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| Matilija Poppies are in bloom! |
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Once more unto the breach, dear friends
Alverno students cleared plants such as Marah macrocarpus (Wild Cucumber) in Bailey Canyon for the cleanup which was organized by the Sierra Madre Action Council.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Sunday, April 5, 2015
The uncertain glory of an April day
The first wildflowers are in bloom around St. Francis' statue. These are mixes of native wildflowers from Theodore Payne Foundation that students planted in the Fall.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Weedy Trophies
Raccoons find them delicious.
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| 19th century illustration of Pistia stratiotes |
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Smoothing the Way
This morning, students swept and watered and cleaned the pond to get it to look its best for Stations of the Cross.
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| Plants from Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden |
The Moon! Artemis!
We planted our first plant in the large aquaponics systems today!
California Mugwort (Artemisia douglasiana) is a California native in the sunflower family, donated by our friend, John.
From UCSC Arboretum Ethnobotany Native American Uses of California Plants:
Artemisia douglasiana California Mugwort, Douglas’s Sagewort. Sunflower Family (Asteraceae) California Mugwort is an erect and aromatic plant, growing to be three to seven feet, with small, inconspicuous flowers that form terminal clusters.
It has been used medicinally and ceremonially for thousands of years around the world, and the plant has been prized for its calming, sage-like scent. The Paiute people used California Mugwort ceremoniously as a wash when coming out of ritual dances. Some considered mugwort to be a magic plant, and Chumash, Paiute, and other California Indian tribes burned or inhaled smoke from the leaves to promote healthy sleep, sacred dreams, and to ward of ghosts or evil spirits.
California Indians burned mugwort and inhaled the smoke to treat flu, colds, and fevers, and the Chumash chewed the leaves to relieve tooth aches and gum pain. The leaves, dried, fresh, or burned, were used as an insect repellent and were placed in food storage containers to keep pests away. A tea of the plant was used to relieve asthma, rheumatism, gastric ailments and stomachaches, and urinary problems.
It can be especially useful as a treatment for women’s ailments such as premenstrual syndrome, painful menstruation, difficult childbirth, and menopause, however due to its powerful effects, should not be taken when pregnant. The fresh leaves have been used to treat and prevent poison oak inflammations.
Mugwort contains a compound called thujone which is said to induce hallucinations and convulsions. When mugwort is smoked or taken as a tea, very little thujone is present. However, extracts of mugwort made with alcohol are (generally) not recommended, as they can be too concentrated and potentially dangerous.
California Mugwort (Artemisia douglasiana) is a California native in the sunflower family, donated by our friend, John.
From UCSC Arboretum Ethnobotany Native American Uses of California Plants:
Artemisia douglasiana California Mugwort, Douglas’s Sagewort. Sunflower Family (Asteraceae) California Mugwort is an erect and aromatic plant, growing to be three to seven feet, with small, inconspicuous flowers that form terminal clusters.
It has been used medicinally and ceremonially for thousands of years around the world, and the plant has been prized for its calming, sage-like scent. The Paiute people used California Mugwort ceremoniously as a wash when coming out of ritual dances. Some considered mugwort to be a magic plant, and Chumash, Paiute, and other California Indian tribes burned or inhaled smoke from the leaves to promote healthy sleep, sacred dreams, and to ward of ghosts or evil spirits.
California Indians burned mugwort and inhaled the smoke to treat flu, colds, and fevers, and the Chumash chewed the leaves to relieve tooth aches and gum pain. The leaves, dried, fresh, or burned, were used as an insect repellent and were placed in food storage containers to keep pests away. A tea of the plant was used to relieve asthma, rheumatism, gastric ailments and stomachaches, and urinary problems.
It can be especially useful as a treatment for women’s ailments such as premenstrual syndrome, painful menstruation, difficult childbirth, and menopause, however due to its powerful effects, should not be taken when pregnant. The fresh leaves have been used to treat and prevent poison oak inflammations.
Mugwort contains a compound called thujone which is said to induce hallucinations and convulsions. When mugwort is smoked or taken as a tea, very little thujone is present. However, extracts of mugwort made with alcohol are (generally) not recommended, as they can be too concentrated and potentially dangerous.
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| Artemisia douglasiana |
In Praise of Slowness
We put 4 Japanese Trapdoor/Chinese Mystery Pond Snails (Viviparus malleatus) for the pond today. They belong to the family Viviaridae.
These snails are detritivores and eat algae, excess fish food, fish waste and decaying leaves from the bottom of the pond, so will be beneficial.
They are non-native, but non-invasive in ponds, and reproduce slowly. They produce about 30 offspring with a 9-month gestation period (like humans!) over their 2 - 3 year lifespan.
There is apparently some confusion about whether these are the same as Chinese Mystery Snails, as there seem to be a variety of scientific and common names for aquatic snails with similar phenotypes.
These snails are detritivores and eat algae, excess fish food, fish waste and decaying leaves from the bottom of the pond, so will be beneficial.
They are non-native, but non-invasive in ponds, and reproduce slowly. They produce about 30 offspring with a 9-month gestation period (like humans!) over their 2 - 3 year lifespan.
There is apparently some confusion about whether these are the same as Chinese Mystery Snails, as there seem to be a variety of scientific and common names for aquatic snails with similar phenotypes.
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| Male - notice the shorter, curled tentacle |
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| Female - both tentacles are straight and even length |
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| trapdoor |
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