#Naturescaping Wildlife Botanical Gardens

[rabbitcruiser]

Purple Day

Purple Day is an Epilepsy Awareness Day celebrated on March 26th of every year. People living in the world are affected by different kinds of diseases and Epilepsy is one of its kind. Epilepsy is found to be a group of neurological disorders which is characterized by the recurrent unprovoked epileptic seizures in the brain. The Epileptic seizures are the consequence of excessive and abnormal nerve cell activity that occurs in the cortex of the brain. Epilepsy is the found to be the fourth most common neurological disorder that affects people of all ages. Although various nations are observing a day in the year to bring in awareness about this disease, Purple Day seems to be quite special. It is because this Day is a global grassroots event aimed at raising awareness about epilepsy worldwide. As purple and lavender are often associated with the epilepsy disease, this Day has been named so.

“People think that epilepsy is divine simply because they don’t have any idea what causes epilepsy. But I believe that someday we will understand what causes epilepsy, and at that moment, we will cease to believe that it’s divine. And so it is with everything in the universe.” – Hippocrates

History of Purple Day

The Purple Day has been in observance since the year 2008. Cassidy Megan of Nova Scotia, Canada is the founder of this Day. Being motivated by her own struggles with epilepsy, Cassidy Megan had created this observance when she was a nine-year-old. The Day aims to increase awareness, reduce stigma and empower those individuals surviving with epilepsy to take action in their communities. Cassidy’s goal with this Purple Day is to get to the people talking about epilepsy in an effort to dispel the myths associated with it. She has not only created this Day to raise awareness about epilepsy but also informs that those with the seizures that they are not alone.

Cassidy’s idea was supported by the Epilepsy Association of Nova Scotia (EANS) and which is now known as the Purple Day for Epilepsy campaign. Later in 2009, Purple Day has been launched internationally by the joined forces of Epilepsy Association of Nova Scotia (EANS) and the New York-based Anita Kaufmann Foundation (AKF). Both the organizations being the global sponsors of this epilepsy awareness Day, are actively committed to partnering with individuals and other organizations from around the world in a way to promote epilepsy awareness. The combined efforts of EANS and AKF has increased the involvement of various organizations, schools, businesses, politicians and even celebrities around the world.

Purple and lavender colours are the international colour associated with epilepsy that symbolises solitude. Thus it is the reason for purple being the colour of choice for this celebration. So supporters are encouraged to wear any purple-coloured item of clothing, for example, wearing a lavender ribbon. Those who are involved in supporting the Purple Day can become an ‘Ambassador of Purple.’ The Ambassador’s role involves wearing the purple dress and spreading the awareness of epilepsy to the community, friends and family. They will also hold a purple-themed fund-raising event with the support of EANS, AKF or any other charity who are actively supporting the epilepsy awareness.

Epilepsy disease is a group of neurological disorders identified by epileptic seizures. The epileptic seizures occur as the result of excessive and abnormal nerve cell activity in the cortex region of the brain. Although the cause of most cases of epilepsy is unknown, whereas some cases occur as the result of brain injury, stroke, infections of the brain, brain tumours, and congenital disabilities, which is found by a process known as epileptogenesis. However, this disease is more common in older people. Epilepsy that occurs as a consequence of other issues may be preventable. Epilepsy seizures are often controllable with medication in about 70 percent of the cases. People with epilepsy in some parts of the world are experiencing varying degrees of social stigma due to their disease. So it is indeed vital to save and bring in awareness about this disease as it is not a deadly thing.

How to Celebrate Purple Day

Celebrating the Purple Day is very easy and simple. Get to know more about the Epilepsy, its symptoms, treatments. It is vital to bring awareness to people globally about epilepsy through this celebration. Share your knowledge to make your family and community understand what epilepsy is in detail. Wear purple or lavender colour dress or hold ribbon to spread awareness about Epilepsy. Be an active supporter to spread knowledge about this disease by indulging in holding an epilepsy fund-raising event. Take the awareness thoughts from rural to urban side of your region as people are still unaware of epilepsy and its symptoms. It is also vital to make people with epilepsy to stand strong from the social stigma they are facing.

