: for instance, the recent damaging effects of some seemingly "safe" fertilizers.

The first concerns I'd heard about fertilizers doing some serious damage to natural habitats in Ohio was about a year or so ago when Grand Lake St. Mary's began having algae bloom problems. These problems were because of the large amounts of farming fertilizer that had been accumulating in the lake from farm runoff. My step-father, who is originally from the Celina area indicated when he'd gone home for a visit over the summer that the situation was so bad that there were water festivities that were going to be cancelled because of the toxic algae. However, instead of exercising the caution that had previously been recommended, the gov't. suddenly changed their tune and decided that the "risks weren't quantifiable"... but what it seemed to really be saying was: "we can't afford to blame this on fertilizers, so until somebody dies of it AND we can prove the death was related... we will pretend it's not an issue for the economy's sake."

The second concern I'd heard about was from my in-laws. They were having clients report problems with their trees after having fertilized with Imprelis. Apparently, if the fertilizer sunk too far into the soil, it would actually result in killing the trees. This has actually brought about a class action lawsuit and the defendants (DuPont) are trying to claim that they couldn't possibly be at fault- because of inability to prove the link and/or the fact that there was rain shortly after the application of the fertilizer.... Nonetheless, my question is: If this fertilizer is diluted with rain and is killing trees, what in the world is it doing to us since we share the groundwater with these trees...?

The third and most recent concern that's been brought to my attention by both my mother and by one of my friends, who recently posted a pic of the situation on Facebook, is the toxic algae in Lake Erie. While I grew up in Lakeside/Marblehead, OH, the lake is a very near friend to me and my family. I still have family in this area and I often visit with my husband, so I was distraught to hear reports of algae blooms in Lake Erie similar to those Grand Lake St. Mary's has been experiencing. These algae blooms as well, seem to be the result of agricultural runoff finding it's way to the lake. Like Lake St. Mary's, this is also effecting the economy of the coastal towns of the Lake.


(Photo of Lake Erie courtesy of Brianne Stinchcomb, 2011)

So what can we do about this? After crying a little in our non-alcoholic beverages... start writing, calling and talking to anyone who will listen. What do I mean? Let your congresspeople know this is unacceptable and educate those people you come in contact with on a daily basis! AND, quit applying any of the fertilizers you've been putting on your lawn, trees, etc. As well, assess what kinds of veggies & fruits you're buying- are yours being grown without fertilizers and pesticides? Lastly, have you asked the golf courses you patronize to consider going green (i.e. with out the heavy fertilizers)? All of these add up. Start with just one and try to build on the small successes. Good luck and don't forget that we're simply borrowing this earth from our future.

Pining part 2: White Pine (Pinus strobus)?

The second tree I found myself inspecting while at Alley Park on Saturday was another coniferous tree. At first I just figured that this tree was just another Red Pine (Pinus resinosa) planted in a small clump near the picnic table I was using as an outdoor desk. Many times landscapers and landowners like to plant trees in small colonies, but I figured it would do me a little good to practice IDing as much as possible, so I began to compare this tree with the Red Pine I'd just looked up.

First, I plucked some dry needles off one of the low branches and I found that rather than 2 in a bundle that there were 5 needles in this bunch. These needles were also flexible and almost soft feeling- like a paint brush. I didn't notice any pine cones still stuck to the branches, while the Red Pine did have old pine cones. With my Peterson Field Guide in hand, I found the page listing the species with 3 and 5 "leafed" pines and browsed the list. Only one tree had 5 needles: the Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus). Apparently and easy way to remember that the White Pine has 5 needles is that there is one needle for each letter in w-h-i-t-e. The Peterson description below the Eastern White Pine simply said " Needles thin, cones slim, branches parallel." At that point I looked up and noticed that surely enough that branches were definitely parallel. I looked back at the red pine and the branches almost sloped upward slightly. I was satisfied. White pine it was. Suddenly I realized that the pine trees I'd climbed near one of my childhood homes were probably white pine; I remembered the parallel limbs that seemed to be built for children to climb and hang from. Ah, if my mother only knew... she probably would have climbed them with me.

Gathering Info at Alley Park

I took the afternoon to gather some information and practice identifying (IDing) trees in Alley Park, which is on the south side of Lancaster, OH.

I tested my skills with a few coniferous trees near the parking lot. Mostly, I was drawn to the nice shade and a few picnic tables for a comfy "studying" area.

I brought a small note pad along to help me label my trees visually on the camera. A few years ago I saw a few botanists doing this while trying to memorize some plants. They'd find out the name of the plant, write it on the scrap paper, shoot a picture of it, and then they'd shoot a picture of the plant. This meant that the pictures would automatically appear with names first and then the picture of the plant would be the next picture on the cue. It was so logical, I adopted this method to help me identify mystery plants and remind myself of plants with which I've had others help me identify (or that I had to look up). I've also taken to dating and reminding myself of the location of the plant so that I can double check it, or return to it in the future if necessary.

The first tree I started with had pine cones, but I wasn't sure what kind of tree it was based just on the pine cones. The cones did help me narrow down my search though. However, I knew that my best bet to ID was to go straight to the needles. Were they sharp and bristly, or were they soft and flexible? Sharp and bristly. How many needles were there in a bunch? Two. With this, I busted out my trusty Peterson Guide to Eastern Trees (since I currently live in central Ohio).
The pine cones were round and medium sized (about 2 inches in diameter). What was the trunk like? It mostly looked like a elephant's leg with cracks in it.

What did I come up with? Red Pine. Pinus resinosa. How easy is that latin name?! Just think: pine (Pinus) + resin (resinosa) and voila! As well, Peterson informs us that this tree is also known as Norway Pine, even though it's not from Norway; it's actually native to Northern America (and Ohio). This was a score for the good guys (AKA me) because I'm currently on a quest to find native plants, particularly trees, and collect seeds, pine cones, etc. to grow them for my up-and-coming native tree "farm."

It's a tough process because going to the average tree nursery isn't much help because so many of the trees are non-natives (AKA exotics) that have been brought in because they're pretty and because local birds and insects leave them alone. So my hope is to find and cultivate plants that actually belong in Ohio and that will feed birds, allow insects to be part of the food chain, and provide great shade and wind breaks for the tree owners. And, some of these trees may even have great flowers, nuts and fruits that the owners may also indulge in. Not only that, but the native plants hold up better than exotics do because they've adapted to Ohio's schizophrenic weather. Boo-yah, exotics!