Bee Balm … my backyard pharmacopeia

LiveJournal Tags: bee balm,herbs,flowers,blog,Wendy Scott

I planted bee balm in a small garden along the path with the hopes of attracting bees. Guess that’s why it’s called bee balm, although its proper name is Monarda fistulosa, which  of course, I’ll probably never remember. Bee balm has a lot of alias’, among them … Eastern Beebalm, Bergamot, Wild Oswego Tea, Horsemint, Monarda … how’s that for identity switching?

As you can see in the picture at right, bees are drawn to this vibrantly coloured flower. I spent about half an hour snapping pictures, and at any one time there were always two to three bees humming about, flitting from one flower to the next collecting pollen and nectar and generally ‘bee-ing’ busy.

What I didn’t know until I had a cruise through the internet, is that bee balm is an herb used for ages by native Eastern North Americans. You can eat any part of the plant that pokes above ground, for instance harvesting the stems and leaves for teas, or the blossoms for a cheery additive to a salad. Haven’t tried it yet, so I can’t comment on the flavour.

More amazingly, it has been used as traditional medicines. It helps sooth headaches, upset stomachs, sore throats and colds. Well worth doing some further research if you are interested.

And if that isn’t enough, bee balm can be dried and added to a potpourri — how’s that for prolonging the summer season well through those dark winter months when the house is closed up and the bees are just a hazy memory.

Have a look at http://www.altnature.com/index.html for more.

The Choices We Make

LiveJournal Tags: environment,wildlife,cats

At this point, I have no idea what I will talk about today, although there are plenty of areas in the environment to touch upon. I must comment though, on the recent arrival in our house of a new kitten, the only survivor of a litter that originally numbered six.

What lessons we learn from the creatures around us. This new little guy, whom we have named Achak, meaning Spirit in the Algonquin tongue, is a reminder of how helpless we all are in early days. A subtle reminder, too, of our stewardship towards our world and its inhabitants. How often do we stop and think, I mean really think, about this? More importantly, what actions do we take to practice our stewardship as a sacred duty?

In our forest here, we are surrounded by a thriving, teeming population of animals, birds, insects, reptiles and even fish in the marsh and stream that bubbles along near the house. They are our closest neighbours. Their world is obvious, but hidden at the same time to our senses, when we fail to pay attention.

Yet Achak, his mother and our other three cats, live in both worlds. We belong to them as much as they belong to us, living in the nest we call a house. But outside, they stalk and hunt, they play, they climb. What stories they could tell us …

They know where the rabbit warrens are, the deer trails, the mark of a passing fox, birds’ nests and squirrels’. They hear the coos and hoots and growls and rustles, the swoosh of crows’ or herons’ wings as they pass overhead. They scent the wolves and bears, the sweet grass and spicy elm bark. They see in the dark of a moonless night, the motion of a swooping bat or a foraging shrew. Their paws touch a summer’s early morning dew or winter’s crisp cool snow as they taste sweet grass or fresh meat after a successful hunt.

Where do we fit into this mysterious, hidden world of theirs? Do we compliment it by leaving only footprints behind, or do we dismantle it by cutting down this tree, or paving over that field? Do we smell the sweet scent of a rich forest floor, or pollute it with exhaust and garbage? Do we taste the incredible sweetness of wild blackberries, or tear them down for a manicured yard? Do we hear the hum of bees and dragonflies, or blast our ears with the latest news bulletins and roaring traffic? Do we walk barefoot along the paths nature gives us, or bind our feet and stumble blind, mute, deaf and senseless, assuming someone or something will save our world at the last minute?

The choice is ours.

Blogger Tags: environment, wildlife, cats