Friends of Westbank Libraries Gardening Series

Friends of Westbank Libraries Gardening Series…

A series of talks by local gardening experts and enthusiasts..
Each program is from noon to 1pm, so bring your lunch and enjoy. Coffee and tea provided.

Westbank Library
Jan. 19th, Don Gardner, consulting Arborist with 25 years experience
Jan 28th , Partnering with the Green $elf Group
William Hyland, Master Gardener, expert on soils
and composting.
Laura’s Library
Feb. 9th Tom Spencer ; Host of Central Texas Gardener and
The Green thumb Hour
Feb. 16th Don Dromgoole, owner of The Natural Gardener Nursery
March 2nd Wild Birds Unlimited , Attracting feathered friends to
Your garden.

Our Holiday meeting is Thursday November 19th - 12:30pm at the Westbank Library, and is the last meeting of 2009.
Wondering what to do with that pile of magazines that are too beautiful to throw out, and at the same time wondering what to give Aunt Celeste for a gift? – Well join us, and learn a new way to turn your “junk” into treasure and possibly a joyous gift!!
Come experience a joint “recycled-craft and gift making” meeting with the Library's talented M-Team. Ideas for making gifts from recycled materials will be shared, and tables available upstairs for folks to display their gift ideas. Your participation is encouraged.
Heather P. is leading the Green$elf! charge, so contact her if you think you’d like a table to display your talent and ideas. Or if you don’t need a whole table, bring along your own ideas for a “show and tell” Also, if possible, reply to this email with electronic directions for making your item, and Beth P. will make all the directions available to the group at http://greenself.blogspot.com/
Light refreshments will be provided, so we would also appreciate a headcount of attendees. So please reply if you think you can attend and/or display.
Our next meeting won’t be until the end of January, 2010.
• January 28th, 2010 - Live Trash Free for one week - (Heather P.) WB
• February 25th, 2010 - Plant and seed swap –Start collecting and rooting shoots now if you want - (Elizabeth B.) – WB
• March 25th, 2010 - Identifying local plants – out-and-about (Beth P.)
**********************************************************************
Also, check out www.austincreativereuse.org an organization committed to:
1. Promoting reuse, reduction and re-purposing of materials
2. Collecting, sorting and making donated materials available for purchase for artistic and re-purpose activities
3. Providing workshops and outreach programs that stimulate creativity and create awareness of conservation
4. Creating a model for other organizations to create centers in other cities

Volunteer for the Fall Plant Survey at the Wildflower Center

Fall Vegetation Surveys at the Wildflower Center

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center will again be performing vegetation surveys in its on-site Research Area studies, where plots are burned or mowed at different times of the year to examine the effects on plant communities. The recent rains have brought a dramatic greening of the countryside. We are looking forward to seeing vegetation changes after our extended drought, as well as our research burns in 2008.

Participants will learn to identify herbaceous and woody plants, and estimate the percentages of different species of plants occuring in the research plots.

Every experience level is welcome. You may pass this notice along to interested friends. The surveys will be conducted in small teams, with staff members nearby at all times. New participants in the surveys will attend one four-hour training class, and commit to work at least two four-hour field sessions. Training is optional for those who have volunteered in the past.

Training is available on any day between Wednesday, Oct. 14 and Saturday Oct. 17. Training on Wednesday or Thursday will be from 2 till 6pm, on Friday or Saturday from 9am till 1pm. Surveys will begin on Tuesday, October 20 and continue Tuesdays through Saturdays until completed, usually about two and a half weeks. Volunteers can choose to work on morning (9am to 1 pm) or afternoon (2 to 6 pm) shifts, or work all day.

For more information, or to sign up for one of the training sessions, contact Dick Davis at ddavis@wildflower.org or call (512) 232- 0251
Thank You,

Dick Davis
Land Steward
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
4801 La Crosse Av
Austin TX 78739-1702
(512) 232-0251

Elizabeth's research on Scooters

Elizabeth B. researched the subject of scooters thoroughly, and points us to the recent (3/09) Consumer Reports article which provides a solid summary to back up her research:

At first Elizabeth had intended to consider only electric scooters, but quickly determined that
they are not yet at the point of being a practical mode of transportation.
The main disadvantages:
• a long charge time
• multiple batteries required, or range is very limited
• your route needs to be well planned to avoid hills or other battery drainers
• cargo room limited if an extra battery is carried to extend range
• low speed : no more than 45mph, making it unsafe for freeways or quick response situations.

