Silver Maple, Garden Witch Photo

Looking at Leaves & Trees: Learning & Activities for Children & Adults     Lower Burrell Garden Club Breakfast      Sat. July 10, 8 am – 12 pm (information on location and directions forthcoming)

Managing Invasive Plants:     Wed. August 4, 7 pm – 9 pm     at Phipps Garden Center, Mellon Park       For information and registration, contact: http://phipps.conservatory.org   or   call 412-441-4442 ext. 3925

Coming Soon!   Wetlands & Rain Gardens   at Phipps Garden Center,  This Fall

Garden Witch of Pittsburgh offers all apologies for being away so long. The winter of 2010 was not kind to many of us, and yours truly was one of those beset by post-snow shoveling maladies such as tendonitis and ulnar nerve damage (think of repeatedly hitting your funny bone and it becomes not so funny anymore) that hampered simple tasks such as typing on keyboards, gardening and the like.

But now summer is here and along with the first lightning bugs of the season, (Pennsylvania’s State Insect, in case you didn’t know that bit of trivia), I have a new visitor in my garden who seems to pop up to investigate whatever is in bloom. He appears to be a little bit shy, but I was able to capture a picture of him while he was making his way through one of my Lavender patches, in full bloom now.

Garden Witch Photo

Maybe I will be quicker with my camera or he will be less shy in the future as summer’s colorful blooms brighten up the garden. Wishing you few mosquito bites and happy gardening, I remain, your

Garden Witch of Pittsburgh

 Go Native, Get a Violation

My garden was a shocking contrast to the vacant lot next to it. It was the typical long-neglected lot, an eyesore that had been used as a middle of the night dumping ground for tires, shingles, concrete and miscellaneous debris, including being the spot for local dogs to drop their loads. It also was overgrown with invasive plants such as Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum), Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima), Garlic Mustard (Allaria petiolata), Privet, and exotic bush honeysuckles (Lonicera spp.).

Japanese Knotweed/Garden Witch Photo

It was frustrating to beat back the invading plants constantly creeping in from the lot into my garden. Being an organic gardener, it seemed that I was spending all of my time weeding by hand and did not have much time to enjoy my garden. It made sense to get to the root of the matter by controlling the invasive species in the lot with native plant species, but I had to also have control of that property first. After going through a considerable amount of time and effort with the City of Pittsburgh to purchase the lot and fence it, at last I had a larger garden space and could hopefully eradicate or at least attempt to control the invading plants. That was about 12 years ago.

Since that time, the vacant lot has been transformed into several habitat gardens: a woodland, a wetland, a water garden, a rock garden, a wild flower garden, and a pollinator garden, with the remaining garden space resembling an English cottage garden. Because I turned an ugly vacant lot into a diverse wildlife habitat garden, my friends thought it was magical and began calling me the “Garden Witch”. So that’s where the name came from, in case you were up late at night wondering about it, now you can sleep soundly tonight.

Witchhazel is blooming now/Garden Witch photo

My garden is my peace of mind, my sanctuary in a world that keeps me much too busy and away from it far too much. It is not work, it’s feeling better about myself and everything around me with my ever-present canine companion at my side, also starring in the role of my favorite garden pest. Most of the photographs that you see on this website were taken in my garden. Much of what I learn from experience and share in the classes I teach has been from knowledge gained in garden.

The habitats in my garden are dominated by native plants. The English cottage garden may seem like cheating, however, it actually is not. English gardeners have wryly commented that they borrow American native plants, make them beautiful and popular, then they sell them back to Americans at three times the price.

I had intended my garden to be a wildlife habitat garden in the city. It was certified as a Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation www.nwf.org in 2006.   When I teach wildlife gardening classes, I always say, “If you plant it, they will come.”  It’s true.  Whether you want to attract butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, dragonflies, frogs, or toads to eat the slugs that eat your Impatiens, if you plant the right native plants for the correct life stages of these critters, they’ll find the habitat you’ve made for them.

Any gardener knows that the secret to a great garden is to allow it to keep changing. Through the years, my garden seems to have evolved into many things. It’s a working laboratory for invasive species control experiments. It is a native plant refuge, saving plants that would otherwise be completely lost from permanent disturbance due to environmental remediation action projects. It’s also a native plant nursery, providing seedlings and seeds for riparian (stream bank) buffers, other wildlife habitat gardens, and an environmental education nature trail at a local school. My neighbors have also asked my to share that it also helps keep neighborhood kids off the streets because they enjoy helping me out in the garden.

