February 2012 Newsletter

...for discerning weeders February, 2012

ARBOR DAY Inside this issue:

Groundhog Day

2

Letter from El

3

Paso Walk on the Wild 4 Side Office Update

4

Leap Year

4

Book Review

5

Mark Your

5

Calendar King Cake

5

The Stranger

6

Love is in the Air

6

Puzzle Corner

7

Weed of the

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by Marg Stewart

Arbor Day was held on January 19th at the local Tractor Supply. Many thanks to all the Master Gardeners who were there! Carol Baker, John Bauer, Bob Bayer, Bill Buckellew, Les Chambers, Ed & Lynn Fabian, Shari Farrell, Jim Martin, Joe Michetti, Linda Morris, Carol Strom, Stacey Taylor, Faye Todd and yours truly. There was also a full complement from the Extension office with Larry giving a pruning demo and Sheila giving a bare-root planting demo. We also had Daryl Williams, NRCS; Molly Hoffman, Farm Bureau; Jennifer Bearden, Extension; Maria Wilson, David Smith, Chris Rogers and Daniel Wesley, Forestry.

Good thing we had plenty of folks there— this year we handed out over 2,000 trees and met with over 200 people! For a change we weren’t freezing, it wasn’t raining, and we were not walking through mud.

Needless to say it was a good morning.

Month Last Word

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Gardening is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes.

Author Unknown

DON’T FORGET! You have to log your hours onto the VMS 1

GROUNDHOG DAY

By Karen Harper

Guess what? Groundhog Day is coming. As it does every year. Every...Single...Year. I always seem to catch the silly morning news shows making a big production out of rodent vs. shadow even though 5 minutes later I couldn't tell you the outcome. It does lack relevance to Floridians who don't have to deal with those awful winter storms that we like to watch the rest of the country suffering through.

ute them to the people in early February. The day marked a milestone in the long winter and the weather that day was important. If the sun made an appearance on Candlemas Day, an animal, the hedgehog, would cast a shadow, thus predicting six more weeks of bad weather, which was the length of the "Second Winter." According to an old English song:

So, how did the country get saddled with this peculiar ritual? Where the heck is Punxsutawney County and why did a groundhog named Phil rise to such fame? And who can really remember the details from year to year? Is it six more weeks of winter if he sees his shadow? If he doesn't see his shadow? I personally don't see how he could fail to see his shadow, what with the spotlights of most of the major networks shining down on the poor guy during his five minutes of fame. He gets picked up by the scruff of his neck by the dude in the top-hat, he casts a shadow on the ground under those glaring lights and unless he's blind he sees that shadow, wouldn't you think? And as long as we're analyzing this, isn't it a pretty safe bet that most areas of the country will in fact have at least six more weeks of winter after February 2? I grew up in St Louis, MO where, if memory serves, the last frost-free date was May 15 and you could bank on that. No one in their right mind would set their tomatoes out before May 15. Ergo, six weeks of winter is pretty much guaranteed after February 2 for a majority of the country. Certainly it would be in Punxsutawney PA.

If Candlemas be fair and bright, Come, Winter, have another flight; If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, Go Winter, and come not again.

Pennsylvania's earliest settlers were Germans and they found an abundance of groundhogs in the new country. It was those folks who decided that the groundhog, which resembled the European hedgehog, was a most intelligent and sensible animal and therefore could be trusted to accurately predict the weather for the rest of the winter. And so we have them to thank for the framework for the annual spectacle that eventually developed. The Germans recited: For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, So far will the snow swirl until the May. Another February 2nd belief, used by American 19th century farmers, was: “Groundhog Day - Half your hay.” Sensible New England farmers knew that they were no where close to the end of winter, no matter how cloudy February 2nd was. So, the local custom held that if the farmer didn't have half his hay remaining on that day, there could be lean times ahead for the cows before spring and fresh grass arrived.