Elizabeth noticed that what is mostly being seen around town are the Gas Powered Scooters, which are all still very eco friendly compared to a car, achieving 33 to 100 mpg (City driving vs. cruising mileage). So far parking is free for 2-wheeled vehicles anywhere in regular metered spaces in Austin. Also, some people pull their scooters right up to the door of an establishment, which is actually illegal, but apparently not yet a ticketable offense. It would be nice if here we had the European rules which allow scooters to go anywhere. That would make scooters most flexible and very convenient.

Elizabeth evaluated three types of gas powered scooters, most of which were automatic. Unfortunately those over 50cc cannot be test driven without already possessing a motorcycle license. So only serious inquiries need apply!!:
• 50cc for residential driving- similar to mopeds from the 70’s. Some can have aftermarket modifications to go faster than the advertised moped qualifier of 30mph. The big advantage is that moped driver certification requires only a written test at the DPS, and then an “M” is added to your driver’s license.
• 125 - 150 cc which has a top speed of 65mph, so can be operated in city traffic safely, but still not recommended for freeway driving
• 200 cc which are advertised at 70 to 75mph

The powerful 500 cc scooter, can go very fast, but is more comparable to a motorcycle, so at that point why not purchase a motorcycle.

Pricing is anywhere between $2,000 and $4,000, except the Vespa, which commands a premium.
Area dealers have franchise rights to a certain radius, so each seller in an area sells a completely different line of new scooters.

Some recommended local Austin scooter stores:
1. Urban Moto on south Lamar just off of Barton Springs Rd., People are very friendly and informative. The owner has not owned a car in 5years. – they sell Taiwanese brands – Kymco, Buddy, Genuine, as well as used scooters of different makes. Kymco received the best review in the 125 to 150 cc class by Consumer Reports.
2. Alien Scooters both on South Lamar
3. TJ’s – friendly, dealing in a Taiwanese line
4. Bill Kasson Yamaha – (grumpy & crusty but straightforward about the very real dangers of riding scooters!!)

Safety:
All two-wheeled vehicles share this statistic: You are 37 times more likely to die in a crash if you are on a motorcycle/scooter, than in a car.

The added insurance cost is about $50 to $100 for general liability.
It should be noted that all sellers of scooters recommend the motorcycle classes, which can lower your existing car insurance rates.

Elizabeth’s conclusion was that if it weren’t for the need to drive on Mopac occasionally (especially crossing the river), and on 360 a lot (all the way to Central Market), she would enjoy the economy and the Fun Factor of owning a scooter. So at this time, in this place, it is not a viable option. But definitely one to be revisited if circumstances change.

Thank you Elizabeth for a knowledgeable review, and a lively discussion.

Best Buy will help recycle electronic waste

Thanks to Rhonda for the tip.

Penguins and now scooters

Next Thursday Elizabeth Bezanson will present her findings concerning electric versus gas powered scooters, their environmental impact, cost, licensing requirements and safety features.

Please note in your calendars that this September meeting will take place at the Westbank Library at 12:30pm (lunchtime) on Thursday September 24^th. Come and share in the discussion, especially if you have direct experience riding motorcycles or scooters, gas or electric.

************

Green $elf is proud to point out that we have contributed vastly to reducing the carbon footprint of our membership. None of us had to make use of planes, trains, airplanes and ships to jet off to the Antarctic. Instead our trusted emissary, Melody Lytle made the journey for us and brought back loads of gorgeous pictures. At last month’s meeting, Melody entranced us with her photographs of the eight species of Antarctic penguins and their natural history. She also directed us to her fellow traveler’s youtube video of a moulting penguin catching snowflakes. Thank you Melody for another entertaining and enriching presentation.

8/31/09 "Antarctica" by Melody Lytle

Melody will again share her marvelous photographs with us on Monday, August 31st, 2009 at the Westbank Library - at 12:30pm.

To tempt you, here are the notes from her slide show earlier this year:

Our speaker for the day was Melody Lytle, a local naturalist and photographer. Melody has an undergraduate degree in Fine Arts, and a Masters in Biology, and worked for the City of Austin as a Biologist for many years. Her artistic training along with her understanding of nature combine to produce deeply satisfying artsy as well as representative field guide type pictures.

Melody made us feel at home and demonstrated right away that she’s a real Texan by stating “If it’s made out of cells I shoot it. I’ll even shoot rocks!” Plus she was dressed in camo, down to camouflage socks that she knitted herself, to help explain how she gets close to her subjects. She brought along one of her more impressive birding camera setups on a tripod: The Canon EOS 50D with a 1.6 crop factor (magnification factor), and a 500mm lens. In general she carries the 100 to 400 Zoom lens, and Melody advocates digital, has been using it herself for years, and would not dream of going back to film.

