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Bees: an Introduction to Native Bees in the Landscape

05/14/2013 in Fun Stuff, Gardening, How To, Landscaping, Plants, Thoughts, What Matters Most by Evelyn | No comments

Most people do not realize that there were no honey bees in America before the European settlers brought hives from Europe. Native pollinators, especially bees other than honey bees, have been pollinating the continent’s flowering plants since long before the arrival of honey bees. Even in today’s vastly altered landscapes, they continue to do the yeomen’s share of pollination, especially when it comes to native plants.

Here are excerpts from one of the best resources I’ve found online regarding native bees from the USDA Forest Service and Pollinator Partnership (I highly recommend printing out or saving this beautifully illustrated and valuable PDF to your desktop)

Bee Basics an Introduction to Our Native Bees

What is helpful for new gardeners to know is that the honey bee, as remarkable as it is, does not know how to pollinate tomato or eggplant flowers. The honey bee also does very poorly compared to native bees when pollinating many native plants, such as pumpkins, cherries, blueberries, and cranberries. Native bees come in a wide array of sizes, shapes, and colors. They are also varied in their life styles, the places they frequent, the nests they build, the flowers they visit, and their season of activity. They remain ignored or unknown by most of us. Yet, they provide an invaluable ecosystem service, pollination, to 80 percent of flowering plants.

Bees are efficient foragers. One example is the southeastern blueberry bee, Habropoda laboriosa, a hard-working little creature capable of visiting as many as 50,000 blueberry flowers in her short life and pollinating enough of them to produce more than 6,000 ripe blueberries. At market those 6,000 blueberries are worth approximately $20 or more. Not every bee that you see flitting about may be worth $20, but all of them combined keep the world of flowering plants going. The world as we know it would not exist if there were no bees to pollinate the earth’s 250,000 flowering plants.

Bees are descended from wasps. Most wasps are carnivores; they either prey upon or parasitize other insects or spiders, and use this rich protein source to feed their young. About 125 million years ago, when the first flowering plants evolved, some wasps made a switch from hunting prey to gathering pollen for their brood. Perhaps they were hunting for insects that visited flowers and ate some of the pollen or drank the nectar along with their prey.

It didn’t take much to find the advantages of consuming pollen over hunting. Pollen is rich in proteins and doesn’t fight back, so it is easy to imagine why the bees became vegetarians. Gathering pollen and nectar requires certain adaptations different from those of hunters, so they started to change, to evolve to meet these requirements and consequently became bees.

Some bees are generalists and will use pollen from a wide variety of flowering plants. Bumble bees are generalists as they depend upon a succession of plants flowering from early spring when the queen emerges to late summer – early fall when the colony dies. Other bees have some degree of specialization in foraging; they resort to using pollen from only one or two families of flowering plants. Fortunately plant reproduction has redundancy in floral visitation already built-in. Each flowering plant species usually has a small guild of bees and other pollinators which coevolved with them to ensure their pollination. Typically, bees collect nectar from a wider range of blossoms than they visit for pollen.

One example of floral specialization is squash bees which are efficient visitors and pollinators of cucurbit plants (squash, pumpkin, and zucchini).

Blueberry bees, globe mallow bees, and cactus bees are also floral specialists.

Some bee species are active only for a few weeks during the growing season and depend on just a few families of flowering plants for their foraging needs. Bees in the genus Macropis depend only on loosestrife flowers (Lysimachia) from which they collect oil and pollen for their larvae’s food. Loosestrife flowers however, have no nectar available so bees in the genus Macropis must visit other flowers for their nectar needs. One highly specialized bee is Anthemurgus passiflorae. This bee is only known to forage on yellow passionflower (Passiflora lutea).

A note on Loosestrife: under no circumstances plant the Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), it is an invasive alien species to North America and its sale is illegal as it invades our wetlands, displacing native flora and fauna. More on Purple Loosestrife and its erradication. Insects keep purple loosestrife under control in its native Eurasia, but in America it has no animal to control it. Experiments are under way to see if non-native insects that seem to feed uniquely on purple loosestrife can control it without threatening native species. Purple loosestrife is the only plant that is banned from sale in Virginia. Additionally, responsible gardeners would never share Purple Loostrife with their gardening friends. At the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center you will find a list of the native loosestrife plants.

There are 4,000 species of native bees in the United States. A number of government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and private individuals are creating pollinator gardens throughout the country that will benefit native bees and other pollinators. The USDA Forest Service, the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign, the Pollinator Partnership, Urban Bee Gardens at U.C. Berkeley, and the Xerces Society each supply information to those who want to start gardening for pollinators or improving bee habitat in general.