Painted Lady Butterflies/Garden Witch Photo

The garden space itself has also helped to minimize yard waste by composting all of the leaves that I can possibly rake each fall. The compost has helped to amend the clay that previously lurked about 4 inches below the soil. I can now say “previously”, since the compost has proven its worth and broken up the clay while adding everything wonderful a plant could possibly ask for. I also compost all fresh produce, either outdoors in a recycled plastic container called the “Earth Machine” (so that the feral cats don’t get into it – don’t even get me started on that urban problem), or indoors in my worm composting bin.

I have also re-used all of the bricks, large stones, and even some flat pieces of concrete that were left on the vacant lot for stepping stones and paths in the garden and for facing stones around the pond. Having taught several invasive plant workshops with the Nine Mile Run Watershed, I have purchased two of their rain barrels. I use the rain water for my pond, watering potted plants, and the way a rain barrel is intended, slowly releasing the storm water into my garden rather than letting it follow its course and running off quickly into storm water sewers, eventually reaching our waterways. Even though it was not technically designed as a rain garden, (a garden planted specifically with the intent of collecting precipitation, allowing the plants to use it through evapotranspiration, slowly percolate, evaporate and slowly release it; a rain garden is dependent on native plants adapted to variable moisture periods), the native plants in my garden are drought tolerant and serve the same purpose.

I have a confession to make: everything that I have been doing in my garden has been for my own enjoyment. But it also has apparently helped out in those small ways for which I am glad.

All of my personal enjoyment must have a price to pay, so it seems. At least according to the City of Pittsburgh, my garden is in violation: overgrown weeds throughout property. The below letter of violation is dated September 29, 2009 (ironically, the date of my 21-year anniversary of living in Pittsburgh – what a wonderful anniversary present from the city!) that I received on October 1, 2009.

I looked up the regulations cited in the letter of violation on the City of Pittsburgh website. The results are interesting.

Pittsburgh Code of Ordinances Title 10; International Building Code Chapter 1002 – upon looking up this, without the exact section being specified, i.e. Title 10, Chapter 1002, Section __ ; it cannot be determined what regulation the City is referring to. At least they must know what they’re talking about.

International Property Maintenance Code Chapter 1004 – This regulation deals with public health, safety, and welfare. How can a wildlife habitat garden certified by the National Wildlife Federation be more of a risk to public health, safety, and welfare than a vacant lot full of tires (filled with water that can breed West Nile Virus Mosquitoes), and trash (that attracts vectors such as rats) is?

SEC. 302.4 OVERGROWN WEEDS: THROUGHOUT PROPERTY – This section states that property should be free from weeds or plant growth in excess of 10 inches, and mentions noxious weed control. If the City wanted to truly enforce the free from plant growth in excess of 10 inches, how many gardeners would they enrage with this regulation???? I would like to see how this would play out. By the way, I would like to explain that by encouraging native plants in my garden, I am controlling noxious weeds. There are neighbors still living on my street that can attest to the morass of invasive species that were present on the vacant lot before I began to battle them.

Some of the "Overgrown Weeds Throughout the Property" Garden Witch Photo taken 10-01-2009

On both October 1 and 2, I tried speaking with the City of Pittsburgh Inspector that sent the violation. On October 1, I left a phone message, briefly trying to explain that my garden was populated with native plants, not weeds, which I invited him to meet personally. When I did not receive a return call, I phoned again on the morning of October 2. I still did not reach him, but spoke with another inspector, who was able to answer some of my questions.

Does this currently blooming Turtlehead look like over grown grass to you? Garden witch Photo

I asked the inspector what kind of overgrown vegetation they usually sent out these violations for? He told me that violations are sent out for overgrown grass 10 inches or higher. I told him that there would be no way that even in a drive by inspection that anyone could consider my garden overgrown grass. I explained what I have elaborated upon above, and he commented that it sounded like I should be teaching them, which made me giggle. I had to explain further that I do teach people about native plants, invasive plants, rain gardens, wetlands, wildlife gardens, and pollinator gardens. As with his colleague, I also extended the invitation to him and any of his coworkers to visit my garden if they wanted to learn the native plants here, and that I could also show them photographs of others earlier in the growing season. 

