Coltsfoot has an unexpected bonus!

While I was making breakfast this morning, I was greeted by an exciting scene in the garden! Several goldfinches were perched delicately on a few of the coltsfoot blossoms that have gone to seed - they were having breakfast too!

Since I was too far away to get good photos, I have borrowed these beautiful shots from Nature Tails and Camera Trails. If you like these photos, check out these similar images.

naturetales.blogspot.com

Mayflower Sighting!

If you have never had the blessing of experiencing the unforgettable aroma of the Mayflower (Trailing Arbutus), now is your chance! This adorable little flower does an excellent job of hiding its blooms under its large leaves so you really have to look for it, but we have had local sightings!!!

Mayflower is a member of the Ericaceae or heath family, its botanical name is Epigaea repens, and it's related to such popular plants as blueberries and cranberries (Vaccinium, various species), rhododendrons and azaleas (Rhododendron), Bog rosemary (Andromeda), and wintergreen (Gaultheria), not to mention of course heaths and heathers (Erica & Calluna). You'll typically find it in mossy woodland areas that are dappled with sun at this time of year.

Medicinally, the leaves of the trailing arbutus specifically influence the urinary organs. They are diuretic and astringent. Visit Henriette's Herbal Homepage for a more detailed overview.

Be sure to pick a couple and pop them in a little vase on the windowsill - the sweet aroma will scent the whole kitchen! (Remember not to over-harvest the small patches.) Below are a few pictures of this little gem and here is an article with more information about Nova Scotia's provincial flower, the Mayflower.

Enjoy your time outdoors!

Val

Happy Earth Day!

Today is Earth Day so I thought I would make a little post with some celebration ideas:

• conserve water today - do laundry and house cleaning tomorrow (my personal favorite!)
• tidy up your stash of reusable grocery shopping bags (and bring 'em shopping )
• plant a tree
• divide an existing plant and move half to a new location - perhaps in a friend's yard
• start new plants from seeds (check out wintersown.org for ideas about planting outside early to give plants a head start - no hardening off required!)
• spend some time volunteering
• help a neighbor
• clean up garbage in your yard and around your neighborhood
• walk instead of driving or carpool if you must drive
• start a compost bin
• the list is endless!

There are so many fun ideas! Please leave a comment and share your suggestions :)

Green blessings,

Val

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
Mahatma Gandhi

Guess What Just Shipped

I'm so excited, I could wet myself!

I just received notification that my pre-order of the amazing Shadowscapes Tarot just shipped from amazon.ca! Yay! I can't wait for its arrival! Even if you're not a tarot card fan, you will likely appreciate the beauty of this incredible artwork by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law.

Welcome!

Why am I starting a new blog you might ask? Well, I wanted to create a new space where I expand from posting purely on crafts to posting about my various hobbies. Just as we are all multi-faceted individuals, so are my interests. I flit from one project to the next and belong to various groups and clubs - and somehow, these hobbies all work in harmony with each other! So this site is going to be dedicated to a mash-up of gardening, rubber stamping, herbalism, aromatherapy, astrology, cooking, books and magazines, tarot cards, journaling, paper crafting, origami, soap making, green cleaning - or whatever strikes my fancy on a given day!

I look forward to starting this new adventure with you and I can't wait to see what you think!

Cheers!

Val