8 Ways to Help Native Bees in Your Garden

  1. Plant a pollinator garden.
  2. Avoid pesticides or choose non-chemical solutions to insect problems.
  3. Provide a source of pesticide-free water and mud. A dripping faucet, mud puddle, or birdbath attracts butterflies and beneficial insects. Mud is an important nesting material for some bee species.
  4. Plant native plants from your eco region.
  5. Provide a variety of native flowering trees, shrubs, and wildflowers that bloom successively throughout the seasons.
  6. Reduce the size of the lawn by creating pollinator gardens will benefit native pollinators and other species of wildlife. It is possible to have a lawn that is good for native bees while being esthetically pleasing.
  7. Provide nesting habitats for bees.
  8. Build or buy your own bee houses.

Helping native bees is essential to our continued survival, health, and well-being. These animals benefit us all because of the invaluable ecosystem services they provide to the environment and to our farms, forests, and gardens. Not only do they pollinate most of our flowering plants, their bodies feed other wildlife and their ground-nesting behaviors aerate and enrich soils. They enrich and sustain our lives. The observation of native bees can become a lifelong pastime and pleasure. Become involved.

Observe bees with close focusing binoculars; plant a small pollinator garden; or help a neighbor, student, or family member drill small holes in scrap lumber to create a bee house. Join a pollinator and plant-friendly organization to learn more about pollinators and their flowers, like the Pollinator Partnership (www.pollinator.org).

Become a pollinator observer as a citizen scientist and report your observations. Some of our bees are declining, and your findings are invaluable to understanding the big picture. Most importantly, get outdoors with your children and experience the amazing natural and urban habitats that we share with pollinators and flowering plants. Do your share to make sure that this precious legacy continues.

You might also like to read:

Resources

Sellers of Bee Houses

Additional readings

  • Buchmann, Stephen L., Nabhan, Gary Paul. 1997. The Forgotten Pollinators. Island Press, Washington, DC, Covelo, CA, ISBN 1-55963-353-0. 292 pp.
  • Mader, Eric, Spivak, Marla and Evans, Elaine. 2010. Managing Alternative Pollinators: A Handbook for Beekeepers, Growers and Conservationists. SARE Handbook No. 11, NRAES-186. Natural Resource, Agriculture and Engineering Services (NRAES), Cooperative Extension, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. 162 pp.
  • Packer, Laurence. 2010. Keeping the Bees: Why All Bees Are At Risk and What We Can Do to Save Them. Harper Collins Publishers LTD., Toronto, Canada. 273 pp.

Bee Families, Description & Classification:

Conservation

Evelyn Vincent Evelyn Vincent

Native Plant Landscaper, Gardener, Labyrinth Design, Feng Shui Practitioner,  Aromatherapy / Essential Oils, Big Fan of Nature and Living Simply.

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
~ R. Buckminster Fuller

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Native Flute: Voices of the Wind

05/09/2013 in Fun Stuff, Living in Beauty, Music, News, Old Ways, Reviews, Thoughts by Evelyn | No comments

“The flute and its music are indigenous to this land, it comes from being here.”

~ Ken Light

This gorgeous Rosewood Flute is handmade by Brent Haines of Woodsounds

September 2006, Seattle, WA. – the first Flute Festival I attended. The weather was picture perfect for the first 2-day long Flute Festival. I arrived early so as to not miss a second. The grounds slowly filled as the day progressed. I spent the afternoon in a workshop, a beginner’s flute class, with the very lively and animated Clint Goss. As the afternoon drew to an end and above our beginner’s tones, I could hear through the open windows the mystically serene songs drifting in from the stage outside – the more experienced players had arrived and began to play. My entire soul, every cell in my body, transformed into the lightness of an Owl’s feather drifting silently through the air with the vibration of the sound. This was surely heaven.

For me, there is something about the sounds of the ancient instruments, the hand drum and flute, that resonates with the core of our humanity. The spirit comes awakened. It’s more than beautiful music, it’s the voice of the wind. The long-lost messages and wisdom of our ancestors bringing me home. When I find myself in that place I long to remove myself from the insanity of this modern world. To be back among the wildness of nature, in the presence of that which is no longer tangible in today’s conditioned and regimented world. I wonder how and why we allowed ourselves to become so removed from something so civilized and enlightened of merely being present in this life.

I have since moved to the mountains of North Carolina and have awaited the opportunity to attend a Flute Festival again. In today’s email my wait is over. As I opened Brent Haines newsletter I became swept away with a little story he included, I would like to share that here…

“I have been inspired and touched by the people with whom I have spent the last week or so with here in Chinle and Nazlini. There are many differences between our cultures. The beauty of the culture I am currently in has captured my heart and filled me.

Brother in-law, Darrel, told me about the joining of the hands when two people meet. Each person says Ya-te-hey. He said the swirls in our fingers tips and the swirls in our palms. The swirls in our bellies and all the swirls of energy in our body. There are lots of swirls that make us up. These swirls are all just like the swirl of the Milky Way Galaxy in which we live. When we great someone we join our hand to their hand and say Ya-te-hey. The Ya means universe. So it is very literally the greeting our our universe and your universe meeting when we shake hands. This is done gently You do not need to show grandma how strong you are by crushing her hand in a firm grip. So the hand shake is ever so gentle. Yet it is the joining of two Universes. And how powerful is this?”