Although I should probably be very specific in telling them that the Painted Ladies that are attracted to wildlife gardens are butterflies, not painted ladies of the night.  I don’t need the Pittsburgh Police Vice Squad descending on my garden next.

I also thought that in case he would like to know what some of the native plants are, the City of Pittsburgh’s website discusses rain gardens, since one is being constructed in the courtyard of the Allegheny County Courthouse. It has a link to the Three Rivers Rain Garden Alliance (http://raingardenalliance.org) that has lists of native plants for rain gardens. A cross-check of these native plant lists with the plants in my garden yields more than a coincidentally similar list. Another great local site with native plant lists for pollinators, wildlife habitats, and riparian buffers is the Three Rivers Habitat Partnership of the Wildlife Habitat Council www.wildlifehc.org/threerivers/

The inspector I spoke with was very receptive to all of this. I can only hope that the inspector who issued the violation will hear me out and be willing to resolve this. Stay tuned.

What I find most interesting is that the City encourages the planting of rain gardens with native species, but that any other garden planted with native species may be subject to a possible violation from the City. There are much more serious problems out there with invasive plants using up the resources of native plants and having drastic impacts on our ecosystems, and the City can make a difference by encouraging greater use of native plants on a wider scale and through leading by example and education.

Memo of Violation to the City of Pittsburgh: Don’t pick a fight with native plants, join the fight against invasive plants.

 Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?

 I just spoke with the City of Pittsburgh Inspector who sent me the violation for my garden. We had a good discussion, and I believe that the violation will be considered abated.

It turns out that I am caught in the middle of a feud between neighbors. They are squabbling, and decided that they may as well drag everyone else in the vicinity into the fray while they are at it. Someone decided to complain about just about everyone’s property and/or trash management, which necessitated an inspection and response from the City.

It also caused me to wrongly suspect that my neighbors next door, who are recent additions to the neighborhood, had called in the complaint. Fortunately, we talked it over yesterday, and cleared up the misunderstanding on my part, for which I apologize.

If I have offended any of the City of Pittsburgh Inspectors, I also apologize to them. I realize that they have a job to do, and that dealing with people’s complaints every day is a very difficult job, and that they did not write the regulations, it is just their responsibility to use the regs as a framework in carrying out their duties. The offer still stands if any of them want to check out the native plants in the Garden Witches’ garden.

While I resent that neighbors who I may not even know dragged me and my garden into this, it has given me the opportunity to hopefully bring up a few relevant thoughts about management of vacant lots and invasive plants, planting native species, rain gardens, and attracting wildlife in urban gardens.

Being a good neighbor. Coexisting just as companion plants next to each other grow together. That’s what it’s all about.  Why can’t we all just get along?

Garden Witch Photo

The Autumnal Equinox arrived yesterday at 5:18 p.m. Also known as the September Equinox, it is a myth that the day and night are equal on the equinox. Another myth is that on the fall equinox, you can stand an egg on its end. A related folk tale is that it can only be balanced this way within a few hours before or after the precise time of the equinox.

While there is still light and warmth, autumn is a time of preparation to go to earth, to enter dormancy for winter’s rest. Recalling Greek mythology, autumn signals the time for the goddess Persephone to return to the underworld to live with her husband Hades.

To deflect attention from ancient Pagan celebrations of the equinox, the early Christian observances of Michaelmas (the Feast of Michael and All Angels) was scheduled on September 29, being close to the Equinox. At one time, it even was a holy day of obligation. Mabon, the second harvest, is celebrated by Pagans on the autumn equinox as one of the 8 Sabbats (celebrations based on cycles of the sun).

Garden Witch Photo

Fall is my favorite season. Watching trees, shrubs and other vegetation change color, enjoying brightly colored, sweet-tasting, ripened fruits; the crunch and smell of leaves underfoot, now that’s what I’m talking about! I especially like it when I drive through some leaves on the road and look through the rear view mirror and see them swirling around in the air disturbed by my car. Admit it, you know that you’ve peeked back at least once at leaves like this yourself.

