Living with the Leaves

In the next few weeks I am not planning to rake leaves.

Well, that's not entirely true... I will be raking them, but not removing them. I plan to do what I did last year, which is "shape" them into place with the rake, leaving the yard beneath the tree root zones blanketed with natural mulch. By placing them this way, my yard looks tidy and the lawn areas stay lush where there are no tree roots.

Last year, the leaves all decomposed before mid summer, which I know fed the soil under the trees and made lush habitat for the many important insects that like leaf litter. Those insects, I am sure, also helped to arate the soil, which in turns benefitted my aging urban trees.

I also suspect that those same insects provided a lot of food for birds. We had some surprise bird visitors in the spring, including a towhee that showed up in May and stayed for a week, pecking through the leaf litter hungrily.

This morning I opened my email inbox and found a timely message from my friend Kathy M, who sent a link to the Fairfield Weekly newspaper in Connecticut. Pretty cool article there entitled "Leaf It Be" about others who are choosing not to remove the leaves this year. Thanks, Kathy!

Tamiflu in Rivers?

Two weeks ago, an open flu shot clinic caused a traffic jam in Silver Spring. Several police officers were called into direct traffic around the Dennis Avenue health center after the Washington Post reported that H1N1 vaccinations would be available there all morning. A line of people waiting in the cold snaked all the way into the middle of the parking lot by mid morning.

As people everywhere seem to be scrambling to get vaccinated against the flu, Science News had an interesting report on their website this week, highlighting the concern that medicine used to treat influenza called Tamiflu might be going into rivers via human waste.

Janet Raloff's article on the website states: "Concerns are now building that birds, which are natural influenza carriers, are being exposed to waterborne residues of Tamiflu’s active form and might develop and spread drug-resistant strains of seasonal and avian flu."

Worries such as this one have come up previously, when researchers began reporting all kinds of pharmaceuticals were making their way from humans into waterways. This newest research is particularly troubling, however, due to concerns regarding H1N1 and its treatment, since the huge numbers of H1N1 cases could send the use of Tamiflu "skyrocketing," according to the article.

This is also one more example of how connected we are to problems of pollution and clean water, all the time, no matter how far we live from rivers and streams.

Are Acorns Edible?

We are having one of those noisy autumns again, where the acorns fall in plentiful, loud abundance. I'm not sure it qualifies as a "mast year." (That's what scientists call it when there's an OVER abundance of the nuts.) I think it might be just average, at least around my neighborhood.

Anyway, all those nuts lying around prompted one parent on one of the local listservs to ask: can we eat them or are they poisonous?

A bit of a debate went back and forth in the replies. It was all friendly. Some said, no, they are not poisonous but they cannot be eaten. Others said, bosh, we eat them all the time in pancakes and stuff and they taste great!

Well, I noticed someone had asked the same question about these nuts last week in the New York Times Science section. Pretty interesting, although I have to admit that I've never been tempted by them myself. Somehow, it would see a lot like eating bark to me. And the Claiborne Ray's article didn't make them seem any more appealing. Too much work to make them edible. I think I'd have to be pretty hungry to try it, frankly.

Meanwhile, the almonds in my cabinet are calling out to me. Think its time for a snack...

Who Speaks for the Creek? Maybe you.

On Tuesday, Oct 20, Larry Silverman will be speaking about ways that citizen watershed groups to carry out advocacy and communicate with public officials. He will be sharing his personal strategies, insights, and advice on the matter.

Larry has spent his career working for clean water and other environmental causes in Montgomery County and the Anacostia watershed and has a wealth of knowledge and experience to draw from. He is currently chair of Montgomery County's Water Quality Advisory Group and a board member of the Patuxent Waterkeeper. He is also a founding member of the Anacostia Watershed Society. He was instrumental in getting a consent decree against the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission. Larry is a professor at Johns Hopkins University where he teaches Environmental Sciences and Policy.

Larry's presentation will be given as a part of the Friends of Sligo Creek program meeting for the month. The location will be the Long Branch Community Center 8700 Piney Branch Road in Takoma Park/Silver Spring. Come at 7:15 for chatting. We will start the discussion at 7:30. Refreshments will be served.

From Sligo Parkway, drive east on Piney Branch toward Flower Ave. After about 3/10 of a mile, watch for the sign on a building for Miles Glass. Turn left into the community center parking lot. Go to second floor.