Here's the official Wikipedia definition of Groundhog Day: “According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter-like weather will soon end. If it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly see its shadow and retreat back into its burrow, and the winter weather will continue for six more weeks.” There is no mention of the bright TV camera lights that illuminate the official groundhog site but I stand by my theory that unless Phil is blind, he would undoubtedly see his shadow. Now, Phil might well be blind because one of the tidbits of information from the official Groundhog Day website (www.groundhog.org) is that there is only ONE Phil the Groundhog and he's been around for about 162 years since Groundhog Day began in the 1800's. So Phil (who was named for King Philip) is quite elderly. At this website you will find more than you ever wanted to know about Groundhog Day (trust me on that) and you can even join the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club (Only $15! Pay with PayPal!)

If it weren't for the Punxsutawney folks who keep their town on the map with their dedication to preserving the ritual of Groundhog Day, one would think it would die a not-untimely death. It's not one of your more popular holidays and observances. It certainly isn't difficult to see where the inspiration for the movie came from. Bill Murray of “Groundhog Day” film fame, was cursed to live the infamous day over and over and over again. At least we only have to hear about it once a year in real life. On the other hand, though, if you live to be 100 that's an awful lot of Groundhog Days to live through.

The real backstory on how such a ritual as Groundhog Day developed long ago is this: the celebration is believed to date back to beliefs associated with Candlemas Day in the days of the early Christians in Europe. The custom at the time was to have the clergy bless candles and distrib-

Ed. Note. - Another common name for the groundhog is Whistle Pig. They give a high pitched whistle when alarmed.

Groundhogs can also climb trees. Other common names: land beaver and woodchuck.

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Letter from El Paso Bill, Where to start? Okaloosa and El Paso counties are both in Zone 8, but the similarities stop there. Y’all usually get five feet of rain a year while we feel really lucky to get 9 inches in the same twelve months. With scant rainfall to leech the salts out of the root zone, our soil tests come back with pH readings of between 7.5 to almost 9 about the same pH levels as sea water and baking soda. Even the water in the Rio Grande (when it isn’t dry) and much of our ground water tests in Typical cross section of side calice that same high pH “soil” in central El Paso range because of all the dissolved salts. To reduce salt levels in our tap water, El Paso operates the world’s largest inland desalination plant.

Our “soils” range from large rocks embedded in caliche to moderate-to-light clays containing very little organic content.

Our springs are usually dry, the summers HOT and winter night temperatures are very often below 32 degrees. And when winter fronts come A few of the 1500 roses in the through, we El Paso Rose Garden often have near tropical storm force winds blasting through the mountain passes. However, extremely low humidity levels in the teens or twenties make the summers pleasant and our sunny winter afternoons are usually in the mid-50’s to upper-60’s.

El Paso may not be a gardener’s paradise when compared

by Bill Buckellew with NW Florida, but the Rio Grande river valley is filled with commercial pecan orchards, cotton fields and vineyards. The city’s parks and residential landscapes contain many fruitless mulberries, ash, Italian and Arizona cypress, Afghan pines and a number of native drought tolerant trees including mesquite, palo verde, mountain laurel, and desert wilPoppies on mountain after a “wet” lows. Roses do very well winter here and there is a host of hardy high desert perennials and shrubs that are used as foundation and bedding plants. Common Bermuda is the primary turf grass, but there are fewer green yards these days as the city paid home owners in 2001 to convert from grass lawns to xeriscape landscaping to conserve water. Of course cacti grow well in El Paso, although not as well as many imagine. A record hard freeze of 1°F last February did a great deal of damage to imported cactus plants and many palm trees.

With proper soil preparation (elemental sulfur to lower soil pH, organic materials to improve drainage, mulch to retain moisture, plus a drip irrigation system) tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and squash always do very well in home vegetable gardens. The El Paso Master Gardeners maintain a large garden that provides thousands of dollars in revenue through vegetable sales at the local farmers market each summer.