She recommended nature spots close to home as excellent locations for photographing butterflies: Zilker with its butterfly garden, and the Wildflower Center with its variety of native flowers and grasses. Practice taking photos of exotic species at the Cockerell Butterfly Museum in Houston (no tripods allowed). Or visit the annual Butterfly Festival in Mission Texas.

You don’t even have to have the latest and greatest Hi-Tech equipment before you can start taking fabulous photos. The basic point and shoot can also turn out incredible pictures. Melody highlighted several shots of her own, caught using a point and shoot, and we could see in their quality of subject matter and angle, that it is the photographer, not just the equipment that makes the picture National Geographic-worthy. For an hour, we were entranced by Texas butterflies, and many of Melody’s butterfly photographs can be seen on her websitet: http://karenmelody.com/Lep/btr_ndx.htm . Melody also treated us to photos of moths, damselflies and dragonflies, pointing out their differences and specific habitat. Dragonflies, she added, are usually easier to photograph, as they tend to stay put for longer periods of time than butterflies.

We were shown different stages of Texas butterflies’ lifecycles, as well as the male and female differences within species. One of the beauties of Melody’s presentation was her knowledge of the butterflies’ host plants at the larval stage as well as the more well known concept of planting “butterfly plants” for adult butterfly nectaring. If you are interested in attracting certain butterflies to your backyard it is important to know their host plants. (I have added host plant website links at the end)

I could never do justice to the depth of her talk, so I will just recall here just a few of her descriptive stories as an example:

The Giant Swallowtail (cresphontes) of the Family Papilionidae lays eggs on plants of the orange family (Rutaceae) and the larva resembles bark or bird droppings. Other good host plants for this butterfly from the orange family, are: Bitter orange, lime prickly ash (toothache tree – yes, the leaf will numb your mouth), and wafer ash (also known as nickels and dimes).

The Red bordered pixie (Melanis pixe) is in the Metalmark Family of Riodinidae and can be found behind the Burger King in Edinburgh, Texas! Who would’ve thought. But that is the life of a true birder and butterfly stalker. Now we know.

Brushfoots (Nymphalidae): The Zebra wing whose range is expanding northward in the last decade can often be seen nectaring on lantana. The Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanilla) and Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta Claudia) both lay eggs only on the passiflora vine. (Email Beth Plowes if you want any rooted bits of passiflora for starters) Here Melody described how the Passion Vine gets its name, which has nothing to do with the feeling of passion! “In the 15th and 16th centuries, Spanish Christian missionaries adopted the unique physical structures of this plant, particularly the numbers of its various flower parts, as symbols of the last days of Jesus Christ and especially the Crucifixion” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passiflora

The Viceroy ( Limenitis archippus) is not bad tasting or toxic to predators but looks very like, and is a mimic of, the Monarch (Danaus plexippus). The Monarch butterfly larvae feed on the noxious milkweed plant, and sequester the toxins in their bodies through to adulthood. A bird remembers the bad taste of a beakful of monarch, and stays away from both the monarch, and its mimic, the Viceroy. The monarch, the Queen and the Soldier butterflies all have similar color and markings. The viceroy host plant include the willow, poplar and cottonwood. If you put out cut up fruit, it will often attract the Tawny Emperor (Asterocampa clyton) which also likes to visit dung and hackberry tree sap.

We were flummoxed for a only a moment (!) when Melody inserted the slide of a reduced bird’s head attached to the body of a butterfly: Apparently she couldn’t resist a little creative photoshopping to keep the audience on their toes! We do hope to get Melody back again to share her real bird pictures.

Thanks Melody, for your fabulous presentation.

Suggested Plants for Butterfly Gardening –

http://www.dallasbutterflies.com/Butterfly%20Gardening/Host%20Plants%20by%20Common%20Name.htm

listed by Host Plant: http://www.utexas.edu/tmm/tnhc/entomology/butterfly/catfood.html

http://www.houstonaudubon.org/index.cfm?act=Newsletter.cfm&category=Fact%20Sheets&newsletterid=50&menugroup=Reference

Heather shares her presentation : Journaling for $elf

The guidelines to do a timed write: (from Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones)
1) keep your hand moving
2) don't think, don't get logical
3) forget about spelling and punctuation.
4) do not cross out (we aren't editing. If you write something you didn't mean to write leave it and move on)
5) if you reach a stopping point, or get stuck go back to the topic
6) go for the jugular (if something comes up that is scary or raw, dive into it. It probably has a lot of energy)

Before you get started it's a good idea to clear our minds with two minutes of quiet meditation.
Focus on your breathing. Let your thoughts pass over you. If something comes to mind just let it go.
Why?
1) prepare our ability to stay focused
2) create a space where we can just exist and forget about what we have to do, or the demands of the day

First Write:

Look at this photograph of Earth . It's first picture of the globe that many people saw. Now, we're accustomed to seeing this image but at the time people were amazed by it.

