Climate rally tomorrow

A climate rally is being held tomorrow, Sunday, Feb. 17th, on the National Mall at noon. Many environmental clubs, including the Sierra Club, are sponsoring the event. Let's all turn out!

Dodge's Tribute to Farmers

I'm a Ford guy, but Dodge scored some points with this ad.

Seeing Trees

An increasingly viral video and the book it describes are getting widespread attention from artists and naturalists.  The techniques used by the artists reveal much about trees that isn't found in even the best guidebooks.

Birthday Newsletter: Climate Change

October 7, 2012

Bees and Beekeeping

by James Consellor The survival of honeybees are at risk. Honeybees, on whom we rely to pollinate our food crops, have been dying in large numbers due to a phenomenon called "colony collapse disorder" or CCD. Rather than a disorder, CCD may be easier to understand as a syndrome. It represents a largely unexplained phenomenon occurring worldwide for which there is no identifiable single cause. CCD has been characterized as a "perfect storm" of factors including the emergence of hive weakening and chemical resistant supermites, the systemic consequences of large scale industrial monocropping, and the use of multiple pesticides that have infiltrated our ecosystems. In the midst of complex and unprecedented ecosystem disruption, honeybees are suffering. Honeybees are not wild, nor are they native to North America. While there are an estimated 20,000 species of bees worldwide, seven species of honeybee are recognized. Honeybees were introduced to the continent by European settlers and have long been domesticated for the production of honey and other products made from beeswax. Although many people are afraid of bee stings, honeybees are surprisingly gentle and only become aggressive in defense of their hive. If you ever spot a swarm of honeybees, be assured you are in no danger. Although a mass of bees may look and sound intimidating, when searching for a home the honeybee is extremely docile. One unique aspect of honeybee behavior is their ability to communicate through movement and a characteristic "waggling" dance. They are perhaps the only insect and one of the very few non- human animals able to communicate distance and terrain using symbolic gesture. James and his father In the spring of 2012, we began an experiment in natural beekeeping in Northern Michigan. Beginning with introductory workshops on basic beekeeping and hive building, we constructed two "top-bar" hives that were placed on our rural woodland property. Top-bar hives are based on a simple design originating in Africa in which the honeybees construct heart-shaped honeycombs that hang down from specially designed bars. This mimics the natural behavior of bees and is thought to develop hives that are healthier and more resistant to mites and disease. It's currently mid-summer and they are doing well! Although there will be no honey collection this year in order to allow the hives to build up their winter food stores, we look forward to plenty of honey in the coming years. James Counsellor Hubbard Lake, Michigan

Summer Squash

What to do with all those zucchini? Here's an idea from Nathan Lyon: Summer Squash Salad Ingredients: 3 small zucchini & yellow squash salt to taste 3T extra-virgin olive oil 1t capers, rinsed and drained Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese, not pre-grated ¼ cup roughly chopped Italian parsley Vinaigrette: 2t white wine vinegar 2t lemon juice 1 med. shallot finely diced/3T 3T extra-virgin olive oil Freshly ground black pepper Whisk vinaigrette ingredients in a sm. bowl. Using a mandoline or vegetable peeler carefully slice zucchini and yellow squash into 1/16" thick slices lengthwise. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk olive oil into the shallot mixture and add capers. Loosely arrange some squash slices into a small, artistically twisted pile & spoon some of the caper vinaigrette over the top. Using a vegetable peeler, top with shavings of cheese and some loose parsley and enjoy!