The Miracle Of Woodpeckers

Greetings,

A few weeks ago, I decided to explore a familiar wooded area located only a few miles from home. I didn’t have any particular goal in mind other than to enjoy a rainy afternoon in the company of blooming plants and trees.

Two hours of botanizing had passed before I headed back to the trailhead, fully satisfied having observed oaks, birches, and beeches in flower.

Just before I could complete my hike, however, I was suddenly alerted to a peculiar commotion emanating from the canopy. I instinctively turned around to look at an American beech tree, and upon doing so I discovered something quite remarkable: a pileated woodpecker nest, replete with an adult male and two juveniles.

With curiosity and amazement, I observed the adult woodpecker as he regurgitated insects and fed his hungry sons. The whole ordeal lasted for only a minute before the adult departed and the juveniles retreated back into their nest.

Rather than snap a few photographs and end the interaction there, I decided to visit the nest every day until the juveniles left.

Two weeks later, I was utterly transformed by the entire experience.

In the following video, I discuss my rewarding observations and emotion-rich encounters with these beautiful birds.

If you’ve never experienced an active pileated woodpecker nest up close, this is your chance to do so.

You can watch the brand new video here.

Even during dry spells, delicious wild mushrooms occasionally make surprise appearances. Such was the case with this Lion’s Mane mushroom — an edible fungus that I recently found on a black locust tree. To learn more about Lion’s Mane, check out this recent Learn Your Land Instagram post.

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Thanks for reading and watching, and thanks for your continued support!

-Adam Haritan

It’s A Lavender Season! Lavender Association of Colorado

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

The cultivar of the Month

Lavender colorado June 2020 Cultivar of the Month
Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote Pink’

Hidcote Pink is another versatile lavender grown in Colorado. It is an excellent culinary variety. It produces an exceptionally sweet oil that several growers use in conjunction with other lavender essential oils to make unique blends. Planted with purple lavenders, the pink flowers make the purple flowers “pop” in the landscape.
Hidcote Pink is not really good for crafting as in drying it loses its pink color and dries to a brown.
Hidcote Pink plants are 30-40″ tall. Stems are in the 6-10″ range. Spacing the plants 36″ apart should allow them to remain separate over the years.
Hidcote Pink was developed by Major Lawrence Johnston in Gloucester, England, and became available around 1958. It is hardy in zones 5-9. It blooms once in the spring.

lavender dilution

Dilution The Key To Using Essential Oils Safely

We…

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Botanical Brews – An introductory guide to using tropical specialty ingredients in beer

The Herb Society of America Blog

By Amanda Dix

(Blogmasters’ note: Experiencing craft beer is a high point for many connoisseurs these days. While beer in its various forms has been around for millennia, today’s brew-masters have taken beer to a whole new level by adding unique flavor combinations to their recipes. Capitalizing on that trend, many gardens and arboreta are incorporating special tasting events into their program repertoire that highlight the herbs that make each brew unique. Below are some of horticulturist and brewer Amanda Dix’s suggestions for upping your botanical beer game. Even if you don’t brew yourself, these might inspire you to try new things and understand how herbs are woven into this timeless beverage.)

Many culinary dishes and beverages are abundant with tropical herbs, spices, and fruit. Beer is no exception, and using unique ingredients alongside barley, hops, and yeast is very common these days.

When formulating a beer recipe, be sure…

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Rituals and Prayers for Peace

The Druid's Garden

Peace is a fundamental part of the druid tradition. The ancient druids had roles as peacemakers and justices, and today, many druids find themselves in a position of promoting and fighting for justice and peace. A lot of this work is happening right now: working towards for the equal rights and treatment of black, brown, and indigenous people; fighting on the front lines of the pandemic as a medical worker or essential personnel; or and trying to work for inner peace in these challenging times, just to name a few. Given what is happening at present, it seems like a very good time to start, reaffirm, or deepen a spiritual practice that focuses on spreading peace. Thus, in this post, I’ll share a peace meditation, peace prayers, and peace rituals that you might use as part of your practice. I also think that the more of us that do the…

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The Garter

The Allegheny Mountain Ogham: An Ogham for the Northern Appalachian Mountains in the Eastern USA

The Druid's Garden

The Ogham is an ancient alphabet, used to write early Irish and later Old Irish. The inscriptions that survive of Ogham, some 400 or so primarily on stone, are found throughout Ireland, Wales, and England. The inscriptions are thought to date from the 4^th century and onward, although how old the tradition is is subject to some disagreement. In the modern druid tradition, the Ogham has also been associated with divination, and many druids use Ogham as a means to connect with sacred trees in the landscape. However, for people living in places outside of the British Isles, making local Oghams allows them to connect both with some of the roots of our tradition in druidry but also wildcraft and localize their druidry. This Ogham is designed for the Northern Appalachian mountain region in the United States while being…

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Birth of Truth?

Solar Eclipse in Cancer Lunar Report | Welcoming in the Blessing Moon

A solar eclipse is when the shadow of a new moon crosses the face of the earth. The solar masculine is aligned and supporting the Lunar feminine at this time.

The moon is in between the Earth and the Sun in an exact alignment for a portal to open. Karmic healing can take place and intentions set during this time can be in effect for 6 months to 2 years with this current astrology.

This new moon and solar eclipse takes place in the sign of Cancer which can affect our sense of home and belonging. . This eclipse offers us a chance to reset and renew and step deeper into our transformation.

Each new moon, using our Tune to the Moon planners and our Spirit de la Lune decks, we create the moonthly lunar report.

Read original article at: Spirit de la Lune ~ Solar Eclipse in Cancer Lunar Report | Welcoming in the Blessing Moon

Food as Medicine: Moringa (Moringa oleifera, Moringaceae)

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

Moringa oleifera is one of the 12 known Moringa species in the horseradish tree family (Moringaceae) that flourish in drier parts of the world.¹ Nine species occur in eastern Ethiopia, northern Kenya, and Somalia, of which eight moringa flowers are endemic to Africa, and three species occur in India.^1,2 Belonging to the Brassicales order, this plant family is distantly related to cruciferous vegetables like arugula (Eruca vesicaria ssp. sativa, Brassicaceae) and broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica, Brassicaceae) and contains many of the same nutrients and sulfurous phytochemicals.^1,3 Moringa species grow as stout-stemmed trees or shrubs. Some species are known as bottle trees and have a large root system that enhances water storage and aids the trees’ survival during periods of drought.¹ Members of the Moringa genus have corky gray bark and distinct bi- or tri-pinnately compound leaves that have conspicuous swellings, or pulvini, at…

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NAHA | Herbal Salves for Aromatherapy

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

Herbal Salves for Aromatherapy

By Anna Pageau, NAHA Certified Professional Aromatherapist^®

What is a salve? A salve as defined by dictionary.com is “a medicinal ointment for healing or relieving wounds and sores.”¹ Many over-the-counter remedies are salves such as Neosporin®. Lip balms are also a form of salve, so a salve doesn’t have to be medicinal, just nourishing to the skin. Salves in general are a simple formula with just a few ingredients. They generally include an oil and a wax to create a semi-solid material. Today people use the terms “lotion bars” or “balms” to also describe salves.

These oil-rich salves are used to nourish and protect skin. They lock moisture in, keeping skin soft and smooth throughout the seasons. Salves can be made as thick as a bar of soap. A salve will remain in a solid state…

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