Stewart Brand, creator of the Whole Earth Catalog, had these observations about the image:
[It was] motivating for a lot of people, because it gave the sense that Earth is an island, surrounded by a lot of inhospitable space. And it’s so graphic, this little blue, white, green, and brown jewel-like icon amongst a quite featureless black vacuum. Islands know about limitations. Bucky [Buckminster Fuller] led me to this notion. He said people still think the earth is flat because they act as if its resources are infinite. But that photograph showed otherwise. This is all we’ve got and we’ve got to make it work. There’s no backup. (Massive Change Radio, March 2, 2004)

Topic 1: Tell me what you see and what you feel from looking at this image (Write for 10 minutes).


Second Write:
The Power of Detail - excerpt from "Writing Down the Bones" by Natalie Goldberg:
“I am in Costa's Chocolate Shop in Owatonna, Minnesota. My friend is opposite me. We've just finished Greek salads and are writing in our notebooks for a half hour among glasses of water, a half-sipped coke, and a cup of coffee with milk. The booths are arrange, and near the front counter are lines of cream candies dipped in chocolate. Across the street is the Owatonna Bank, designed by Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright's teacher. Inside the bank is a large cow mural and beautiful stained-glass windows.
Our lives are at once ordinary and mythical. We live and die, age beautifully or full of wrinkles. We wake in the morning, buy yellow cheese, and hope we have enough money to pay for it. At the same instant we have these magnificent hearts that pump through all sorrow and all winters we are alive on the earth. We are important and our lives are important, magnificent really, and their details are worthy to be recorded. This is how writers must think, this is how we must sit down with pen in hand. We were here; we are human beings; this is how we lived. Let it be known, the earth passed before us. Our details are important. Otherwise, if they're not, we can drop a bomb and it doesn't matter.”

Topic 2: Describe to me a place, one outdoor place, that you love. Or a time you felt connected to the natural world. Describe it, tell me what the air smelled like and what did you hear. Give me all the details. A place I love...(Write for 10 minutes)



Third Write:

The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry that I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with s sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Topic 3: List all the changes (everything that comes to your mind) that humans beings can make in order to create a better more sustainable world. Write it all down, get out as many ideas as you can, from the most improbable to the things you are already doing. List all those paths not traveled, list the changes we can make in the world. GO (Write for 10 minutes)


Conclusion:

Let's challenge ourselves to view our world with brand new eyes, to take note of the details, and to make one small change every month toward living a more sustainable life.

I hope that you will discover the treasures of journaling!

Thank you!
Heather

Minutes for June Meeting - so many ideas

7 Green $elves attended a free flowing meeting on June 29th, and we shared our experiences of our efforts to reduce consumption. Admirably the group kept bringing the focus back to what each of us can do in our own way here and now to heal the earth. We realized that as opposed to feeling that our efforts to conserve seemed futile in the big picture of climate change, that just knowing that we were doing something, and even increasing our awareness, felt empowering.

Share in our conversation:

- Save the expense of a trip to France and lower your carbon footprint: Simply join the French bookclub at the Westbank library at 6:45pm on the 3rd Wednesday of the month. Even rank beginners are encouraged to attend – all that is required is an interest in the French language.
-Several folks are still enjoying the benefits of straight 5% white vinegar as a replacement for liquid fabric softener and static cling sheets. The opinion was that the vinegar worked even better than the commercial softener, especially on towels.

-Capture rinse water from the fruit and veggies (especially lettuce) in the kitchen sink to pour on plants. This is being done by many households in Australia who are dealing with long term water shortages. Also keep a large bowl in the sink to capture water and in which to soak dishes before putting in the dishwasher, then pour that water on potted plants outside, or onto your compost. Other water conserving tips were also heard.

Remember to provide water outside for thirsty wildlife on these hot days. Even a silver fox was seen in daylight in one backyard zeroing in on the water feature.