Just like in Okaloosa county, newly arrived residents to El Paso must forget just about everything they knew about gardening back home and learn to adapt to new climatic and growing conditions. It’s not difficult to master and really pays off in the long run with fewer disappointments and a much healthier garden. And El Paso doesn’t have yellow flies, black spot, driveway mildew, or hurricanes. And if we ever miss the azaleas, Southern crepe myrtles or magnolias, we just head down to the Lowes and Home Depot stores in the spring to see those plants on display for sale before they wilt in the dry heat and die.

Roger Stalker Ed Note: Roger and his wife were Master Gardeners from our group before they moved.

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A Walk on the Wild Side

Office Update

Linda Meyers

A great deal of change has begun in the Crestview Master Gardener office; all for the better of course! We’ve been cleaned out and cleared up as only Madam President can do. Executive decisions were made trimming us down to the necessaries.

A huge THANK YOU to Charlie Reuter, Laurie Mackey (at -home), Dorothy Green, Klare Fox, and Faye Todd for their continued commitment to the MG Desk. As the Crestview Office Chair, the plan is to use Friday mornings for administration duties and walk-in traffic, of course.

There are still opportunities, for those who recognize our principal commitment, to join the ‘team’. Take a look at the web site membership calendar and let us know when you may have a couple of hours a month to spare. Working with another MG is an enjoyable experience; don’t hesitate to do exactly that.

“In most cases, a person's decision to help someone in need is influenced by temporary personal or situational factors such as time pressure, number of bystanders, momentary feelings of empathy or a person's own distress”, said Wade C. Rowatt, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology and neuroscience in Baylor's College of Arts & Sciences, who led the study and co-authored the article.

"The research indicates that humility is a positive quality with potential benefits," Rowatt said. "While several factors influence whether people will volunteer to help a fellow human in need, it appears that humble people, on average, are more helpful than individuals who are egotistical or

Courtesy of www.wec.ufl.edu/extension So much for winter! February means the start of spring here in Florida. Here are some interesting wildlife happenings in February: Birds Early purple martin scouts will start to appear this month. Now is the time to raise bird houses or gourds.

Ospreys will begin nesting near the end of the month.

Woodcocks begin courtship. Listen at dusk for their “peenting” in open fields. Pileated Woodpeckers begin their mating season and will start announcing territories by drumming on various objects including houses and telephone poles. Others who are beginning their nesting season include: Little Blue and Tri-colored Herons, Wood and Mottled Ducks, and Snail Kites. Purple Finches and Pine Siskins will leave our feeders and begin their migration back to northern nesting areas. Swallow-tailed kites begin returning from South America.

Mammals Eastern moles are breeding this month in tunnels under our lawns. Striped Skunks begin their breeding season.

Pocket Gophers begin their spring breeding season.

Fish and Reptiles:

conceited."

Alligator snapping turtles will start mating this month, with nesting activity throughout the spring. Gopher tortoises seldom seen outside burrows. Crappie and Striped bass are spawning.

The office calendar can be found at http://my.calendars.net/ assoicationcal or by clicking on the link provided on the member web site.

LEAP YEAR/LEAP DAY Leap Day is Feb. 29th and was first introduced over 2000 years ago with the transition from the Roman Calendar to the Julian Calendar. This is, according to an old Irish legend, when St. Bridget struck a deal with St. Patrick to allow women to propose to men—and not just the other way around—every 4 years. This is believed to have been introduced to balance the traditional roles of men and women

by Shari Farrell

By Marg Stewart

similar to how Leap Day balances the calendar.

In some places, Leap Day has been known as “Bachelors’ Day” for the same reason. A man was expected to pay a penalty, such as a gown or money, if he refused a marriage proposal from a woman on Leap Day. There were actual laws in the middle ages governing this tradition.