I sat there thinking about what I had read and thought how meaningful Brent’s story is, how it showed such honor and respect – far beyond the sensation or gesture of an ordinary handshake. This is how life should be.

I scrolled slowly down through the newsletter and came across yet again some of the most amazing looking and sounding flutes that he has available right now (see the image above). I know that the Rosewood this flute is made of is quite rare because some years back Rosewood essential oil was no longer available, my half full 15ml bottle of Rosewood essential oil stays neatly in my case and every so often I open the cap to inhale the divine aroma. The preciousness of life.

Brent has this to say about this flute…

“Honduran Rosewood Burl is my favorite wood. With the rich red, purple and black swirls, the beauty to the eye is unparalleled. The aroma is magnificent and will fill the air in the room you play your flute in with a sweet wonderful scent.

The sound is clean and pure yet round and full. Incredible projection. If you are looking for the best possible wood for look and sound, this is the wood.

Unfortunately, it is quite rare. I am always keeping an eye out for the wood, but only am able to find it every four years or so. If this wood is calling to you, give me a call right away as if I do have it now, I will likely not have it for much longer.”

I met Brent at the Flute Festival in Seattle and saw his amazing works of art. I also heard them being played by artist flutists, like Robert Mirabal – who will be the topic of my next post in a few days. Needless to say, Brent’s flutes are the cream of the crop in terms of beauty of appearance and sound. They are quite possibly unmatched.

Scrolling down further in the newsletter revealed a piece of news that took my breath away. On June 6-8, 2013 there will be a flute gathering, Renaissance of the North American Flute Foundation (RNAFF) at the Great Smoky Mountain Heritage Center in eastern Tennessee – which is practically right in my backyard!

R. Carlos Nakai, who I also saw in Seattle, will be there. As well as, John Sarantos, JJ Kent, Ken Light, Johnny Lipford, Randy Granger, Jan Michael Looking Wolf, and Rona Yellow Robe.

~~ Register Here for the RNAFF Flute Festival ~~

Evelyn Vincent Evelyn Vincent

Native Plant Landscaper, Gardener, Labyrinth Design, Feng Shui Practitioner,  Aromatherapy / Essential Oils, Big Fan of Nature and Living Simply.

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
~ R. Buckminster Fuller

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Keeping us in the Dark About Fuel Efficient Cars?

06/15/2012 in News, Things that Suck, Thoughts, What Matters Most by Evelyn | No comments

About thirty minutes ago I wasn’t sure what to blog about today. Then about 10 minutes ago I knew precisely what to blog today! I love the way the Universe gives us just what we need when we need it.

Here’s what happened, I watched this video because I have been extremely concerned as to ‘why’ USA car manufacturers have not made available to us cars that get over 60mpg, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t get at least that kind of gas mileage.

So, the reason is because the US has a gas tax and those funds go to maintain our highways. When a car gets better than 20-30mpg that means the funds necessary for maintaining our highways is greatly compromised. OK, so we’ve gotten ourselves into a pickle here!

There is another issue which Brian, the guy in the video, didn’t bring up… let’s assume that we all had cars that got 100mpg and/or we had electric cars. That would mean that the oil industry would be selling a lot less oil, gas and diesel to us, do you see where I’m going with this? Well, that would mean that the entire oil industry would suddenly have very few customers. Which would mean fewer jobs, no reason to fight expensive wars in the Middle East, oil tankers and the production of them, storage facilities, and so forth would become history.

While getting superior gas mileage or having cars that don’t require gas absolutely would be a fantastic thing for the environment and our ability to create more peaceful relationships with foreign countries… it would also mean that we would have to come up with a ton of jobs for all of those who are tied to the industry. Possible solutions to that might be new jobs and industry’s that reach further still to create superior ‘Green’ technologies in other areas of our lives.

Doing that would be a monumental task to say the least but based on the way things are going anyway… one way or another, we are going to have to make drastic changes in these areas within the next five years anyway (otherwise we’re screwed essentially)… so why not get in gear, inform the masses, and start doing it now – rather than this pathetic nonsense we have been doing!?

As for the lack of funds for maintaining our roads, because they won’t be able to get enough on gas sales, all they have to do is figure out (not hard to do) how much is required to maintain the roads and then divide that number by the number of car owners and we all pay a portion -or- let them base it on the number of miles a car owner drives a year (which might be more fair) and that will act as the equivalent to the current funds raised from taxes on gasoline sales.

But wait, I haven’t even gotten to the good part yet…

I wanted to Tweet about this video (above) and provide a link to the UK Voltswagen website on my Twitter page that sells the VW Passat but Twitter will not let me, it says the link to that site contains “spam.”

Oh, really????

I was just at the site and there is no spam there whatsoever, none!

I even went back to the UK VW site to double-check, and there’s no spam content there at all.

The only thing that could be considered “unsafe” is the fact that we might learn something!