-After swimming with humpback whales, and feeling a serenity from the experience, one attendee decried the slaughter of whales for food or science. To keep from getting truly depressed they wanted to do something – and the group encouragement was to take the attitude of “Baby Steps”. So, closer to home, they are now focusing locally by volunteering for the Friends of Barton Springs. The next volunteer cleaning morning is July 23rd.

The inspiration was provided in the story of an American philanthropist using his money for good in East Africa helping in the building of schools and clinics, one at a time, and aiding in the recovery of land ravaged by civil wars. Again, “Baby Steps” were recommended, when one can’t be the one to chuck it all in and spend your retirement savings to be that philanthropist.

-The urban heat island effect can be felt when driving back to the city, and a temperature increase of about 10 deg. F can be experienced. Studies have shown that if all black surfaces (tar, roofs, etc.) were painted white to increase reflectance (albedo), the temperature of the area would decrease by up to 9 deg. F. – Austin’s heat island mitigation resolution of 2001:

-Strategies for hypermiling were shared, “imagine a raw egg between the foot and the accelerator, pay attention to traffic light patterns so that reduction of unnecessary acceleration can reduce use of energy dissipating brakes.” There was a wish for other drivers to sympathize with hypermiling efforts, so maybe bumper stickers could make the point. Make your own at home, such as "Research Vehicle-Please Pass". More hypermiling bumper sticker ideas

Save the expense of a trip to France and lower your carbon footprint: Simply join the French bookclub at the Westbank library at 6:45pm on the 3rd Wednesday of the month. Even rank beginners are encouraged to attend – all that is required is an interest in the French language.

And what’s with all the lights blaring through the night at our schools and in our neighbourhoods, contributing to light pollution? What about implementing a motion detector for any needed security?? Turn off outdoor lights as much as possible at night (and especially in the daytime!) and we might see the stars again. In 2010, hopefully even more folks and businesses around the world will participate in Earth Hour

The perennial favorite, Compost piles , were lovingly discussed, with later input provided on the “Biological Understanding of Soil Improvement ©” about natural soil amendments, gleaned from a visit to the Natural Gardener :

Michael Jackson even received an honorable mention for his “Heal the World” organization that he started in 1992, and his haunting (in a positive way, really) video “Earth Song” –this version is without words, but with African drums -

Join us "Journaling for $elf! on July 30th, led by our soon to be author, Heather.

June Meeting notification letter

Hi Y'all,

Beat the Summer Heat and enjoy the air-conditioning with frugal friends at the Westbank library this coming Monday – June 29^th, at 12:00 noon.

Join us in a roundtable “Show and Tell”. Bring examples or pictures to convey your favorite money and time saving ideas, or just share your stories.

Also on Monday, If you want, participate in a Summer Cookie swap:

Bring a batch of about 12 to 24 healthy-ish cookies and take home a variety that you didn’t have to bake yourself. FYI - I’ll be bringing oatmeal/raisin/walnut with plenty extra for tasters.

Enjoy our usual monthly Green $elf! features (note that you must be present to benefit):

Sharing of Free Activities that abound in Austin

Swap Table: Bring something from home you don’t need any more, (including magazines) & take something else home from the table. (remaining items are donated to Goodwill)

Collection Point for the following Used items: Batteries, Eye-glasses, printer cartridges,

Anonymous Wish list: (Let me know if you have a wish to add): Old wool sweaters (for felting into bags), Statesman weekday crossword puzzle page (an excellent soporific)

Oh yes, and a reminder about the Cool House Tour this Sunday in Austin

http://www.txses.org/solar/content/cool-house-tour

************************************************

Latest 2009/2010 Schedule (Please contact me or Heather Proctor if you would like to help lead meetings):

July 30^th - Thursday 12:30pm - Beatrice Baldwin, a local artist will be facilitating our “Logo Creation” meeting, and our very first Green$elf! meeting at Laura’s Library on Cuernavaca. Beatrice will help us put our ideas & hopes for Green $elf! onto paper to create a cool Logo for our group. Now that sounds like Fun!! She’ll start by listening in at the June meeting when we share our frugal ideas.

August 31^st –Monday 12:30pm - Back by popular Demand: Photography slide show by Biologist Melody Lytle - Westbank Library

September - electric vehicles (anyone with a Tesla to show off?)

October – Philosophy of the Resistance to Change (any volunteers to speak on this subject?)

November - Green Beauty Products – make green gifts for the Holidays

December - Out and About - inexpensive entertaining and activities near home in Austin

January – Live Trash Free for one week

February - Plant and seed swap

March – Identifying plants along Laura’s Library Nature Trail

April – Celebrate 40^th Anniversary of Earth Day