In many European countries, espe4

cially in upper society, tradition dictates that any man who refuses a woman’s proposal on February 29th has to buy her 12 pairs of gloves. The intention is that the woman can wear the gloves to hide the embarrassment of not being engaged. Scotland used to considered it unlucky to be born on the 29th and Greece considered it unlucky to be married during a leap year.

Book Review You know that you suffer from garden lunacy when you don’t covet your neighbor’s spouse; you covet your neighbor’s plants. You go to a garden center to spend $5 for things you need and end up spending $305 for things you don’t need. You invite total strangers to see your backyard, but not your relatives.

Garden Lunacy: A Growing Concern by Art Wolk is a hilarious look at gardens and gardeners. It is a book for and about gardeners that will have you laughing out loud. You’ll meet people trying in vain to get along with non-gardeners and you’ll encounter the pursuit of perfect soil, perfect plants—all the unachievable goals that lead to inevitable frustrations and accompanying eccentricities.

Art Wolk is an award-winning writer, gardener, lecturer, photographer and flower show exhibitor. He’s published many articles, lectured at Longwood Gardens and has won the Philadelphia Flower Show Grand Sweepstakes.

Art’s devious and deviant behavior has continued unabated and he now admits to stealing cuttings in the past, nabbing his neighbors bagged leaves and other activities. He is

by Marg Stewart currently a prime candidate for Hortiholics Anonymous.

That being said, Garden Lunacy is more about gardeners than gardens. His words about the book is that he ‘neither wrote the book to become a millionaire (although it wouldn’t make me depressed), nor to win prizes (although they’re not unpleasant to receive), but rather to make my readers laugh.

So go ahead and get this book and be prepared to chuckle out loud, get odd stares from people around you and realize that as gardeners, we all have a touch of lunacy about us.

Celebrating Mardi Gras? Then perhaps you want to include a King Cake. Traditionally the ‘cake’ is a ring of twisted bread, similar to that used for brioche. It is topped with icing or sugar and is usually colored purple, green, and gold (the traditional Mardi Gras colors).

King Cakes also included a ’trinket’ baked inside (although due to a choking hazard most bakeries do not bake them into the ’cake’). The traditional trinket is a bean. In the US Gulf Coast since the 1950s, the most common trinket has been a small plastic baby doll. Other trinkets include a king wearing a crown and other items.

The person who gets the trinket is declared the King or Queen of the day. They are also usually obligated to supply the next king cake or host the next party or both. King cake parties may be held at the homes of people who live on or near the routes of Mardi Gras parades. Some New Orleans krewes select their monarchs via king cake.

Many bakeries now offer king cakes for all sorts of holidays as well as very popular ones that cover the beginning of football season for Louisiana State University and New Orleans Saints tailgate parties.

The colors purple (justice), gold (power) and green (faith) actually date back to 1892 and have been the traditional colors ever since.

So go ahead, don the feathered mask, toss some beads, eat some King Cake and Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR February 1st General Membership Meeting Crestview February 4th Economic Living Expo Emerald Coast Convention Center February 15th Board Meeting Extension Annex Potluck

March 7th General Membership Meeting and Awards Ceremony Extension Annex

The Stranger A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.

As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger... he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies.

If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind. Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)

Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home

Courtesy of Dick Hickenbothem -not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our long time visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush. My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol but the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis.

He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing..

I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... And NEVER asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.

His name?....

We just call him 'TV.' He has a wife now....we call her 'Computer.' Their first child is "Cell Phone".

Second child "I Pod

LOVE IS IN THE AIR

By Linda Meyers

I will admit when it comes to animals I can’t resist a sweet face with big eyes...and in my opinion Southern Flying Squirrels (Glaucomys volans) are just too cute! My first introduction to these fascinating animals was several years ago, when a friend raised (and released) an adorable baby that had fallen from it’s nest.