No, Its Not Your Imagination, the Stink Bugs Are Getting Worse

They have a goofy name, and they make a funny smell when bothered, so it is a bit hard to take them seriously. But believe it or not, stink bugs (also known as brown shield bugs) are becoming a major annoyance in many parts of the northeastern US.

The bugs are not particularly dangerous to humans but like the Asian ladybeetles, they are increasingly taking up residence in people's homes in North America. Once inside, they prove difficult to remove because they defend themselves by releasing a potent and very unpleasant smell. Vacuuming them or smashing them can prove to be quite stinky indeed.

The bugs, which are native to Asia, were first reported in North America in the late 1990s. Many accounts online point to initial infestations in the town of Allentown, PA. No one knows for sure how they got to the US.

But lately lots of my neighbors in Silver Spring are asking if I know anything about them. They are suddenly everywhere. They've been showing up on our car windshields each morning. They meander across our window screens. They slowly creep across the front porch. We are trying to make sure they don’t get inside. I sometimes feel like the volunteers each summer at the Brookside Gardens butterfly exhibit, checking each visitor carefully to see if any bugs have come in on their clothes. Not the most hospitable way to greet a guest, for sure. I’m wondering if we can really fight them off.

Researchers at the USDA are apparently wondering that, too. One researcher, Jeffry Aldrich, has begun working on traps which could be used to effectively lure them out of people’s homes. Aldrich is an entomologist and expert on stink bugs at the Invasive Insect Biocontrol and Behavior Laboratory in Beltsville, MD. According to press releases put out by the USDA, he’s working on a weapon to fight the bug invaders that will use the insect’s own body chemistry: a pheromone-based trap.

According to an article published by the USDA, Aldrich was “stunned” at the degree of infestation he saw at a private in Maryland last year, particularly in the attic.

Friends of mine who live in rural Pennsylvania at a location not too far from Allentown, PA where the first infestations were noted a few years back have also had surprisingly awful infestations. One friend says the bugs moved into mattresses in the guest room of her old Victorian home, only to emerge when guests came to stay the night. She also kept finding them in sofa cushions and pillows. Ugh!

This week the stink bugs were also “bug of the week” on Mike Raupp's website, and featured in John Kelly’s column in the Washington Post.

(Photo by Stephen Ausmus, used courtesy of the USDA ARS. )

Become "Riversmart"

Want to know more about rain barrels and reducing the amount of run-off that leaves your property?

On Thursday, October 22 7:30-9:00pm there will be a special showing of "RiverSmart" at Rockville High School. Learn how our roofs and driveways funnel pollutants into our local streams, the Chesapeake Bay, and our drinking water. Then speak to members of local watershed groups and Montgomery County’s RainScapes Program to discover how beautifying your yard can protect our environment and save you money.

The evening will end with the chance to win several door prizes, including a rain barrel donated by the RainScapes program, a county rebate initiative that rewards homeowners for their water-friendly landscaping. Students are encouraged to attend - particularly those participating in the MCPS Environmental Film Festival Project, as the winning student film for 2008 will also be shown.

This event is co-sponsored by the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, Water Quality Advisory Group, and MCPS Outdoor and Environmental Education Programs. Members of the Friends of Sligo Creek and the Neighbors of the Northwest Branch will be there, too, to present information for homeowners.

Students admitted free. A $2 donation from adults is requested.

Walk part of the Underground Railroad in Mo Co

There are some really cool underground railroad sites in Montgomery County, Maryland. Sandy Spring, in particular, makes for a great hike and an awesome history experience.

The Sierra Club is offering a chance this weekend to both hike and help the trail, where invasive exotic plants could ruin some of the best, most historic spots if not kept in check.

WHEN: Saturday, October 10, 9:30am – 12:00pm
WHERE: Underground Railroad Experience Trail, 16501 Norwood Road, Sandy Spring, MD

WHAT: Dr. Jenny Masur of the National Park Service will speak on the history of the Underground Railroad in the DC area. Dr. Masur is the National Capitol Region Manager for the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. Dr. Masur will highlight some of the personalities in Montgomery County, locations, and methods of escape through the Underground Railroad system. We will then remove invasive plant species.

RSVP: Jeremy Arling at jeremy.arling@maryland.sierraclub.org or 240-398-3635.
DIRECTIONS AND MORE INFO: http://maryland.sierraclub.org/montgomery/calendar.html