Although plenty of people complain about raking leaves in the fall, probably even more of them enjoy driving around to look at the different colors. So many people do this that they have been dubbed “Leaf Peepers.” Throughout New England, it is the last gasp of the tourist season until there is enough snow for skiing. There are even websites with webcams to check on the progress of fall color to plan your trip at just the right time for peak brilliant color.

But what makes for good fall leave colors? Can it be predicted ahead of time? Do tree species turn the same color every year? Why do leaves change color?

Ye olde Garden Witch will provide some of the answers here. But for answers to all of these and other questions about the fall season, you’ll have to wait for when Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens or a local Herb Group or Garden Club asks me to present “Falling into Autumn,” a fascinating look at leaf changes in the fall, basic leaf identification, and lots more.

Do tree species turn the same color each year?

Yes. Most tree species do turn the same color each year. During the growing season, the dominant green color of the chemical chlorophyll from photosynthesis masks the normal chemicals associated with the particular tree. When the tree stops photosynthesizing (making sugars) at the end of the growing season, the normal colors can then be seen.

The color red is associated with the chemical anthocyanin, and are the result of glucose that is trapped in the leaf when the connection to the tree veins is cut off. Yellows and oranges are already hidden in the leaves and are associated with carotin and/or xanthophylls. Brown is associated with tannins.

Evergreen leaves do not photosynthesize during the winter but are protected from moisture loss and extreme cold by having narrow, thin needle-shaped leaves. The needles shed year round, rather than all at once as deciduous trees drop their leaves. But there are two needle-leaved deciduous conifer trees that completely drop all of their needles every autumn. The Larch the larch (Larix laricina) and Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) both drop all of their needles each fall, both re-grow their needles the following spring, and both produce tiny cones.

Why do the leaves fall off?

When the growing season is over, the vascular tubes that carried water and nutrients between the leaf stem and tree branch are no longer transferring these substances, an abscission layer forms to separate the leaf stem from the branch since the connection is no longer needed, and the leaf falls off. After the leaf falls off, the markings from the leaf stem and veins (or tubes) result in what is known as a leaf scar, which can be used to identify trees during the winter.

Can color intensity be predicted ahead of time?

Cool nights and days with bright sun result in more red leaves. An early frost will kill leaves, they will simply dry out as they turn brown and fall off quickly. Some trees have combinations of color depending on light conditions. For example, maples often have more reds because they produce more sugar, but if there is not enough sun, or part of the tree is more shaded, then there is more yellow and orange.

One cool shrub.

When all of the other shrubs and trees are losing their leaves and have branches heavy with fruit in the autumn, there is one shrub that has the audacity to bloom and explode its seeds. More on this unique native plant later.

Garden Witch Photo

In early June, I spent a day in the company of “some fungi,” three men that are members of the Western Pennsylvania Mushroom Club www.wpamushroomclub.org   I apologize for the bit of a pun, but I couldn’t help myself.  The fun guys, better known as Dick Dougall, Jim Tunney and John Stuart, taught an Introduction to Mushrooms class at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. The morning consisted of a classroom session, followed by an afternoon hike in Schenley Park in search of mushrooms.  By the way, we did find 15 different types of mushrooms in  Schenley Park that afternoon, not too bad following a relatively dry few days.   

msstate.edu

Fungi are over 300 million years old, among the most important of decomposers. We only see them in the fruiting stage, the mushroom. The fruiting body/mushroom spreads spores by various means, 20 billion spores over 4 to 6 days, at a rate of 100 million an hour. A Giant Puffball can pop out an astounding 20 trillion spores. Spores  have a long viability, surviving freezing and desiccation, being very hardy.

There are three categories of fungi. Parasitic fungi grow on living plants and animals at their expense. Saprophytic fungi feed on/digest dead organic matter. Mycorrhizal fungi live in symbiosis with the organism that they are growing on.

How do you tell poisonous from non-poisonous mushrooms? An old folk tale says, “No poisonous mushrooms grow on wood.” Other folklore claims that poisonous mushrooms “look, taste, or smell bad;” or that if it is called a “toadstool,” it is poisonous or inedible. These age-old tales  are all completely false. Proper mushroom identification is vital, as some that look similar have both safe and toxic counterparts.