Although called Flying Squirrels they really don’t fly but are expert gliders. Spreading their feet, a large flap of skin called patagium, stretches between their front and rear legs, allowing them to make a graceful downward glide. They launch from the top of a tree, landing on the trunk or branch of another as far as 20-60 feet away. Using their tail as a rudder as well at to stabilize, they can Flying squirrels are very common in Florida. Their premake sharp turns, avoid obstacles, execute downward spiferred habitats are the same as gray squirrels, ranging from rals and adjust their speed to make a perfect landing. oak hammocks to cypress swamps. They need lots of drinking water and prefer areas near ponds or Our Florida species is small measuring 8-10 inches in streams. They maintain several nests at a time, mostly in length, including their tail. Pups don’t open their eyes until tree cavities or outside leaf nests, but will also nest in bird they are 4 weeks of age, are able to defend themselves at 5 houses, or electric boxes on power lines. In summer they weeks and are weaned at 6 weeks. Mothers guard their are usually solitary, but to stay warm in winter they will live nests from males who may eat their babies, and other fein colonies of 4 to 25 squirrels crammed in a cavity. males who may try to steal them. It can be a dangerous world for them beyond their nests. Owls are their major Active at night, having slept all day, they come out about predators, also domestic cats, bobcats, skunks, foxes, wea1/2 an hour after sunset. If you listen carefully you may sels, hawks, and occasionally snakes will make a snack of hear them making high-pitched squeaks or whistles as they them. Their average lifespan in the wild is 5 years, in capchase each other around in the trees. But it’s rare that you tivity they can live to the ripe old age of 15! In Florida there will see one, as they prefer to remain hidden by the dark is now a law prohibiting their capture. and they spend little time on the ground. Nuts and acorns are their favorite foods, and will also eat buds, seeds, berSource of Information: “Florida’s Fabulous Mammals” ries, mushrooms, insects, lizards, mice, eggs and baby author Dr. Jerry Lee Gingerich birds. Often they will raid your bird feeders at night!

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PUZZLE CORNER!

LEAP YEAR CRYPTOGRAM

CELEBRATE FEBRUARY WORD SEARCH S O I U L I N C O L N Y L V E

H J N J D R A I D E E R Z K K

W A S H I N G T O N P A R G X

L C E U D U B N W I C U P I D

C J N Y A K Z A C T X R I K N

T G T O Z C T M W N I B L C M

D O I A C U R O S E S E M A S

J H M R S H K R I L X F R R G

J D E X F C O I R A E D E D N

F N N B N D W C N V I W A P W

G U T J I O T W O G O N D W D

P O A C D O U L R L C E V U O

A R L A P W S A F K A A H I T

U G H P R E S I D E N T K O A

C S N H Z U I X W L R P E E E

CANDY CARD CHOCOLATE CUPID FEBRUARY FLOWERS GROUNDHOG KING CAKE LINCOLN LOVE

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MARDI GRAS PRESIDENT PUNXSUTAWNEY ROMANTIC ROSES SENTIMENTAL SHADOW VALENTINE WASHINGTON WOODCHUCK

WEED OF THE MONTH

By Jenny Gillis

The Oxalis Weed Family Ed. Note—Because this weed family is so large and there is so much information, only part of Jenny’s article is presented here. To download the full article (and believe me YOU SHOULD!) go to www.ocmga.org and click on the Timely Tidbits link. We have provided the full article there.

Oxalis is a large genus of low-growing herbs that grow along roadsides and in fields throughout the Americas and South Africa. North American species are known as wood sorrels. Like clover, wood sorrels have heart-shaped leaflets in clusters of three, but the leaflets, unlike those of clover, fold lengthwise at night. Small, five-petaled flowers in white, yellow, pink, or red grow singly or in loose clusters decorating wood sorrels. These plants are also known as sour grass because of their sour-lemony tasting leaves.