Are we being kept in the dark about something that someone doesn’t want to go viral?

The site is nothing more than a site that sells cars to the folks living in the UK.

I just wish this dishonesty nonsense would come to an end. We are fully capable of reason and logic when we know the facts -and- we ARE fully capable of allowing ways of obtaining funds to maintain our highways to happen.

Surely whoever is behind this nonsense can’t be thinking that we’re not mature enough to know that each of us has to chip in to keep our roads maintained.

Twitter however, DID allow me to Tweet the site from the Tweet button on the website itself. Which I did just moments ago.

Here’s a screenshot of the Twitter window that will not let me post a link to that VW – UK website.

Screenshot of VW Twitter link

Twitter only has an issue with the “Voltswagen Passat Bluemotion” and SnipUrl portion of what I was trying to post, nothing else.

I cannot think of any reason whatsoever as to why a link to that site would throw up a warning flag on Twitter… well, other than possibly because someone(s) out there doesn’t want us to know what ‘could’ be available to us.

I cannot think of any other logical explanation as to why Twitter won’t allow me to post a link to that site on my Twitter page. So, I posted it on my Facebook page and I’m putting my entire experience here on my blog because I believe we all deserve to know the reason ‘why’ we continue to have US vehicles with crappy gas mileage while other countries get twice as good.

Twitter ‘will’ allow me to post this link http://www.naturalnews.com/036183_fuel-efficiency_automobiles_government.html (which I did) to my Twitter page that I found at the NaturalNews website, which does have a link to the UK website in the article (the exact same link I posted above).

 

Evelyn Vincent Evelyn Vincent

Native Plant Landscaper, Gardener, Labyrinth Design, Feng Shui Practitioner,  Aromatherapy / Essential Oils, Big Fan of Nature and Living Simply.

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
~ R. Buckminster Fuller

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Wine Bottle Garden Beds: my experience, thoughts and suggestions

06/12/2012 in Fun Stuff, Gardening, How To, Landscaping, Plants, Things that Suck, Thoughts by Evelyn | 2 comments

Wine bottle raised garden bedThere is a tremendous amount of repurposing, re-use, and up-cycling these days, some of the ideas are brilliant and some not so good. When I first learned about using empty wine bottles or edging a garden I have to say I thought it ‘might’ be a cool idea, they certainly can look pretty enough.

A year and a half ago, during a snowy December, Curt and I moved to an eco-village. I love the whole concept of living more consciously, in balance with nature, and in an intentional community, but that’s a topic for another blog post. We moved into this community where people had begun living for 19 years and so there were many things that had already been done. The wine bottle garden beds were one of those things. The winter of December 2010 was a fairly snowy one and Curt and I were focused on moving in and getting set-up but every once in a while I would walk past the bottle garden beds and wonder what type of growing occurred in those raised beds that were at the time bare ground. Quite often during the winters a garden can look kind of ugly, particularly if things are not kept, that was the case here and I found myself thinking that I couldn’t wait until spring to get that garden area into shape and looking beautiful. The image to the left top is when the bottle bed was new and fairly straight, it looks nothing at all like that today.

As the snow melted more and more was revealed and the more I was wondering how receptive folks would be to a serious clean-up and ideas about those thousands of wine bottles. I was thinking of other creative ways to use them without making the suggestion that they be hauled away, since they were already brought to the land.

I believe the garden area itself wouldn’t have looked so unkept if the wine bottle placement stood the test of time. The weeds could be easily pulled or cut back, but the wine bottles, which were once perfectly placed, just looked like you would imagine anything put in the ground above the frost level to look… yup they heaved in every which direction (mostly outward with some more out than others) and the soil in the raised beds was slowly creeping out of its glass confinement too.

One day, I went around and gave several bottles a little wiggle to see just how much work it would require to straighten them out again. The wine bottle beds had only been in place for 3-4 years. Each bottle I wiggled made that glass and grit scratching sound that you might hear when you’re digging and hit a piece of glass that has been sleeping beneath the soil surface for 50 to 75 years. The glass looked brittle, felt very brittle, and sounded brittle.

I stopped my wiggle test, stood back and wrung my brow. As a landscape designer, all I could think about is all the time that had originally gone into this project and how much time was spent driving to bars to collect the wine bottles. And, how much time it would take to solve the ugliness of what stood before us.

The more I looked and thought, the more un-eco this concept of using wine bottles, glass, as edging wasn’t such a very good idea. Just the maintenance alone made it an unwise choice. Sigh.

Gardening Experiences in a Raised Bed Bottle Garden

As the air warmed and it was time to plant the cooler weather plants and seeds into the raised beds I offered to help loosen the raised bed soil prior to planting. These beds were your typical 4-5 foot wide and 15-20 feet long beds, surely easy enough to work in, right!? Wrong!

