Adding Seasoning

“Seasons come and go. Eternal change — but always with their gifts of beauty.”

So reads this sign by the studio door quoting T.C. Steele. Recently, I’ve asked myself why I pre-fer spring and fall to summer and winter. Not being a Minnesotan like my sister, the downside of winter seems pretty obvious, but what’s wrong with summer? It’s warm, it’s great for gardening (the only time for tomatoes) and summer means my living space is doubled. (I would rather have my screened-in porch than an extra bedroom.)

The calendar says that summer begins on June 21, but I think it arrived overnight. The woods are suddenly lush and green (but with fewer shades of green). Just last week I didn’t have to leave the porch to watch the birds and squirrels. Now the leaves are so dense I have to guess at what’s rustling around out there.

I think it’s the change of spring and fall that I like so much. Summer and winter are like meat and potatoes — very filling. They fill up the year, but they need spring and fall, however brief, to provide the seasoning. We welcome spring as an end to winter, and enjoy fall bittersweetly — knowing what lies ahead.

Both Selma and T.C. Steele surely appreciated all of the seasons. The artist painted many winter scenes en plein aire — not from the comfort of his studio. They added porches as fast as they enclosed them, to stay close to the natural world around them and more in tune with the changing seasons (and to stay cool in those pre-AC days).

After a few years summering in Brown County, the Steeles made The House of the Singing Winds their year-round home. I wonder if it was so they wouldn’t miss that day in May when spring suddenly turned into summer, long before it was official.

Davie Kean is the master gardener at the T.C. Steele State Historic Site.

Of Orchids and Onions

Indiana has enough wild orchids to write a book about, and Michael Homoya wrote it. (Orchids of Indiana, 1993. Indiana University Press) I’m still discovering which ones can be seen at T.C. Steele State Historic Site. Even if I don’t know exactly where to find them. I have it on good authority that the Selma Steele Nature Preserve is home to both the Showy Orchis and the Whorled-Pogonia.

During this year’s Wildflower Foray, I spotted the single leaves of the Cranefly Orchid on the Wildflower Trail. No blooms though. By the time they flower, the leaves will have disappeared. What caught my eye was the deep purple color of the underside of the foliage. Maybe I’ll see them bloom if I’m ambitious enough to hike the trail every day in July and August.

I don’t think the Showy Orchis is Brown County’s showiest orchid however. That honor has to go the the Yellow Ladies Slipper. I suspected it grew on the site, and sure enough one day I spotted one as I neared the entrance. I’d been driving right past it for several days judging by the condition of the blooms.

All of these orchids are nice, but we have onions too. Our one healthy Walking Onion was planted just last fall, so it hasn’t started walking yet. The chives are now covered with lavender blooms, creating large blocks of color in the formal garden. Later in the summer, their cousins the Garlic Chives will send up their own white globes.

I don’t know why onions have such a bad rep. They’re easy to grow, pretty to look at, dress up a salad (the blossoms are edible) and have lots of health benefits. I’d say they both have their place. The beautiful orchids hide modestly in the forest. The onions are all around — utilitarian, but beautiful just the same.

Davie Kean is the master gardener at the T.C. Steele State Historic Site.

Spicing Things Up

Carolina Allspice, or Sweetshrub, is one of our most asked-about plants at T.C. Steele State Historic Site. I can think of at least three reasons why people notice it.

First, it’s an old-fashioned shrub (but not as familiar as forsythia or lilac), so its not too likely to be found at nurseries today. Next, the specimens along the edge of the patio are large, covered with dark glossy leaves. My shrub identification book lists a mature height of nine feet, and these are easily that tall. But the blossoms are probably the shrub’s most noticeable feature — at least in the spring.

Their shape and color are both out-of-the-ordinary. Maroon colored, spider-like flowers contrast with the more common pinks and lavenders of the season. It’s one of my favorites though, along with two other maroon-bloomers also seen in the spring.

Way down yonder in the Paw-paw patch, you can find more reddish-brown blooms, if you know where to look for them. Paw-paws bear their blossoms above eye level, so they’re easily missed. At the other extreme, Wild Ginger hides its blossoms barely above the ground — so low that its maroon flowers are pollinated by crawling insects. Three very dissimilar plants, all sharing the same striking color.