Source

[gerry518]

One of the rabbits at the NatureScaping Wildlife Botanical Gardens

[cnrgcommons]

Free Sustainable Gardening Workshops Near You!

Dig it up. Mulch it down. Love your garden, all year ‘round!

It’s easy to landscape for clean water and healthy habitat. Your Soil & Water Conservation District offers free classes to help you discover simple steps to creating an attractive, low-maintenance landscape that conserves water, reduces pollution, and attracts beneficial wildlife. These classes will help you realize your vision and bring it to life. All classes are FREE, and everyone is welcome! “Continuing Eduation Hours” are available through the Oregon Landscape Contractors Board. Multiple dates available through November. Tell your friends!

Register online at http://emswcd.org/workshops.

Information: 503-222-7645

Coming up soon:

Sunday, 10/15 - Attracting Pollinators @ Troutdale Police Station from 1 – 3:30pm

Saturday, 10/21 - Naturescaping Basics @ Woodstock Community Center from 9am-1pm

Sunday, 10/22 - Urban Weeds @ NE Community Center, 1-3:30pm

Thursday, 10/26 - Urban Weeds @ Troutdale Police Station from 6-8:30pm

Saturday, 10/28 - Rain Gardens 101 @ NE Coalition of Neighborhoods Office from 9am-1pm

Sunday, 10/29 - Naturescaping Basics @ Leach Botanical Garden from 1-5pm

Thursday, 11/2 - Native Plants @ Whitaker Ponds from 6-8:30pm

Saturday, 11/4 - Beneficial Insects @ St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church from 9-11:30am

Saturday, 11/11 - Rain Gardens 101 @ Mt Hood Community College from 9am-1pm

Thursday, 11/16 - Native Plants @ Mt Hood Community College from 6-8:30pm

Wednesday, 11/29 Attracting Pollinators @ Whitaker Ponds from 6-8:30pm

[rabbitcruiser]

Public gardens – the beautiful centerpieces to cities and large communities. Filled with different assortments of flora and fauna, they are the bright and colorful beacon in the middle of a large and dully-colored metropolis. They’re a reminder of the beauty that nature holds, a great place for picnics, and taking kids out for a play date. But where did the first public garden originate and when? Come with us as we delve into the past of Public Gardens Day!

The History of Public Gardens Day Mesopotamia, the “land between the Rivers” Tigris and Euphrates, comprises a hilly and mountainous northern area and a flat, alluvial south. Its peoples were urban and literate from about 3,000 BC. Evidence for their gardens comes from written texts, pictorial sculpture, and archaeology. In western tradition, Mesopotamia was the location of the Garden of Eden and the Hanging gardens of Babylon. Temple gardens developed from the representation of a sacred grove. Several distinct styles of royal garden are also known.

The courtyard garden was enclosed by the walls of a palace. On a larger scale was a cultivated place inside the city walls. At Mari on the Middle Euphrates (c 1,800BC) one of the huge palace courtyards was called the Court of the Palms. It is crossed by raised walkways of baked brick; the king and his entourage would dine there. At Ugarit (1,400BC) there was a stone water basin, not located centrally as in later Persian gardens, for the central feature was probably a tree (date palm or tamarisk). The 7th century BC Assyrian king Assurbanipal is shown on a sculpture feasting with his queen, reclining on a couch beneath an arbor of vines, and attended by musicians. Trophies of conquest are on display, including the dismembered head of the king of Elam hanging from a fragrant pine branch! A Babylonian text from the same period is divided into sections as if showing beds of soil with the names of medicinal, vegetable, and herbal plants written into each square, perhaps representing a parterre design.

On a larger scale, royal hunting parks were established to hold the exotic animals and plants which the king had acquired on his foreign campaigns. King Tiglath Pileser I (1,000BC) lists horses, oxen, asses, deer, gazelle, and ibex, boasting “I numbered them like flocks of sheep.”