It was challenging using the broadfork effectively because of all the glass, I found myself standing too close to the inside of the bed which put pressure on the soil and pushed the wine bottles out even further, that glass and grit scraping sound I described above. I’ve used a broadfork plenty but I will honestly say that because of the enclosure of glass it you would have thought that I didn’t know the first thing about the task. I was very disappointed in what the restrictions did to my performance.

Weeding the wine bottle beds presented its own set of issues. Because I can be in the garden for 4 to 14 hours a day without batting an eye, I sometimes like to sit, squat, side squat, kneel with one foot out in front of me, and even keep my balance with one hand on the ground. The wine bottles made it impossible for me to perform any of those comfortable postures.

Then, the inevitable happened, I pulled a weed, with large deep roots, and a bottle broke – popped and went to pieces in the path and in the raised bed. Sunlight degrades the strength integrity of glass over time. I picked up the pieces, all that I could find.

All ready to get back to the weeding task I kneeled down on the path and reached for a weed in the raised bed. Even though I never felt the bottle touch my leg it too popped and shattered. because I was in the ‘reaching’ position I had to do the push and pull yourself back maneuver. While doing that my hand didn’t quite clear the broken bottle and the damn thing sliced into my finger real good, bleeding like crazy. I went inside and put several drops of Lavender and Helichrysum essential oils on the wound and asked Curt to help get it bandaged up.

At this point I was so disgusted with the idea that anyone could be so foolish to do something like put glass in raised vegetable garden beds, I snapped at Curt to, “go get that stinking glass out of the bed before I got out there and rip them all out and bring them down to the recycling center!”

Much Safer and Better Ideas for Repurposing Wine Bottles

Build a cob garden fence or wall!

  • Using wine bottles in a cob wall eliminates the worry of getting sliced when gardening
  • The wall looks pretty when the sun shines through the colored glass
  • The wall, if properly placed, can create a microclimate in your garden which extends your growing season
  • When you build the cob wall properly there will be little maintenance (cob walls need a small roof to help keep rain and snow off)
  • The wall can also double as a privacy fence
  • Including the wine bottles in a cob wall makes the job go faster and uses less cob because the bottles take up spaceA Cordwood building with a pretty wine bottle design
10 Other Ideas for Up-cycling Wine Bottles
There are dozens of other terrific ways to repurpose wine bottles, these are just a few.
  1. Make candle holders out of wine bottles!
  2. Make drinking glasses out of wine bottles!
  3. Make a glass wind chime out of wine bottles!
  4. Make pendant lights out of wine bottles!
  5. Make a wine bottle Hummingbird feeder!
  6. Make a wine bottle garden torch!
  7. Make a wine bottle mood light!
  8. Make hanging wine bottle vases!
  9. Do a wine bottle hydroponics thing, you can do this with plastic soda bottles too!
  10. Build a cordwood shed with wine bottles walls!
  11. Build a cob and straw bale greenhouse and put wine bottles in the walls!

Link on how to cut the glass and video on cutting glass.

My suggestion is, don’t make wine bottle garden beds unless you are willing to:

  • Do yearly maintenance to keep them straight and looking goodHanging wine bottle vases
  • Always wear protective clothing and eye gear
  • Keep children and pets out of your garden
  • Be prepared for wounds and probably trips to the emergency room for stitches
  • Be prepared to take them all out and bring them to a recycling center in less than 6 years, and replace them with newer bottles
  • Not use metal tools in your garden
  • Not kneel or touch the edges of your garden beds
  • Learn how to extend your reach and build enough muscle strength in your body that you never need to rest a knee or hand to get back up onto your feet

My advice… do not do wine bottle garden beds if you:

  • Value your time and energy
  • Want to live truly environmentally friendly
  • Want to be able to work ‘freely’ among your soil and plants
  • And, don’t make bottle garden beds if you want to get anything else done in your garden this season

Glass bottle hanging vases image is from CountryGirlWedding.

 

 

 

Evelyn Vincent Evelyn Vincent

Native Plant Landscaper, Gardener, Labyrinth Design, Feng Shui Practitioner,  Aromatherapy / Essential Oils, Big Fan of Nature and Living Simply.

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
~ R. Buckminster Fuller

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30 Ways to Use Lavender Essential Oil

02/22/2012 in Aromatherapy, Around the Home, Cooking, First Aid (natural), Fun Stuff, Health, How To, Plants, Thoughts by Evelyn | 5 comments

Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia) essential oil is one of the most versatile essential oil to have on hand. Therapeutic Lavender oil is known to promote tissue regeneration and speed wound healing and is one of the few essential oils to still be listed in the British Pharmacopoeia (that is, provided the Lavender oil is of therapeutic quality).

Lavender has medical properties as well: highly antiseptic, antifungal, relaxant, anti-inflammatory, combats excess sebum on skin, and is used for respiratory infections,  menstrual problems/PMS, skin conditions (perinial repair, acne, eczema, psoriasis, scarring), burns, hair loss, insomnia, nervous tension.

The fragrant influence of Lavender oil is calming, relaxing, and balancing, both physically and emotionally.

