#17 Tongues in Trees
Fantastic Tortoises, Sun Jewels, Pot Spots for Permaculture Living, Holes and Scats, Encouraging Children to Observe, Doctrine of Signatures
Welcome to the 17th Tongues in Trees Newsletter!
Isn’t the year flying along?!
This week:
Good News: Fantastic Tortoises
Plant Profile: Sun Jewels
Permaculture Principle Four: Pot Spots
Moments of Wonder: Holes and Scats
Children in Nature: Encouraging Observation
Free Read: The Doctrine of Signatures
Fantastic Tortoise is not Extinct
The Galapagos Islands have entered common lore as a place full of giant creatures that inspired a whole new outlook for science. It was on their shores that Charles Darwin brought his theories of evolution into sharp focus.
In June it was the focus of DNA results that changed the status of a species from extinct to endangered. Is there anything more hopeful than that for nature in our current planetary distress?
Fernandina Island, as pictured in the graphic, is a volcanic island that remains a wilderness with limited visitation and numerous iguanas. The volcano is active and it was this that was given credit for decimating the population of Fernandina Giant Tortoises (Chelonoidis phantasticus), that populate the slopes. The last known sighting was in 1906.
In February 2019 a group of rangers found a tortoise and took blood samples. The samples have now been tested and reveal that “Fernanda” as she has been named, is a Fernandina Giant Tortoise or Fantastic Giant Tortoise as they are sometimes known. Not only is she the same species as the male found in 1906, but she’s also from the same lineage.
With more scats and tracks found on the island, the race is on to find a male that she can breed with to ensure the survival of the species going forward.
For more information, click here for the Smithsonian story and click here for the article in Nature journal.
Plant Profile: Sun Jewels
It’s ironic that I’ve chosen to profile Sun Jewels this week. It’s been overcast with intermittent rain for days. These gorgeous semi-succulents only reveal their blooms when the sun shines on them.
While considered a weed or ornamental plant in many gardens, historically it was an important food source. (Remember to always verify plants and confirm edibility independently before consuming!) It’s also called Purslane. From Indigenous Australians using the seeds to create seedcakes to many Mediterranean cultures using it in salads, soups and as a spinach alternative, it has various uses in the kitchen.
These plants are happiest in a sunny position with well-drained soils. It is perennial, making it a candidate to use as an effective living mulch in areas that get full sun. Once it is established it is drought tolerant.
The variety named here, Sun Jewels, has been bred to produce many different relatively long-lasting coloured flowers that fall over the edge or pots or hanging baskets.
Plant Pot Position Testing
We’re back to Principle 4 and that means finding ways to work with our environment instead of trying to exert our own will.
One way to do this in a practical way in the garden is to pay attention to where plants will thrive best in the garden. It can be tempting to simply put a plant where you want it and then leave it to survive as well as it can, but in the long run, this may not benefit the plant, the garden or the gardener.
In the past, I have planted in spots that simply haven’t suited the species in question. Now when I get a new plant I try to leave it in the pot for a few months so that I can “test” locations. I simply place the potted plant in the position that I would like and then observe it for at least a month. If it thrives then it is obviously suited to the microclimate of the position. If it fails to thrive then I “test” a new location.
This helps me work out the ideal amount of sunlight as well as moisture in the different areas of my garden. It doesn’t help with soil, so for that measure, I rely on past experience with similar or the same species and research.
Once a potted plant appears to be thriving I get it in the ground as soon as possible. This principle can also be applied to indoor plants and balconies where some flexibility and close observation from the gardener can ensure the “best spot” for a pot.
In the graphic, you can see where I am currently “testing” plants for my edible privacy hedge. The only one in the ground is a Lemon Myrtle that was so potbound it couldn’t wait! The rest have already been exchanged for species that didn’t appear to like the spots and some have been moved to different positions in the line-up.
Next time you bring a plant home, take time to find the best spot and you will be rewarded with thriving growth and all the joys that a particular species can deliver!
Holes and Scats
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve noticed quite a few random holes and scats appearing overnight. Scat is a term used to describe animal droppings. This moment of wonder is really moments of wondering.
As I cross the lawn and see the newly dug holes in the morning, randomly scattered, and often near scat, I wonder what it is that is visiting each night.
I’ve narrowed it down to two suspects. It could be a bandicoot or it could be an echidna. Both animals dig for grubs and other insects and both are shy and rarely seen. In my quest to work out which it is, I’ve done some research but it’s got me no closer to narrowing it down. Both creatures live in habitats that are provided in our garden so that’s no clue.
I’m leaning towards echidna because the holes are relatively deep and the scats are relatively large and echidna scat shaped, but it could just be a large bandicoot. I’ve shined a light around the lawn at night and seen…. Nothing.
If it was a bandicoot I would expect to see it whereas echidnas are more likely to be around at dawn or dusk. Every morning and afternoon I sit on my porch facing the lawn and I’ve seen… nothing.
It’s raining too much to really get a good scat sample, I’m itching to know what it could be! As soon as I can collect fresh scat I’m going to send it to researchers from EchidnaCSI, a Citizen Science Project being run by the University of Adelaide in South Australia. Perhaps then I will get an answer and my wondering will become wonder whichever species it is!
You can find out more about EchidnaCSI, here.
Encouraging Observation
There are many skills that children can pick up by connecting with nature. These skills rarely exist in isolation from each other with each connection experience yielding a number of benefits.
One way to help children connect with nature while developing academic skills is to encourage observation. As they progress through their education, the ability to watch and articulate what they see and theorise about what it might mean has applications across the whole curriculum as well as in everyday life.
How do we encourage observation?
Show an interest – if you call children to see something you’ve found or if you respond when they call to you, that interaction is hugely beneficial. It encourages connection not only to nature but between you and the child. It also gives “nature discoveries” importance and makes them more likely to stop and see what is around them.
Ask questions – where did you find that? What is it doing now? What colour is that flower, purple or pink? This makes children really look at the discovery and the process of thinking of an answer forges synaptic pathways that eventually yield a deep understanding. As time goes on, most children will start answering the questions before you ask them!
Test theories – some questions can’t be answered on the spot. One can always google or check a field guide, but the experience is even more valuable if it can be extended and information can be tested. If possible, encourage future observation by revisiting the site of the discovery or, if appropriate, by capturing for observation. This encourages a scientific process that will reinforce the importance of evidence and the arbitrary nature of knowledge.
We always have a set of different insect enclosures on hand to test theories. Most have been acquired cheaply and can be kept outside.
In the past, we observed caterpillars from egg to butterfly to answer my daughter’s question about what happens to the caterpillar’s skin when it pupates. We have observed mealworms from egg to beetle too.
At one point, my daughter wanted to know the difference between the sunflower seeds in bird seed mixes and the cultivated varieties. I explained selective breeding as best I could, as well as the unpredictability of what some seeds would yield. She chose to plant some so that she could really see the difference. She has observed that the “bird seeds” are far less consistent (different heights and various sizes of blooms) and not symmetrically shaped like the cultivated varieties, but also that they seem more resilient than their expensive counterparts.
At the moment, we have an Ootheca in a container so that we can test whether our species identification of the Mantid eggs inside was accurate. We’ll have to wait for a couple more months before we get a result!
These experiences also teach patience as things in Nature rarely happen quickly. In this fast-paced, instant feedback world we are living in, I love that my children have to wait to get answers. It makes the answers so much more valuable!
Have you heard of the Doctrine of Signatures? It’s a fascinating concept linking the healing properties of plants to their visible structures. Read more here.