Morels from www.crabcoll.com/journal/morel.html

False Morel from www.crabcoll.com/journal/morel.html

For example, Morels are highly coveted fungi that people enjoy, whereas False Morels contain toxic and carcinogenic compounds. This is why it is so important to know how to tell similar species apart.

If you are interested in collecting and/or eating wild mushrooms, you should remember that wild mushrooms should always be cooked. It is vital to know the basics of mushroom identification and quite valuable to spend time  in the company of a mushroom expert to learn about mushrooms and learn from their experience.

Examination of how the gills are attached to the stems is pertinent.

Garden Witch Photo

  The best way to identify mushrooms is to take a spore print by placing the cap of a mushroom on a piece of white paper for a few hours. 

www.spores101.com

The habitat where it is found and substrate (growing surface) on which it is growing should be observed. Always dig up the base of the mushroom to identify it, making sure that you have cut underground well below the base of the stem. Cutting it lengthwise, as shown in the Morel and False Morel photograph above, to check whether the color changes can also be a defining characteristic between some poisonous and non- poisonous species.   Also, the smell, color, cap shape, and time of year should be noted.

It is best to collect and identify mushrooms with an expert rather than on your own. There are names for these experts. A “mushroomer” is interested in collection, identification and cooking. A mycologist is a fungi/mushroom scientist.

Garden Witch Photo

Never venture out alone your first time to collect mushrooms that you intend to eat – you should be in the company of an expert for at least your initial forays into mushrooming. Not even the experts feel comfortable all of the time. Here is some helpful advice from the Mushroom Club for experts and novices alike: “If in doubt, throw it out.” Even better to remember: “You can eat any mushroom… once.”

When it comes to poisonous mushrooms, there are four types of mushroom toxins that are characterized based on the part of the body affected and how quickly the effects are manifested.

The most serious are mushroom toxins that act as cellular poisons that destroy cells by rupturing cell membranes, which leads to organ failure, especially the liver, kidneys, central nervous system and red blood cells. Cellular poisoning symptoms will not appear until 6 to 48 hours have passed after consuming the mushrooms. The symptoms include: dehydration, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, jaundice, low blood pressure, excessively fast heartbeat, and lowered body temperature. Mushroom cellular poisoning can be fatal.

from departments.oxy.edu

The world’s most dangerous mushroom is the Death Cap Mushroom (Amanita phalloides), also known as the “Destroying Angel.” These mushrooms are common and widespread in North America and the potent toxins they contain destroy liver and kidney cells, and sometimes result in death in as little as 5 to 24 hours, and even after 4 to 7 days of ingestion. Often, the damage to the liver is so severe that liver transplants are necessary for those unfortunate enough to partake of this mushroom. Approximately 90 percent of mushroom-related fatalities worldwide are estimated to be related to Death Cap mushrooms.

These mushrooms contain Amatoxins, rings of amino acids that inhibit production of specific proteins in kidney and liver cells. Without the proteins, the cells stop functioning, leading to severe liver damage and kidney failure, coma, or death.

upload.wikimedia.org

Another chemical in Death Cap Mushrooms is Muscinol, which causes hallucinations, euphoria, muscle spasms, dilated pupils, sweating, increased mucous and tears, and increased body temperature. These symptoms are evident within 30 to 90 minutes after ingestion, with the most intense symptoms within 2 to 3 hours. Later symptoms are blurred vision, nausea, loss of motor skills, cramps, and a sedative effect of deep sleep.

Mushroom neurotoxins are also serious poisons that can have severe health effects and can possibly be fatal. The symptoms manifest quicker, within minutes to 2 hours and include effects to the central and peripheral nervous system: abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, convulsions, hallucinations, profuse sweating, excitement, muscle spasms, depression, drops in blood pressure, slow heartbeat, increases in glandular secretions, paralysis and coma.

Most toxins in poisonous mushrooms cause gastrointestinal irritation. Some people are not affected at all or in various ways. The symptoms usually include abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, commonly appear within 2 hours and are rarely fatal.

It is interesting to learn that when some mushrooms are eaten while drinking alcohol or if alcohol is consumed within 72 hours of eating them, a short-term acute toxic syndrome can result. Disulfiram-like toxins in certain mushrooms such as Morels and Inky Cap (Coprinus atramentarius) mushrooms stop the metabolism of ethanol alcohol in the body, which will result in contraction or dilation of blood vessels, nausea, sweating, dizziness, headache, vomiting, and even difficulty breathing and cardiovascular disturbances.