  • University researchers in Japan found that diffusing certain aromas in an office environment dramatically improved mental accuracy and concentration. Diffused lemon oil resulted in 54 percent fewer errors, jasmine 33 percent fewer errors, and lavender 20 percent fewer errors. When aromas were diffused during test taking, scores increased by as much as 50 percent.
  • Lavender has been documented to improve concentration and mental acuity. University of Miami researchers found that inhalation of lavender oil increased beta waves in the brain, suggesting heightened relaxation.
  • Lavender oil also reduced depression and improved cognitive performance (Diego et al., 1998).
  • A 2001 Osaka Kyoiku University study found that lavender reduced mental stress and increased alertness (Motomura et al., 2001).

~~ Buy Pure Essential Oils at My Product Website ~~

30 Ways to Use Lavender Oil

  1. Rub Lavender oil on the soles of the feet for a calming effect on the body.
  2. Rub a drop of Lavender oil on your palms and smooth on your pillow to help you sleep.
  3. Put a drop of Lavender oil on a bee sting or insect bite to stop itching and reduce swelling.
  4. Put 2-3 drops of Lavender oil on a minor burn to decrease pain and stimulate healing.
  5. Stop Bleeding; put 1-4 drops of Lavender oil on a cut to stop the bleeding.
  6. Mix several drops of Lavender oil with a carrier oil and apply topically for eczema and dermatitis.
  7. Alleviate the symptoms of motion sickness, place a drop of Lavender oil on the end of the tongue or around the naval or behind the ears.
  8. Stop a nosebleed; put a drop of Lavender oil on a tissue and wrap it around a small chip of ice. Push the tissue covered ice chip up under the middle of the top lip to the base of the nose and hold as long as comfortable or until the bleeding stops (do not freeze the lip or gum).
  9. Rub a drop of Lavender oil over the bridge of the nose to unblock tear ducts (avoid eye area).
  10. Capped Skin; rub a couple drops of Lavender oil with a little carrier oil on dry or chapped skin.
  11. Rub a drop of Lavender oil on chapped or sunburned lips.
  12. To reduce or minimize the formation of scar tissue, massage Lavender oil on and around the affected area.
  13. Rub 2 drops of Lavender oil over the armpit area as a deodorant.
  14. Rub a drop of Lavender oil between your palms and inhale deeply to help alleviate the symptoms of hay fever.
  15. Dandruff; rub several drops of Lavender oil into the scalp to help eliminate dandruff.
  16. Place a few drops of Lavender oil on a cotton ball and place in your linen closet to scent the linens and repel moths and insects.
  17. Place a drop of Lavender oil in your tabletop water fountain to scent the air, kill bacteria and prolong the time between cleanings (NOT in fish tanks though).
  18. Put 2-4 drops of Lavender oil on you vacuum cleaner bag to scent the room while vacuuming.
  19. Bed Linen Spray; in a 4oz. spray bottle filled with water add 5-10 drops of Lavender oil, shake and lightly mist bed linens every morning upon making your bed, this provides a calming scent that helps induce restful sleep.
  20. Dryer Sheet; place a few drops of Lavender oil on a damp washcloth and toss into the dryer, which will deodorize and freshen your laundry.
  21. Put a drop of Lavender oil on a cold sore to facilitate healing.
  22. Diffuse equal portions of both Lavender and Orange essential oils to reduce stress and anxiety.
  23. Sunburn; spritz several drops of Lavender oil mixed with distilled water on a sunburn to decrease pain.
  24. Cuts and Wounds; put 1-2 drops Lavender oil on a cut to clean the wound and kill bacteria.
  25. Itching; apply 1-2 drops of Lavender oil to a rash to stop the itching and heal skin.
  26. Foot Bath; mix 4 drops Lavender oil with 1/4 cup of epsom salts and add to warm water, soak feet for 20 minutes.
  27. In a 32 oz. spray bottle mix 14-20 drops of Lavender oil with water for a chemical-free spray air freshener.
  28. Add a drop of Lavender to one quart of softened vanilla ice cream, stir well, freeze until hardened, serve.*
  29. Lavender Tea; add one drop of Lavender oil to a cup of hot water for a relaxing cup of tea at the end of a busy day.*
  30. Use Lavender oil in one of these recipes: Lavender Sorbet, Lavender Lemonade, or Lavender Chocolate Truffles!*

*NOTE: Only food grade essential oils, such as Young Living Essential Oils, can be ingested or taken internally as a supplement. Please do not ingest otherwise.

Evelyn Vincent Evelyn Vincent

Native Plant Landscaper, Gardener, Labyrinth Design, Feng Shui Practitioner,  Aromatherapy / Essential Oils, Big Fan of Nature and Living Simply.

