Five Things for 5/13
It’s here!
1) Plant
This week’s plant is commonly thought of as a weed if it’s thought of at all, but it’s the host plant for three butterflies: White Peacock (Anartia jatrophae), Phaon Crescent (Phyciodes phaon), and Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia). It also makes a great low-maintenance ground cover if you have sandy soil with a bit of sun. I also really like the happy little flowers that look like tiny bouquets.
Frankly, there’s quite a few “weeds” that make excellent ground cover while also providing nectar, pollen, and host plants for all sorts of pollinators. Some are tasty, too. Groundwater and local rivers would probably be a lot happier if more people encouraged native “weeds” instead of using pesticides and herbicides.
2) Book
Speaking of nature, this week’s book is Blight: Fungi and the Coming Pandemic, which was really fascinating and sent me down a whole rabbit hole on the Wrays of Flamingo Gardens and Fairchilds of Miami. Why? We’ll because of all the importing of plants from around the world to South Florida to create botanical gardens (and in the case of Fairchild, to encourage Americans to expand their palate and garden). Fairchild wasn’t the only one—Thomas Jefferson, who died 43 years before Fairchild was born, is credited with introducing ice cream and macaroni and cheese to the U.S. along with a variety of plants not previously part of American gardens.
What did any of that have to do with fungi? Because fungi is a whole fascinating organism that doesn’t quite act like an animal or a plant and hitches rides all over the planet when people introduce (on purpose or accidentally) new plants, animals, soils, and insects to new areas.
3) Music
This week we’re going to revisit a Tegan and Sara song from 1999, “This Is Everything” and a more recent “We Won’t Go Back” from 2022. The first has been making its way on playlists dating back to the days of mix CDs that I’d invariably name something like “Mix 7” and somehow know the entire track listing but not remembering why I walked into a room. The second, which keeps popping up in my shuffle on Spotify (the modern-day mix CD), is a MILCK/BIANCO/Autumn Rowe single.
4) Animal
Muscovy Ducks (Cairina moschata) are interesting, super friendly, sociable and not exactly ducks. They aren’t related to mallards and don’t quack. They’re huge with red caruncles on their faces, which makes some people say they’re ugly, but that’s just nonsense. Closer to shelducks or geese than the rest of the duck species, the female muscovies tend to be good mothers—and can also be excellent at hiding eggs.
My little girl, Joy, was supposedly just sitting on a drain tray from a garden pot. (No idea where she got that from, but she’s nested on it before when broody.) Somehow (obviously because she had an egg hiding in there, too), she “hatched” the pot tray.
So far, she’s been an excellent mother and June, the bigger of the drakes, has been a surprisingly-attentive dad.
5) Candle Making
Last week I got to teach beginner candle making at Flamingo Gardens to about a dozen people. Despite testing all the burners ahead of time, once everyone started melting wax at the same time, we managed to blow every outlet in the room. That also meant when my laptop died halfway through the PowerPoint, I couldn’t plug it in.
BUT! Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and left with good-smelling candles they liked. Several said they had fun and learned something. And we have a plan for next time to solve that burner-outlet issue.
Take care, everyone.
Be well.
Stay safe.
You’re doing just great.
Neliza