But always a botanist....

Newest endeavours this month, aside from volunteer work with plant collections, is the organization of Botanaria. While I have not decided if I shall register this as a company name, I have considered it. In the hopes of teaching a short course in plant identification, I thought it prudent to set something in place. Business cards are in hand and a new email address has been acquired. Perhaps I will return to consulting or maybe just blogging.

Either way, I will always remain a botanist. I have had countless hours of solitary joy, discovering new corners of Nova Scotia. I have lost track of the number of lakes I have sloshed around, waded through or paddled. Last count was over 300.

Sadly I spent the last 10 years desk-bound, with little field work to escape the day to day routine. Perhaps retirement will change that. We shall see how the first season unfolds. I will continue to increase my knowledge of plants and the use of their extracts. Some of you will know that 3 years ago I started a soap company. Vegan, the only animal involved, is me. I do test all potential products on my own sensitive skin.

Up to 75 different products are available, all vegan, most using pure organic extracts and base oils. Colours are mineral-based or plant extracts, with no artifical scents nor colours. Available through Lodestone Soap Co .

I am thrilled to have so many beautifully captured products, photographed by my friend and muse Jodi DeLong.

welcome 2018!

Hello good folks:

I see I have neglected this blog for slightly more than a year. Facebook is responsible for that! I seem to have a separate page for  plants, painting, postcards and now even for myself.

This month, January 2018, sees my retirement. Effective February 1, I become the former Curator of Botany at the Nova Scotia Museum. I have been looking forward to new adventures for a while. Many opportunities have come my way since 2013. I hope to continue to draw the positive karma of the universe going forward.

There are a few links I want to share. These are products that I created in the last couple of years. They are free for you to download or use.

https://ojs.library.dal.ca/NSM/pages/view/Plants

is the latest flora for Nova Scotia. It is free to download but not an app. Due to its size it is best used on a computer (120MG).

https://www.usefulnovascotiaplants.com

is an app developed by Gordon Isnor. I provided content. Available for iPhone, Android or desktop.

https://www.harmfulnovascotiaplants.com

another app Gordon and I collaborated to release. And available on all platforms.

100+ Recipes to be shared

I am a confirmed postcard collector and have been for 40 years. About 7 years ago I joined postcrossing as a way of generating new and interesting additions to my vintage collection.

As the website generates random senders and matches them with random recipients, I tried to make it easy. On my profile I requested recipes. In two years I have collected more than 100 recipes for appetizers, mains, bevvies and desserts plus salads and veggie dishes.

I am happy to share. Please send me a contact or leave me a comment. I will send it out to you as a pdf.

The Pod-people have arrived?

Have the pod-people arrived???? noooooo they are....water-rolled Weed Balls

Today I had reason to review some historical journals, looking for the first record of Japanese Barberry in Nova Scotia. Our library at the Nova Scotia Museum houses these leather-bound journals. The one of note today is the Transactions of the Nova Scotian Institute of Science. The volume is XI, p.667 and dated May 1906. Written by AH McKay, the short note describes these odd tightly coiled balls of seaweed.

I remember seeing my first amongst the odds and sods specimens in the Museum Collections 20 some years ago when I first started. They are intriguing…tightly rolled masses of plants churned by wind and water and cast upon the shore. The top ones are from Washabuck Lake Lunenburg Co. and contain lots of spruce needles as well as stems and leaves. The lower ones were collected from the coast and are entirely seaweed.

Most of these reach 10cm. The sun bakes them as they lie upon the stones. Wind blows the water into waves of energy rolling the plant matter until it forms these masses.

Winter seems to offer more of these than spring and summer. Have you found any?

*Photo by Marian Munro.

January’s Carnations

This note is a repeat of one of last year’s posts. I am reoffering for the 400 plus people who joined the page throughout 2015.

1.Carnations to make and enjoy!

January’s birth flower is the carnation. This popular flower for arrangements is associated with love, fascination and distinction. The flowers, particularly the red ones have also been associated with May Day and the Labour Movement, or even socialism. This connection evolved into the wearing of carnations on Mother’s Day, celebrated in the US and Canada on the second Sunday. Traditionally one would wear a white carnation if Mother had passed on or red if Mother is still alive.

The Latin name of the carnation is Dianthus caryophyllus, as given by Theophrastus and refers to Dios, divine and anthos, flower. The postcard dates from 1906 and is illustrated by Catherine Klein, an extraordinary flower painter.

Many of us will remember the handmade Kleenex carnations that decorated many a gift and bridal party cars when we were youth. For those wishing to show others, the instructions are:

Supplies:

Tissues – I used 3 ply for extra fluffy flowers

Bobby pins

Markers

Scissors

Floral tape

Dollar store fake flowers if you want to make a bouquet

First, layer 2-4 tissues on top of each other. I used 3 per flower because I had three ply. Then fold them accordion style, push a bobby pin over the center. Next pinch of the ends. I left about 2 inches on each side, but you can make any size you want. Then take a marker and color the ends. (Optional).

Now starting at the top, pull each layer of the tissue apart until it is at the center. Be careful not to tear the tissue. Work your way down the side until you reach the bottom, and then repeat on the other side. Then fluff.

Then repeat…a bunch of times. This is where the hours of busy time come into play!

It is also optional to pick up some stems of greenery from the dollar store. Expose the tips by cutting away the top leaves. Attach one carnation per stem with floral tape after first attaching the flower to the bobby pin, then to the naked tip.

Similar flowers can be made of coloured tissue paper. Stack 4-6 pieces of tissue cut into 8inch squares and follow instructions above.

Happy New Year and all the best in 2016

I must confess that I took holidays, so I have no blog post this morning. However, neither did I receive any recipes from anyone. Please send me recipes using wild berries, flowers, leaves, roots that you gather or that your family used. Image below is of blueberries as depicted by Maria Morris Miller. Painting from the NS Museum History collection.

Recipes!

My next project will involve edible wild plants and app technology. For the NS Plants book we crowd-sourced images. While I may need a few of those again, mainly I would like to crowd-source family recipes using wild plants or plants gathered from the wild. You may send your recipes to me and credit will be given to those submitting them.