National Wildflower Week

Always the first full week of May - National Wildflower Week commemorates the colorful blossoms that bring our landscapes to life. Whether they are on mountainsides, pastures or our own back yards, wildflowers create habitat, help conserve water and reduce erosion. 

Here's a spring perennial that is brightening our stream banks right now.  

Meet Caltha Palustris - the Marsh Marigold - a member of the buttercup family (not a marigold) and a wild flower found in bottomlands, marshes, fens and wet woodlands  this time of year.    

This is a difficult plant to miss as the bright yellow flowers are quite showy.  This plant grows along Silver Creek and in the dappled sunlit areas where ephemeral waters gather.       

This plant also happens to be edible when cooked.  Sometimes referred-to as the poor man's saffron  - the tender spring leaves or buds can be blanched in boiling water, cut into bite-sized pieces, lightly salted and served with melted butter.  The flower buds can also be cooked and pickled for use as a caper substitute.  Whatever you do - DO NOT EAT THIS PLANT RAW.     

It is sometimes called Cowslip - a throwback to the fact that it is found in low-lying areas and cows would slip-upon it when they came to the creek to drink. 

 

Friendly Reminder

 

Pizza, Pizza!

If you were to make a frozen pizza most people would conjure-up an image of a fully-assembled frozen pizza that they could pop in the oven. That’s how it’s done. 

In our household it means thawing-out a frozen ball of pizza dough, a half jar of leftover sauce and a single-serving pack of pizza sausage.  Olives, shrooms, whole-milk mozz and the rest are basically pantry items.  Which is because I’ve likely made (and ruined) more pizzas in my lifetime than any of my acquaintances; combined. 

 

Anyway, dinner tonight started with pre-heating the oven, and stone, to 550F, rolling-out a 300g sourdough really thin, topping it with leftover sauce, fresh cheese, mushrooms, black olives and a sprinkle of Penzey’s Italian seasoning. 

 

 

8-9 minutes later this crispy, cracker-crust-crunchy pizza is served. 

 

Anybody that lives on the peninsula is likely aware there’s a knockdown trademark war escalating between a couple of local pizzerias. Fortunately, I’m self-sufficient and can rise above the fray. 

Forno season is nigh and my pizzas are better anyway….

Friday Music

Last week I posted video of a live performance of The Cranberries featuring the mezzo-soprano vocals, signature yodel and strong Limerick accent of the group's lead singer.

Unsurprisingly, this showed-up as a suggestion courtesy of the YouTube algorithm.

If you close your eyes the emotive vocals are eerily similar to Dolores Riordan's.

Beautiful cover by Erie Pennsylvania band First To Eleven.  Enjoy the spookiness...

Quote Of The Day

"The blockade is somewhat more effective than the bombing.  They are choking like a stuffed pig.  And it's going to be worse for them."

-Donald Trump

Swamp Collie

It's a good thing that doggo likes water as there's no shortage of it around here.  Even though the the extraordinary high waters of the April 14-15 flooding have largely receded, standing water in the form of large muddy puddles remain in the trails for four-legged friend to splash-through and wallow-in.  Wallow, you say?  Yes, just like a pig.  I'm going to take a picture before too long so nobody accuses me of being a liar. 

Anyway, there are plenty of trail camera captures of our wet and muddy sweetheart; and judging from the smile on her face you get my drift.

Swamp Collie.... 

 

May Astronomy

In May there are two full moons; the one tomorrow on May 1st and the second on Sunday, May 31st.  When you score two full moons in a single month the second is referred-to as a Blue Moon. 

According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac - we use full moon names that were used during Native American and Colonial times to help track the seasons.  This practice is traced to the Algonquin tribes who lived in the same areas as the Colonists.    

May’s first full Moon is known as the Flower Moon.  It signifies the wildflowers that bloom in May.  This includes wild iris, sundrops, marsh marigold, violets and more that are found around here. 

The month of May also marked a period of increased fertility and the warming days that made it safer to bear young.  For that reason it is sometimes called the Mother’s Moon.  Other names include the Corn Planting Moon, Leaf Budding Moon, Frog Moon and Milk Moon.  

From our walk only a couple of days ago there was this.

Caltha Palustris - the Marsh Marigold - a member of the buttercup family (not a marigold) and a wild flower found in bottomlands, marshes, fens and wet woodlands  this time of year.  

Fingers-crossed for clear viewing conditions Friday and Saturday evening.