Carolina Allspice has a long bloom time. These had already been in flower for a few weeks when I took this photo. By summer, it becomes just another shrub constantly in need of trimming, or the stone walkways will disappear beneath it. But when I wield my clippers, I’ll be reminded of its better qualities, as the spicy aroma that gives Carolina Allspice its name fills the air.

Davie Kean is the master gardener at the T.C. Steele State Historic Site.

Whoa. Dogs, Cats, Birds, Ferrets, Snakes & Miniature Horses at the Museum

Rosco in 2006 prior to his adoption.

Remember Joey from Gimme a Break, with his catch phrase, “Whoa”? That pretty much describes my thoughts on Scales & Tails Fest this year. This is the fourth year for the program and it will no doubt be the biggest, best year yet! In fact, I’ve had such a great response that I’ve run out of room and many groups are bringing their own tables just so they can participate. It is truly a labor of love because the rescue groups and animal organizations are such hard-working, dedicated people who do whatever needs to be done to find happy homes for their critters and it is a pleasure working with them.

Rosco with his happy family.

I personally love the giant rocking horses and the miniature horses, and of course the dogs, cats, ferrets, snakes and birds – well okay, I pretty much love everything about the event. In fact, during the inaugural event, I adopted my own awesome dog – Rosco!

Alissa Madden of Northside Animal Hospital takes a moment to enjoy a giant rocking horse during Scales & Tails 2008.

While we will be working hard to get everything set up bright and early that morning, we will watch as participants from Indiana Task Force 1, Indianapolis Animal Care & Control, Indy Dog and Disc, Great Dane Rescue, Indy Pit Crew, Hoosier Herp Society, Indiana Horse Council, Hoosier Herpetological Society, Exotic Animal Rescue Pet Sanctuary, Ferret Rescue & Halfway House, Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitators and so many more I can’t even mention them all for fear of exceeding my word limit (but you can check out a complete list here).

So if you’re in the market for just about any kind of pet or if you know someone who is, stop by and check out the event. If you don’t need a pet you can always come to watch dog agility, learn about wildlife rehabilitation, ride a giant rocking horse, hold a snake or watch baby chicks hatch.

Of course, the most amazing thing about the day is how we will transform this huge animal-filled event into a beautiful, clean and shiny, critter-free wedding reception that evening. Whoa.

Show-offs

On my way to work I spotted these Wild Turkeys in a neighbor’s yard. The ‘tom’ seemed oblivious as I pulled in the drive to take a picture. And the hen seemed just as oblivious of the tom. Maybe she hoped if she ignored him he would just go away.

Their breeding season begins in March, but it seemed like he wanted an extension. I’ve heard that Benjamin Franklin nominated the Wild Turkey for our national symbol, but the eagle won out. The Bald Eagle is impressive, but I imagine the turkey was more helpful in ensuring the survival of the early American settlers.

They were so important to early Hoosiers, that like the white-tailed deer, turkeys were extirpated from the state by the early 1900s. Poor planning, I guess. And perhaps proof that the ‘Good Old Days’ belong to no particular decade or century. For all the benefits of Selma Steele’s time, it’s very unlikely that she would have enjoyed the sight of Wild Turkeys in her Brown County backyard.

In the early 1930s, the Indiana Department of Conservation tried to bring Wild Turkeys back home again to Indiana — Brown County being one location. Although this attempt failed, they were later successfully reintroduced by the Indiana Department of Fish and Wildlife. Indiana Ruffed Grouse were traded for Wild turkeys from Missouri, and this time it ‘took’.

I remember the first time I saw Wild Turkeys. I was working at a construction site across the highway from Brown County State Park. I don’t know if they were disturbed by the crew’s arrival or if they were ready to leave anyway, but suddenly four or five large objects noisily took off from nearby roosts. I’m sure I was more surprised than they were.

When looked at aerodynamically, bumblebees aren’t supposed to be able to fly. When Wild Turkeys fly, they look like they’ll crash and burn — it’s almost embarrassing to watch. In 1820, Audubon observed turkeys crossing the Ohio river from the Indiana side. Several didn’t make it and were drowned. I wonder if they were just showing off.

Davie Kean is the master gardener at the T.C. Steele State Historic Site.