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
~ R. Buckminster Fuller

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National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and Scotts: Disappointing and Disturbing News

01/29/2012 in Animals & Pets, Around the Home, Birds, Butterflies, Gardening, Health, Intelligent Designing, Landscaping, Living in Beauty, Making A Living, News, Plants, Things that Suck, Thoughts, What Matters Most by Evelyn | No comments

This past week I became aware of some shocking news: both the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and Scotts Miracle-Gro was proud to announce they were partnering. In their press release on January 18, 2012 stating,

The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and ScottsMiracle-Gro are announcing a new partnership to advance NWF’s nationwide Be Out There initiative to connect children with nature. As the national presenting sponsor, ScottsMiracle-Gro will enhance NWF’s programs to create green spaces and attract wildlife to backyards and communities across the country.

“During our support of the NWF’s wildlife relief work in the Gulf of Mexico, we realized how many similarities our organizations shared – and started exploring ways to work together,” said Jim Lyski, executive vice president, ScottsMiracle-Gro. “NWF offers a unique perspective that we believe can help shape our sustainability initiatives, and proactively engage thought leaders on constructively developing solutions to environmental and societal challenges. This partnership for us is about building a business that leaves our world better off than we found it.”

Is That Stretching Our Abilities to Believe Them  Continue reading “National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and Scotts: Disappointing and Disturbing News” »

Evelyn Vincent Evelyn Vincent

Native Plant Landscaper, Gardener, Labyrinth Design, Feng Shui Practitioner,  Aromatherapy / Essential Oils, Big Fan of Nature and Living Simply.

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
~ R. Buckminster Fuller

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What is Pinterest and Pinning?

01/23/2012 in Fun Stuff, How To, News, Reflections & Discoveries, Reviews, Thoughts by Evelyn | No comments

I first heard about Pinterest on Facebook a few weeks ago when I clicked on a friends link and had a look around. I thought it was neat but it wasn’t real obvious at the time what I would do there. The name Pinterest came up again so thought I needed to check it out further.

What is Pinterest?

Pinterest is a virtual inspiration board. It’s a place where you can ‘Pin’ things that you don’t want to forget. It’s like a virtual bulletin board or ‘Dream Board.’ Or, use your Pinterest pinboard to create a strong brand “story” build loyalty within your community through board collaboration.

In the past when I came to a site that I liked or saw something that I knew I would want for future reference I would copy and paste the info and images and email them to myself. Needless to say, I have a lot of saved emails to myself! The problem with doing it that way is I never see what I sent to myself unless I intentionally go into my saved email folder and open up each one (if I didn’t put in the subject line a catchy-enough title)… it’s time-consuming and not much fun!

However, over at my Pinterest account, I can very easily scroll through the images in the different Boards that I have saved and noted. I’m a visual person so seeing the image always rings a bell for me.

I also like the Pinterest layout. It’s clear, easy to see… and did I say very easy to use!? I’m really liking the way my Pins and categories are shaping up, check out my Pin Board.

How Does Using Pinterest Help Me?  Continue reading “What is Pinterest and Pinning?” »

Evelyn Vincent Evelyn Vincent

Native Plant Landscaper, Gardener, Labyrinth Design, Feng Shui Practitioner,  Aromatherapy / Essential Oils, Big Fan of Nature and Living Simply.

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
~ R. Buckminster Fuller

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“Green” Getting Back to Where We Once Belonged

01/21/2012 in Around the Home, How To, Old Ways, Saving Energy, Thoughts, What Matters Most by Evelyn | No comments

Isn’t it interesting that going “Green” and doing things in an environmentally friendly way are all the rage? I wonder… how many of the Green Movement proponents know that it wasn’t all that long ago that we did do things that some aren’t so willing to do any longer.

A couple of years ago my landline phone rang and it was a well-known phone company trying to talk me into getting a cell phone, something I don’t care to own for many really good reasons. Feeling exasperated because I wasn’t buying into her reasons why they are so great, she said, “well, what if you’re out and your car breaks down!? Or, what if someone calls and you’re not home to get their call?”

I replied calmly and said, “I’d do the same thing I grew up doing. I’d wait for help once or twice in my lifetime when my car breaks down. As for people calling me when I’m not home, they’ll leave a message and I’ll return the call when I get home. In the meantime, I’m not buying another thing that lasts for 6 months to a year that ends up in the garbage.”

With fear in her voice she said, “Oh, I could never live like that, it’s too scary!”

I replied, “It seems scary because billions of dollars get spent every year convincing us of all the reasons we need to be scared. When we don’t buy into it we find the world is a far less scary place, not to mention a Greener place.”

It seems to me that there are many fear-based marketing tactics these days, everything from: germs, a missed call, bad guys all over the place who will get us, and things you can add to this list…

Things like;

Hanging washed laundry on a clothes line to dry; rather than using a dryer that uses a whopping 240 volts of electricity!

Kids walking or riding a bike or bus to school; rather than a caravan of parents lined up in front of schools twice a day.

Using cloth napkins; rather than buying paper napkins.

Using rags or old kitchen towels for dusting; rather than paper towels or the latest dusting gadget.

