M Ljin

I don’t think this is an oyster at all. I think the mushroom is an elongated-pored member of the polypores. I am not sure whom exactly.

I agree in part about beauty being universal. May I suggest that inherent beauty is an evolutionary means of evaluating ecosystem health on an emotional, instinctive level? It would make sense that a biodiverse and healthy ecosystem is more capable of sustaining life and thus out instincts would have us seek those places out. The proportions and colors and shapes in a healthy ecosystem are much different from in a monoculture or degraded wasteland—there’s also however an element of aliveness that the image itself fails to capture but is easily perceived in person.

I think your tree looks excellent, except maybe the lack of a central leader. But my impression is that Chinese chestnuts are big sprawling trees (as opposed to tall, straight American chestnut). In Peter Wohlleben’s Hidden Life of Trees he writes that slower growth when they’re young also leads to longer lived trees, because their wood gets to be stronger (closer rings).

Ew.

Maybe it is accidental, but I saw this only yesterday. For a substantial stretch of road I had to keep my sleeve over my face.

Hibiscus does grow in cold climates. I have seen both in the wild in Massachusetts, as well as in gardens both there and here: swamp rose mallow.They are a good cordage plant too.  https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/hibiscus/moscheutos/


And don’t forget Rose of Sharon is a hibiscus and very cold hardy; I have seen them around houses here! https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/hibiscus/syriacus/

There supposedly is an annual sort too, I have not seen. https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/hibiscus/trionum/

Then there are probably many that grow in other parts too…

Edit: oh! Roselle is also in the hibiscus genus. Maybe some plants are not so much referred to by that name particularly?

Alkaline earth silicate sounds like calcium silicate, magnesium silicate… heaven forbid beryllium silicate… I looked it up and calcium silicate seems likely. It sounds from others that all kinds of mineral fiber are nasty materials.

I wonder if there are other ways to achieve your goal—other materials, or perhaps an increased thickness of more traditional ones?

A while ago I looked for songs about morels on a whim. Are there any? Apparently! It came up in “91 acres” by Emily Higgins, a bluegrass album which celebrates homesteading in Missouri.

This is the song “91 acres” lyrics:

NINETY-ONE ACRES
By Emily Higgins

Waiting in the overgrowth
For new life to begin
Ninety-one acres
That would become his life-long friend

Tangled up in the wild grape vines
Beneath box elder trees
Was the scrap iron, old tires, junk piles and ghost cars
And possibilities

He hauled away over 20 loads
With the help of a brother’s hand
Turned the brown to green again
Healed the wounded land

CHORUS
And the old farm started over
Now the bees feed on the clover
And the sun shines on the homestead
And the fields
And ninety-one acres

Sitting by the country road
Just beyond the gate
A vision, a story
History and fate

It waited in the overgrowth
For new life to begin
Ninety-one acres
His life-long friend

REPEAT CHORUS
And the old farm started over
Now the bees feed on the clover
And the sun shines on the homestead
And the fields
And ninety-one acres

https://emilyhigginsmusic.com/91-acres

Usually, trees find it very hard to sprout up through already established perennial vegetation. The way they get a foothold (sometimes) is if their leaves or shade are able to mulch an area out so that none of the perennial meadow vegetation is strong enough to exclude trees. The more trees around, the more hospitable thus a place becomes for trees. Except with nuts like butternut, which are able to sprout up through sod and established vegetation more easily.

So, my recommendation is, get some robust perennials established! I harvested the first roots from my marsh mallow plant today and am excited for its future—they are an excellent perennial root vegetable with a long history of being eaten. But there are so many others around.

However—isn’t that all a good start for a native tree nursery???

Nina Surya wrote:My biggest kitchen mistake was to underestimate the power of a Mme Jeannette pepper.
We had friends coming over for dinner. I can't remember what the dish was, but I cut and used one whole pepper.
Immediately the kitchen was filled with fiery fumes, but in my naivite I was hopeful and thinking the hotness would somehow mellow down during the cooking.
It didn't. We ended up ordering takeaway :)

I made a chili not too long ago. I had some serrano peppers and tasted the end and thought, not too spicy. So I thought of using three, but my instinct told me only one. I cooked one and a half along with chicken of the woods and onions, and ended up picking through and setting aside about two thirds of the pepper that I had added. So in the end it was perfectly spiced!

I have also burnt an embarrassing amount of food.

The other day I was gathering herbs and vegetables, and putting them in my pocket. In one pocket I put burning bush leaf, kale, and some other greens. Unfortunately when I fried these greens it turned out that burning bush was mixed in! I did eat the greens, because I wanted burning bush for medicine anyway, but had to pick through to remove the leaves because they are potent. I don’t think it much transferred to the other greens, because I did not have any feelings or signs of burning bush working. Normally I would make a tea and take tiny sips.

Now imagine motherwort in that situation…