After learning all of the basic information shared above, I felt it was worth passing on to emphasize why it is important to have mushrooms identified properly by an expert before eating them.

Garden Witch Photo

Some interesting facts about mushrooms in Pennsylvania:

50% are inedible

25% are edible but not choice

20% will make you sick (gastrointestinal symptoms)

4% choice edibles

1% can kill you

Fungi facts:

· There are about 5,000 species of mushrooms in North America; of these, about 100 are poisonous, and 15 to 20 are deadly

· 80% of mushrooms found belong to about 200 species

· About 50% of mushroom species require microscopic identification

Orchid photo by Garden Witch

· Orchids can’t grow without fungi

· Pine trees will not mature without fungi

· Mushrooms have high amounts of natural vitamin D

· Morels grow especially well in areas following forest fires

· The largest mushroom in the U.S. is in Oregon, weighing 300 pounds

· Pennsylvania is one of the leading commercial producers of mushrooms in the United States

· The states of Oregon and Washington have mushroom seasons and require mushroom harvesters to obtain and carry permits to harvest wild mushrooms; dealers in both states are required to obtain dealer licenses

· Along with medicinal and protected plants such as Ginseng and Goldenseal, Mushrooms are considered Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP)

Interesting Mushrooms:

Fairy Ring Mushrooms (Marasmius oreadeas) really do exist. They grow in arcs and circles because they are expanding outward to reach new nutrients.

Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) grow all year round, usually on dead soft wood trees such as aspen and elm, and even on the wooden framework of homes. Interestingly enough, we found some in Schenley Park growing on the tree stump of a Tree-of-Heaven (“TOH”) (Ailanthus altissima) that had been taken down as part of the invasive plant control measures being taken by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy (PPC). If you even know of me by reputation, then you know that battling invasive plants is one of my true vocations, and I was overjoyed to finally find at least one TOH that I could at last find a use for. 

Oyster on TOH; Garden Witch Photo

Normally, I call TOH some unkind names and characterize it unpleasantly, but in all fairness, truthfully, anyone who has tangled with this beast will attest that I am being completely honest in my assessment of this monster.

“Magic Mushrooms” usually seem to refer to certain mushrooms (and no, I will not provide examples here, so please don’t even ask) containing Psilocybin and Psilocin compounds, which at low doses cause relaxation, visual distortions, and physical lightness or heaviness, said to be similar to an LSD trip. Higher doses cause light-headedness, nausea, sweating, shivering, numbing of the mouth and anxiety or hilarity. The effects are evident within 30 to 60 minutes of ingestion, peaking at 1.5 hours after or less, and lingering effects can last anywhere from 4 to 6 hours to several days. While I was searching the web to cross check some of this information, I found that apparently while some people are tripping on their “shrooms,” they create “art” and post it on the web. The creations range from the downright weird to hilarious.

Chanterelles (from Latin, which means “good to eat”) (Cantharellus spp.) The first Chantererelles that I saw were Golden Chanterelles, which are bright egg yolk yellow, and have a rose-apricot scent. The first time that I saw them, they reminded me of coral formations because they were so wavy and bright. I was in the company of a botanist who urged me to collect some to take home to stir-fry for dinner. Keep in mind that this was a few years ago, I didn’t know much about fungi, and he was a botanist, not a mushroomer or mycologist, and even though he assured me that they were completely safe and delicious to eat, I did not collect nor partake of the lovely Chanterelles.

Chanterelles; Garden Witch Photo

Since then, I have been told that I should return to that location, accompanied by mushroomers and/or mycologists who have worked up an appetite. – Not that they have any alterior motives at all…  Now that I know how wonderful and safe these are to eat, I also have learned that I should keep the location to myself. If I should decide to become a mushroomer, Chanterelles are a good selection to start with, but I could become spoiled, according to the experts.

After doing all of this research on mushrooms, I am now considering becoming a mushroomer myself, only after spending a significant amount of time with the experts. But I will not give up the location of all of those Chanterelles.  Sorry, guys.

