Rin and I took a brief trip to Savannah, Georgia, to visit the Savannah College of Art and Design, which is her #1 choice for college (she’s been accepted already, but I couldn’t let her attend school so far away without seeing it first). We loved the town; it’s flat and very walkable, with beautiful architecture, trees, and green spaces. We enjoyed some southern cooking and seafood, and even got to visit with some dear friends who were coincidentally in the area.
While on the flights to and from Georgia, I listened to a few really great podcasts which I wanted to share with you. One was NPR’s Fresh Air, with Dave Davies interviewing Scott Weidnesaul about migratory birds. I found this episode fascinating, especially how the biology of birds changes to prepare them for a long flight.
Another was Joe L’mpl’s (Growing a Greener World) podcast Joe Gardener, with scientist Jake Mowrer, talking about Regenerative Agriculture and Permaculture. I thought this discussion was one of the best I’ve ever heard that explains why these methods of planting help mitigate climate change, along with how they improve the soil.
The third podcast I want to recommend is A Way to Garden, in which Margaret Roach interviews Doug Tallamy (someone I’ve mentioned before, because he’s an insect guy) about the epidemiological value of oak trees. I love oak trees (that’s a Southern Live Oak, above, with Spanish moss), and it’s one of the best trees you can plant/nurture for wildlife, no matter where you live.
I have also been using a new app a lot, both at home and on the road, called BirdNET. It’s from Cornell, and it records the sounds of birds and then identifies them for you. If, like me, you hear a new bird and find yourself standing stock still while craning your neck trying to spot the dang thing, this app will help you no end. I can’t get enough of it and highly recommend it.
And because I’ve talked to several people lately about this app, I must again recommend iNaturalist. This app will allow you take a photo of anything natural - birds, bugs, flowers, moss, lichen, animal footprints - and identify it for you. If you get the app, follow me @poppycorners and I’ll follow you, and we’ll be able to see what the other is finding and identifying. The only thing that iNat hasn’t identified for me is scat, but I’m sure that will be corrected soon.
Before I left on this recent trip, I managed to pot up the tomatoes and get them in the ‘greenhouse’ for hardening off. The weather here was quite warm while I was gone, but it has cooled off some, so I don’t plan to plant out the tomatoes until the end of the month at the earliest. Tomorrow I will purchase 50 pepper plants from the Master Gardeners, which I will also likely stash in the greenhouse for a few weeks yet. Soon it will be time to plant out cucumbers and squashes and beans! How’s your summer garden coming along?