Accent on Natural Landscaping

Natural Landscaping

February 13, 2016

Do you have a passion for native plants and natural landscaping? Do you wish you knew more about native plants and biodiversity? If so, I invite you to join this blog and learn about native plants, natural landscaping and biodiversity a little at a time.

As Executive Director of Wild Ones for 17 years, one of the things I enjoyed the most was to share with members and others the new and interesting information I learned about things related to the Wild Ones mission. So now as I continue on with my next life adventure, [Read more…]

Shinrin-yoku or Forest Bathing

January 23, 2019

In Japan, Shinrin means “forest,” and yoku means “bath.” So shinrin-yoku means bathing in the forest atmosphere or taking in the forest through our senses. I can’t think of any more idyllic way to improve one’s wellbeing then bathing in the forest.

Most hunters will tell you the best thing about being on a hunt is being able to be outside enjoying nature and all it has to offer (to their senses). What a perfect way to participate in forest bathing.

Walking in the woods at our hunting property is the most uplifting feeling I experience. That’s why I started turkey hunting — so I had more “reasons” to get out to the woods.

When the Japanese participate in Shinrin-yoku, they do not exercise or hike or jog. They are “simply being in nature, connecting with it through their senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch. Shinrin-yoku is like a bridge. By opening our senses, it bridges the gap between them and the natural world.” (Time)

Here’s How It Works

Find a wooded spot. Leave your phone and camera behind. Then begin walking aimlessly and slowly. Let your feet be your guide. Then let your senses take over:

Feeling the plants making up the understory of the forest is just one way to get in touch with your inner self and improve your wellbeing. Show here is Bloodroot (*Sanguinaria canadensis*).

Listen – to the songs of the birds, the rustle of the leaves, the chuck of the squirrels
Smell – the sweet, musky, moist, cool fragrances of the forest
Taste – the fresh air, the plants, the seeds of the forest
See – the surfaces, the colors, the dimensions, the depth of the forest
Touch – the bark of the tree trunks, the leaves, the stones, the sedges, the mosses of the forest — feel the sunlight coming through the tree canopy

Let your feet take you where the forest wants you to go. Relax, don’t hurry. Savor all the forest has to offer. Let nature in to release that sense of joy and calm. Then you will have bridged the gap between your senses and the natural world.

How fortunate we are that through our love of native plants and natural landscaping, we can do this every day of our lives. Although the Japanese refer to this practice as forest bathing, one might also do the same in their prairie plantings. We might then call that prairie bathing. Regardless where you attempt to bath with your senses, may you always come away connected with nature.

If you want to read more about forest bathing, here’s a book on the subject Forest Bathing by Dr Qing Li

Eagle Day Along the Fox River 2019

January 21, 2019

If you live in the Fox Valley area, plan to celebrate the Bald Eagles on January 26, 2019. Held at several different venues, spend some of your day soaring with the Eagles along the Fox River.

1000 Islands Environmental Center

Adult Bald Eagle soaring over the Fox River. Photo by Karl Kaufman

EAGLE DAYS at 1000 Islands Environmental Center is an all day free event and open to the public. Activities will include eagle observations, presentations, hands-on activities and a craft for the kids.

Join Fox Valley residents and other visitors for an opportunity to see a live Bald Eagle up close on January 26, 2019. Learn about eagle biology, ecology, natural history and cultural connections in an engaging and entertaining presentation by a naturalist interpreter from the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota. No admission or advance registration is required.

Watch the 1000 Islands Facebook page and website for more details.

The 1000 Islands Environmental Center is located at 1000 Beaulieu Court in Kaukauna.

Kaukauna Public Library

The Kaukauna Public Library will also be hosting free Eagle Day events on January 26, 2019.

Eagle Day Crafts from 9am to 1pm
Eagle Day Storytime from 10:30am to 11am
“Raptor Rehab: The Trials and Tribulations of Protecting American Bald Eagles and other Raptors” from 11:30am to 12:30pm – Wildlife rehabilitators from Wildlife of Wisconsin (WOW) will teach us about some of the common threats to our area raptors, meet. Plan to attend and hear stories about some of WOW’s educational raptors as well as to learn how rehabilitators and even you can protect the magnificent animals yourself.