From around 1,000 BC the Assyrian kings developed a style of city gardening incorporating a naturalistic layout, running water supplied from river headwaters, and exotic plants from their foreign campaigns. Assurnasirpal II (883-859BC) lists pines of different kinds, including cypresses, junipers, almonds, dates, ebony, rosewood, olive, oak, tamarisk, walnut, terebinth, ash, fir pomegranate, pear, quince, fig and grapevines. “The canal water gushes from above into the gardens; fragrance pervades the walkways; streams of water as numerous as the stars of heaven flow in the pleasure garden…. Like a squirrel I pick fruit in the garden of delights.” The city garden reached its zenith with the palace design of Sennacherib(704-681BC) whose water system stretched for 50 km into the hills. The garden was higher and more ornate than any other and he boasted of the complex technologies he deployed, calling his garden palace “a Wonder for all Peoples”.

The biblical Book of Genesis mentions the Tigris and Euphrates as two of the four rivers bounding the Garden of Eden. No specific place has been identified although there are many theories.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are listed by classical Greek writers as one of the Seven Wonders of The World. The excavated ruins of Babylon do not reveal any suitable evidence, which has led some scholars to suggest that they may have been purely legendary. Mesopotamia is believed to be the origin of the public garden and we’d have to say we don’t disagree.

How to Celebrate Public Gardens Day From roses to chrysanthemums, all we have to do is go outside to a public garden and admire the variety of flora. The beauty of nature is not one to take lightly. So, let’s get out there! Maybe we can even plant our own gardens to add some color to our homes.

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[rabbitcruiser]

Naturescaping Wildlife Botanical Gardens, Brush Prairie (No. 1)

Visitors to the Wildlife Botanical Gardens often comment on the great diversity of plants encountered in these gardens. The Entrance Perennial Garden offers the first taste of this diversity with close to 200 different species and varieties of perennials representing 30 or more plant families.

In addition to the perennials that are the focus of this garden, trees and shrubs are included in the design to provide ‘layers’ that offer nesting sites for birds that nest at different heights. Trees and shrubs bordered by perennial beds also provide an ‘edge effect’ where one type of habitat meets another, attracting a greater variety of wildlife.

The garden perennials combine with trees and shrubs to provide valuable habitat in the form of shelter and food for birds, hummingbirds, butterflies, bees and other wildlife. Food comes from seeds, nectar, pollen and berries. Plant tissue provides a food source for emerging butterfly larvae.

Many, but not all, of the plants in this garden are water thrifty. Drip irrigation is installed for the plants that do require water during dry spells, bypassing plants that are more drought tolerant and reducing water lost to evaporation.

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[rabbitcruiser]

Is there anything more relaxing than a well-appointed garden? The quiet trickle of a water feature, the buzz of insects pollinating your flowers, the chirping of birds in the trees, there’s little that feels so much like a slice of paradise. So what better place to settle in and relax and spend some time meditating on things in your life? Being so close to thriving life and nature, gardens make a perfect place to seek an inner spiritual and connection with the world around us. Garden Meditation Day encourages us to take time to truly enjoy our gardens (or those of others) with a little soul-searching and peaceful meditation.

History of Garden Meditation Day Garden Meditation Day was developed by C.L., otherwise known as the Garden Lady over at www.gardenlady.com. She has had a lifelong dedication to the wonders of the plant world and the wonderful places we can make in our home with gardens. She believes that gardens can help connect us to ourselves, the natural world, and each other in deep and moving ways. So it was that she decided to set up an entire month of holidays celebrating her passion, gardens!

Gardens have a long history, being found in every country and time period around the world. Throughout this time they’ve served many purposes, from simple backyard gardens that serve as combination retreats and small food gardens, to expansive complex gardens set to exacting designs known as ‘formal gardens’. These latter were preferred by the rich and important as lavish displays of their power, and likely as retreats from the difficult and harrowing life that came with being part of the aristocracy.

Garden Meditation Day encourages us to get out and enjoy these little sacred spaces by spending some time with the sacred within us through meditation.