Southern Yellow Wood Sorrel, Oxalis stricta

Yellow wood sorrel (Oxalis stricta) is a close cousin of Oxalis is an edible wild plant that has been consumed by creeping wood sorrel, but is somewhat more upright in humans around the world for millennia. A characteristic of habit and does not root from its stems. the Oxalis family is that plants contain oxalic acid which gives the leaves and flowers a taste which can make them refreshing to chew. In Dr. James Duke's "Handbook of Edible Weeds," he notes that the Kiowa Indian tribe chewed wood sorrel to alleviate thirst on long trips, that the Potawatomi Indians cooked it with sugar to make a dessert, the Algonquin Indians considered it an aphrodisiac, the Cherokee ate wood sorrel to alleviate mouth sores and sore throats, and the Iroquois ate wood sorrel to help with cramps, fever and nausea. The plants contain oxalic acid which gives the genus its name. Eaten in large amounts these plants may be toxic as oxalic acid can interfere with digestion. http:// uk.ask.com/wiki/Oxalis The UF/IFAS book Weeds of Southern Creeping Wood Sorrel, Oxalis Turfgrass lists several corniculata species of Oxalis. Yellow wood sorrel (O. stricta) and Creeping sorrel (O. corniculata) are most frequent. The small flowers of wood sorrels produce okra-shaped seed pods that actually shoot the seed long distances. Once established, oxalis can be difficult to control. Oxalis can also be a weed present in potted plants and are known to harbor other plant pests – so weedy wood sorrels should be removed from container plants.

Oxalis grown in a container as an ornamental

Over 600 species of Oxalis are known, with more than 30 available as ornamentals. The foliage colors may range from green to blue to silver or burgundy-purples to gold.

Some leaves show patterns.

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Marg Stewart—Editor Shari Farrell, Karen Harper and Linda Meyers—Co-Editors

Have pictures or an idea for an article?

Send it in!

Articles and pictures are always welcome.

Your member site: www.ocmgamembers.org

LAST WORD Last meeting, we were introduced to the term/concept ‘mast year’. According to the dictionary a mast year: is from the old English word maest and relates to a phenomenon when the fruit (mast) produced by trees in a given year is exponentially higher than average; by extension, a year in which vegetation produces a significant abundance of fruit.

So, basically, we’re talking about an abundance that is more than we’re used to. I can relate to that. Lately I’ve noticed and experienced an ‘abundance’ of homework, yard work, retired husband under foot, housework, projects I really want to get done some time this century....and did I mention the seed catalogs coming in?

Then we have the abundance of political ads (I really want that machine that zaps the computer at the other end), emails, phone calls....

What is not experiencing a mast year is my time. So I’m forced to admit that I can’t get everything done. In fact, I’m starting a new mantra, “What gets done gets done.” Last time I looked the dust bunny police weren’t knocking on my door.

How many of us are also experiencing a ‘mast year’ just in relation to all the things we feel that we ‘have’ to do? We need to figure out what we really ‘have’

Marg Stewart to do in relations to what we ‘must’ do.

We all must take time for ourselves and time to relax. Time to spend with family, friends and recharge our mental and physical batteries.

That is one of the many good things about our group. We definitely have a ‘mast year’ when it comes to brains and talent! It should never be a case where someone feels that they are on their own when it comes to an event, a talk, answering the phones....

But guess what? No one will know that you need a hand if you don’t say something! It’s no shame in needing some help and there are plenty of willing hands to provide it—all you have to do is ask.

The household hubby and I have found that out. He didn’t want to intrude on what he perceived as my domains. Once I asked for some help, he gladly provided it. The dishwasher fairy is nice to have around and has now morphed into the trash emptying fairy (still working on laundry fairy but that’s going to take a while).

Point is, we can actually ENJOY our mast year and all it’s wonderful chaos as long as we remember that we can’t do it all and there are plenty that will willingly share in dealing with our abundances!

Pleiospilos pendunculata , Split Rock, Cleft Stone, Mimicry Plant in bloom

The Foundation for the Gator Nation.....An equal opportunity institution.

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