The Kaukauna Public Library located at 207 Thilmany Road will also be hosting a wide variety of free activities for Eagle Day along the Fox River.

Paper Discovery Center

Wapaha the Golden Eagle with Dianne Moller anxiously getting ready for a take-off during Eagle Day 2018. Photo by Donna VanBuecken

The celebration of Bald Eagles on January 26, 2019 at the Paper Discovery Center (PDC) includes.

Hoo’s Woods Raptor Center will be doing a live raptor show that will include a Golden Eagle, Snowy Owl and a flight demo with an owl.
Robert Rosenfield, Professor of Biology at UW Stevens Point, will be presenting his research on Cooper’s hawk and bringing his Great Horned Owl.

In addition to the two speakers, there will also be information on Bald Eagles and an owl craft activity. And who could forget the guests of honor — the Bald Eagles on the Fox River. Meet some of the Hoo’s Woods raptors and learn more about Bald Eagles with us.

Tickets must be purchased for the Paper Discovery event. Purchased in advance by January 25, tickets are $5 for adults, children and seniors. Each ticket is good for general admission to the PDC from
10:00 AM-4:00 PM, as well as seating at ONE of the live animal shows. Limited seats available. No one will be admitted without a ticket.

Tickets can be purchased at Purchase Tickets.

For more information, go PDC website. The PDC is located at 425 W Water St, Appleton, Wisconsin.

Eagle Monitoring

January 21, 2019

While monitoring eagles during January, I was lucky enough to catch this video of an adult and an immature eagle. We were stationed at Lutz Park in Appleton, Wisconsin along the Fox River from 6:50AM to 8:20AM on January 12, 2019. Because of the warm temps, the river was not iced over and it was a misty day. We saw no eagles in flight during our monitoring time. As we were preparing to depart the location, suddenly an adult eagle soared down the river traveling west. Circling back, the eagle was joined by a juvenile eagle that had been roosting on a nearby tree on the north bank. Thank goodness we weren’t in a hurry to depart. What a breathtaking sight! ‘Hope you’ll enjoy this brief clip.

Supermoon Eclipse January 20-21, 2019

January 18, 2019

January 20th has always been a special date for me. My first brother was born on January 20th, as was my maternal grandmother and one of my favorite cousins. But this year it will have an added specialness. There will be another Supermoon Eclipse. Yes, on January 20-21, there will be the first full moon of 2019, the first lunar eclipse of 2019 and the first supermoon of 2019. Making it even more special is the fact that this will be the last total lunar eclipse until May 26, 2021.

Here are the eclipse times for the US and Canada.

Blood Moon

I’ve heard some TV personalities referring to this lunar eclipse as a Blood Moon. However, I don’t believe they are entirely correct in the use of the term. Most moons low in the sky appear reddish because the dispersed air between us on Earth and the moon makes the moon look reddish.

There is, however, an astronomical Blood Moon, simultaneously called the Hunter’s Moon, that occurs typically in October. The “Hunter’s Moon is the full moon immediately following the Harvest Moon, which is the full moon occurring most closely to the autumnal equinox.” (EarthSky)

But there is also a biblical prophecy called Blood Moon which is four eclipsed full moons (with a reddish appearance) in a row. This series of lunar eclipses is called a lunar tetrad. A lunar tetrad “describes four successive total lunar eclipses, with no partial lunar eclipses in between, each of which is separated from the other by six lunar months (six full moons).” (EarthSky) This phenomenon to Christians suggests the fulfillment of the end times as described in Joel 2:31. However, the last Blood Moon eclipse occurred in 2014-15 and we’re still here. The next will likely be in 2032-2033.

So don’t forget to go outside this weekend to watch the Supermoon eclipse.

For more information about the supermoon on January 20-21, go to EarthSky’s The supermoon eclipse of January 20-21.

For more information about eclipse activity this year, go to EarthSky’s Dates of solar and lunar eclipses in 2019.