Farming for 9 Billion People

A teeny article over at the New York Times: http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/25/farming-for-nine-billion-people/

Time for a Blood Test

It has been a month now since I was bit by a female deer tick. I have not had the tell tale bull-eye rash since I was bit, but I have been feeling progressively worse. I had thought that most of it was stress related, but a week away from work didn't rejuvenate me. I wouldn't normally have done anything, but my friend Harry Teasley is currently in the hospital being treated for Lyme's. He's in bad shape as he had a heart block caused by Lyme's. Harry never saw the tick that gave him Lyme's and never showed the rash. I know that I was bit, and while the way I'm feeling could just be stress, I figure it is better safe than sorry, so I went in today to get tested for Lyme's.

Having had an alergic reaction to an antibiotic in the past I avoid taking them unless I'm sure I need them, so I want to wait for the test results before taking antibiotics. I won't know anything for a week.

Compared to Harry I'm fairing well I suppose. Still every morning for the last two weeks my first thought after waking up has been to go take some excedrin for my aching body and head. My legs have felt like they do after I go on a 50k bike ride. Not exceptionally painful, but they complain about moving and are sluggish. My right hip has been hurting when I'm walking or sitting and I've have numbness in my fingers and hands that comes and goes. I won't even start with the trouble my back and shoulders have been giving me and of course my head has been aching with today being particularly bad including numbness in my cheeks.

At the end of the day I can explain any of these symptoms for reasons other than Lyme's. My back and legs I could attribute to gardening, except I haven't done much of that in the last week. I can explain my shoulders and back as stress since that's where I carry mine and work has been stressful lately. My head I can attribute to the wild weather we've been having since changes in the barometric pressure can trigger migraines for me. The trouble with my hands and wrists I can blame on my profession since I'm always on the computer at work and home. I could also blame the tiredness in my back, arms, and legs on carrying around a big baby.

It doesn't help that the bite site still hasn't healed a month on, but when I think of where Harry's at I feel like a big whiner. I'll know more in a week and until then I'm going to try and focus on fixing the things that I think might be causing my symptoms. Like ending this post and getting off the computer for a while!

Fly Stuck to Leaf

I was flipping over potato leaves to clean of the eggs of the potato beetles when I discovered this fly. Upon closer inspection I saw that he was glued to the leaf by something, though I don't know what. Has anyone ever seen something like this before? Anyone know what would have done this?

UPDATE: It looks like Fly Fungus: Entomophthora muscae could be the culprit. Thanks to Suunto for the information! It makes Michelle go eww eww eww eww eww.

Stony Brook - Gigantic Snapping Turtle

The family took a trip to nearby Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary to have a little holiday outing this afternoon. We took the camera along and one of the sights we saw was a gigantic snapping turtle. His shell really just looked like a regular old pond rock and we didn't notice him at first. I was taking pictures of some dodder nearby when he raised his head and exhaled. This alerted Michelle who alerted me to his presence. I laid down on the boardwalk on my belly and shot these with the macro lens without the tripod.

For this shot I was stretched out over the water with my hips on the edge of the board walk and my arms outstretched fully. I was using auto-focus and as the image preview came up after each shot I quickly adjusted the angle of the camera to try and get his head framed before my core muscles gave out. I really like all the vegetation on him and the illusion that he's grinning. This is definitely an image worth clicking on to see the big version. It is my new desktop at home.

Wet Weather + Big Box Stores = Tomato Late Blight Epidemic

As an avid grower of tomatoes this story made me cringe. Since I grow all of my tomatoes from seed I'm not so worried. I know my neighbor over the fence also buys hers from a local grower so that has me not too worried. Still, there exists the chance that this could hit both of us and that would make me sad.

Garter Snake Sunning

I walked out the front door this afternoon and saw this little garter snake sunning in the bush right next to me. Michelle grabbed the camera and let me reel off some shots. I'm so happy to see on as I haven't seen any other garter snakes yet this year. I really hope they start eating the slugs in the garden because the wet weather has made the slugs monstrous this year.

Breathing a Sigh of Relief

My wetland mistake is officially over. I exchanged a few more e-mails with the Conservation Agent to clarify a few things. While I have to let the part of the path that extends into the wetland revert to its natural state, I am allowed to maintain the part of the path that leads up to the rock at the edge. And for that, I do not need to apply for a permit.

Our Conservation Agent was friendly and helpful, and I look forward to having him as a resource should I ever consider doing anything fancy in the rear of our property again.

Over the weeks that I was discussing this with the C.A., I was also getting a close look at the wetland for the first time during the late Spring period of rapid growth. Beneath the tree canopy there is primarily blueberry, some sort of azalea, skunk cabbage, a couple types of fern, poison ivy, poison sumac, Canada mayflower, blue flag iris, spicebush, and various mosses. One thing has become more and more obvious as I have identified more of the plants: there are few, if any, non-native plants growing in the wetland. With dawning embarassment I have realized that this is why I should not be meddling back there with piles of imported soil. My actions created disturbed area that could lead to the introduction of invasive plants. As important as it is to me to be able to show our beautiful wetland to visitors, it would be tragic and ironic if by doing so, I also destroyed it.

I would like to put the embarassing path incident behind me now and get back to the business of being a plant geek.


The skunk cabbage, Symplocarpus foetidus is starting to look tired. The broad leaves are starting to slump and change color.


This is skunk cabbage fruit. I haven't inspected one up close yet.


The leaves of the skunk cabbage are getting heavy with fallen debris, in which seeds are germinating.


Look closely at the upper-right of this image. There it is, the plant that inspired me to build a trail down to the wetland in the first place.


Indian pipe, Monotropa uniflora, the ghost plant! It is even more mysterious and mushroom-like than I had expected. Perhaps this weekend I'll have a chance to get out there with the macro lens for some better pictures.