Using a kitchen sponge to clean up spills; rather than paper towels.

Walking to the store; rather than driving a 300 horse powered machine.

Planting a backyard garden for fresh veggies and fruits; rather than buying them from the super market after the produce has traveled 3,000 miles.  Continue reading ““Green” Getting Back to Where We Once Belonged” »

Evelyn Vincent Evelyn Vincent

Native Plant Landscaper, Gardener, Labyrinth Design, Feng Shui Practitioner,  Aromatherapy / Essential Oils, Big Fan of Nature and Living Simply.

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
~ R. Buckminster Fuller

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Gross National Happiness

11/05/2011 in Fun Stuff, How To, News, Reflections & Discoveries, Thoughts, What Matters Most by Evelyn | No comments

Rare photo of BhutanUntil a few years ago I didn’t even know a country named Bhutan existed, only 110 miles from the north to south and 200 from east to west, Bhutan – called by its people Druk Yul, “the Land of the Thunder Dragon” – is home to a remarkable variety of climates and ecosystems. When I heard a long-time friend talk about a guy he had met from Bhutan and how cool and sane it was I Googled the name and began reading… WOW! It sounds like an absolutely amazing place!!! A place where we, in the US, can learn lessons and continue on the path of ‘positive’ change.

Many Americans are probably unaware of another historic election of 2008. Bhutan, once an absolute monarchy, became one of the world’s newest democracies in March. While this may not seem significant at first glance I think it deserves a closer look…

One thing I find outstanding about the Kingdom of Bhutan is that it’s a place where the Gross National Happiness is deemed more important than the Gross National Product.

Instead of focusing on gross domestic product (GDP), Bhutan measures gross national happiness (GNH).

When I read this, I stopped in my tracks… to be in the moment of what exactly gross national happiness was and what it might feel like. The more I thought about it, the more it touched my heart and soul, and what it might feel like to be a citizen of a country who felt their leaders actually cared about the average people. To know that my voice would be heard and the decisions made higher up in government would be a reflection of not only the average persons preference, but of something more tangible that reaches far beyond the superficial and beyond what benefits corporations. Continue reading “Gross National Happiness” »

Evelyn Vincent Evelyn Vincent

Native Plant Landscaper, Gardener, Labyrinth Design, Feng Shui Practitioner,  Aromatherapy / Essential Oils, Big Fan of Nature and Living Simply.

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
~ R. Buckminster Fuller

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How Many Electoral Votes Does It Take To Become President? 2

11/01/2011 in News, Reflections & Discoveries, Thoughts by Curt Siters | No comments

As I was watching the 2008 election results I decided to do some research into which presidential candidate won which of the eleven “key states” (read my previous article) and went on to become, or remain, president. Due to all the traffic on the internet, especially some of the more politically oriented sites, it was slow going and I managed to get as far back as President Eisenhower.

I have done a spreadsheet showing the presidents, which of the eleven states they won along with the % of the popular vote along with a simple calculation to see if I could see a relation between popular vote, electoral vote and the number of key states. (my spreadsheet covers back until just before Hawaii became a state – this is an excel spreadsheet, if you don’t have excel you can download OpenOffice for free). To my surprise this calculation made it easy to see squeekers, minor and full landslides!

I stopped at Eisenhower because it starts to get a little more complicated with states disappearing along with changes in the number of electoral votes as you go back in time. If anyone wants to take it further to see if my theory holds up – go for it! Please let me know the results. Just make sure you adjust the key states with the changes in the electoral votes.

I obtained the voting stats from Dave Leip’s “Atlas of U.S. Presidential ElectionsKey-State-Theory.”

My “Key State” theory is as follows: in order to become President all you have to do is win half , or six, of the eleven states that comprise 270 of the electoral votes and the rest of the electoral votes will come from other states.

My “Key State” theory has held up with two presidential election exceptions. Those two exceptions were President George Bushes two terms (he won the same 5 key states both times). But as far as most people are concerned he is an anomaly anyway you look at it.

His two elections are looked upon with great suspicion and were narrow margins in both the electoral vote and the popular vote – not a mandate as the Republicans would leave you to believe.

  • President Obama had a minor landslide.
  • President Bush 2 had narrow margins.
  • President Clinton had narrow margins.
  • President Bush also won with a minor landslide.
  • President Reagan won both elections with a landslide.
  • President Carter had narrow margins.
  • President Nixon had a narrow margin and a landslide.
  • President Johnson a minor landslide.
  • President Kennedy had a narrow margin.
  • President Eisenhower had a minor landslide.

However, they all won at least 8 of the “key states” with the exception of President Bush who only won 5 in each of the two elections.

More on Voting

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Curt SitersCurt Siters

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Shoals Creek Village - a new build intentional community.

My Eco Oasis - the hub for what will be a network of many ecovillages.

Big fan of living simply

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.  ~Albert Einstein

Man's heart away from nature becomes hard.  ~Standing Bear

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