I cannot stress this enough, do not ever eat wild mushrooms unless they have been deemed safe and edible by an expert. I have provided the above information for background purposes only, please do not believe that after reading this or any other article about basic mushroom identification that you can walk out into the woods, gather a basket of mushrooms, and have a nice side dish for dinner.  It could be your last supper.

Garden Witch Photo

For mushroom references and addtional information, please refer to the Resources section of this Site.

Sunflower photo by the Garden Witch

Summer officially arrived at 1:45 am this morning. I apologize for being away from the site for so long. It has been a busy spring. Spring time is a busy time for all gardeners, and in addition to gardening, I have been teaching and taking classes (including an excellent Introduction to Mushroom Identification class), and presentations to some wonderful local herb and garden clubs.

I have many new photos to share, more features on various herbs, and will finally belatedly add photos to the basil herb article. Please stay tuned and thanks for your patience.

Wishing you happy growing with few weeds,

Garden Witch

 

It’s hard to say exactly when I became a RENThead (dedicated fan of the Broadway show RENT, similar to Deadheads, people that followed around the Grateful Dead). I know that I heard the Original Broadway Cast (OBC) recording first and loved the music. I also recalled reading about people that called themselves “RENTheads” that camped out for a lottery to try for $20 tickets

Anthony Rapp as Hedwig

before each show.

Being a fan of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” I became an instant Anthony Rapp fan after seeing him perform the lead role of Hedwig here during its run. For the uninitiated, Rapp originated the role of Mark, the filmmaker in the OBC of RENT.

Finally, a touring cast of RENT hit Pittsburgh and I was happy to finally see it live. From the very first moment to the last, the energy and emotion of the cast vibrated through the audience. It was so much better than I had hoped, and I knew that from then on, whenever I could see it again, I would.  That included a trip to New York City to see Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal reprise their original roles in RENT at the home of RENT at the Nederlander Theatre during the summer of 2007.  Now I will have the chance to see them together again here in Pittsburgh, and yes, as a dedicated RENThead, I will be attending multiple shows, as will many other local RENTheads.  Hey, it’s an addiction and we’re not ashamed!

People always ask what it is about RENT that produces such devoted fans. RENTheads may have different answers, but the basic theme usually comes back to loving, appreciating, and living each moment of every day, because it may be all you have left; it could be your last, make the most of it, and have no regrets.

“No Day But Today,” as creator Jonathan Larson put it. It’s a message that has resonated within me. I probably needed to hear it. It reminds me to stay in the present, the now and not dwell on the past. Don’t worry about yesterday’s mistakes, learn from them and move on. Only recently have I truly started to understand the freedom that this brings. That freedom allows me to appreciate and live No Day But Today. Thank you Jonathan Larson.

Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp

RENT  featuring Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal and Gwen Stewart of the OBC will be at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh from April 14-19, 2009
For tickets, www.pgharts.org

Dead trees, better known as “snag” trees, are not all that common in the city, because the general public consensus is that if a tree is dead, it is unsightly and unattractive and should not be left standing. But in an alley, where they can do no harm and offer the benefit of wildlife habitat, it was sad for me to see snag trees lost.

Downy Woodpecker; E.R. Degginger/Color+Pic, Inc.

The woodpecker, probably the Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) that I had observed the week before working on a small dead branch on the Silver Maple in my garden, had previously been working on a larger hole in one of the dead trees in the alley. I had been hoping that it was for nesting, as woodpeckers are cavity nesters. I was just about ready to set up my tripod to take pictures if that was indeed the case.

Cavity nesters such as woodpeckers usually prefer to make their own cavities, as opposed to other cavity nesters like Eastern Bluebirds and Tree Swallows that are receptive to using nesting boxes. Without dead trees to provide habitat for cavity excavation, woodpeckers will go elsewhere in search of nesting snags.

Personally, I think it is a thrill to live in the city and hear woodpeckers, and even better to see them. Living in urban areas, we are so used to hearing traffic, sirens, boom boxes, dogs barking, etc. It is nice to hear birds like Mourning Doves and woodpeckers once in awhile to remind us that nature is still all around us.

-GW

Photo by GW

                          Spring finally arrived today at 7:44 a.m.

All of the herbal resources will be provided as a separate page for easy reference.