How to Celebrate Garden Meditation Day Celebrating Garden Meditation Day may be one of the most relaxing and fulfilling practices of your entire year. Meditation has a long history as a way to calm our minds and spirits, and meditation in a garden really connects you with nature and mankind simultaneously. You can either go into the garden for a private moment of self-introspection, or you can join others in organized public garden meditations all over the world. Wanting to spread the love of gardening and maybe show off your garden a little? You can organize a meditation in your very own garden and invite friends and family to come join you for a day of relaxation and soul-searching.

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[rabbitcruiser]

Purple Day

Purple Day is an Epilepsy Awareness Day celebrated on March 26th of every year. People living in the world are affected by different kinds of diseases and Epilepsy is one of its kind. Epilepsy is found to be a group of neurological disorders which is characterized by the recurrent unprovoked epileptic seizures in the brain. The Epileptic seizures are the consequence of excessive and abnormal nerve cell activity that occurs in the cortex of the brain. Epilepsy is the found to be the fourth most common neurological disorder that affects people of all ages. Although various nations are observing a day in the year to bring in awareness about this disease, Purple Day seems to be quite special. It is because this Day is a global grassroots event aimed at raising awareness about epilepsy worldwide. As purple and lavender are often associated with the epilepsy disease, this Day has been named so.

“People think that epilepsy is divine simply because they don’t have any idea what causes epilepsy. But I believe that someday we will understand what causes epilepsy, and at that moment, we will cease to believe that it’s divine. And so it is with everything in the universe.” – Hippocrates

History of Purple Day

The Purple Day has been in observance since the year 2008. Cassidy Megan of Nova Scotia, Canada is the founder of this Day. Being motivated by her own struggles with epilepsy, Cassidy Megan had created this observance when she was a nine-year-old. The Day aims to increase awareness, reduce stigma and empower those individuals surviving with epilepsy to take action in their communities. Cassidy’s goal with this Purple Day is to get to the people talking about epilepsy in an effort to dispel the myths associated with it. She has not only created this Day to raise awareness about epilepsy but also informs that those with the seizures that they are not alone.

Cassidy’s idea was supported by the Epilepsy Association of Nova Scotia (EANS) and which is now known as the Purple Day for Epilepsy campaign. Later in 2009, Purple Day has been launched internationally by the joined forces of Epilepsy Association of Nova Scotia (EANS) and the New York-based Anita Kaufmann Foundation (AKF). Both the organizations being the global sponsors of this epilepsy awareness Day, are actively committed to partnering with individuals and other organizations from around the world in a way to promote epilepsy awareness. The combined efforts of EANS and AKF has increased the involvement of various organizations, schools, businesses, politicians and even celebrities around the world.

Purple and lavender colours are the international colour associated with epilepsy that symbolises solitude. Thus it is the reason for purple being the colour of choice for this celebration. So supporters are encouraged to wear any purple-coloured item of clothing, for example, wearing a lavender ribbon. Those who are involved in supporting the Purple Day can become an ‘Ambassador of Purple.’ The Ambassador’s role involves wearing the purple dress and spreading the awareness of epilepsy to the community, friends and family. They will also hold a purple-themed fund-raising event with the support of EANS, AKF or any other charity who are actively supporting the epilepsy awareness.

Epilepsy disease is a group of neurological disorders identified by epileptic seizures. The epileptic seizures occur as the result of excessive and abnormal nerve cell activity in the cortex region of the brain. Although the cause of most cases of epilepsy is unknown, whereas some cases occur as the result of brain injury, stroke, infections of the brain, brain tumours, and congenital disabilities, which is found by a process known as epileptogenesis. However, this disease is more common in older people. Epilepsy that occurs as a consequence of other issues may be preventable. Epilepsy seizures are often controllable with medication in about 70 percent of the cases. People with epilepsy in some parts of the world are experiencing varying degrees of social stigma due to their disease. So it is indeed vital to save and bring in awareness about this disease as it is not a deadly thing.

How to Celebrate Purple Day

Celebrating the Purple Day is very easy and simple. Get to know more about the Epilepsy, its symptoms, treatments. It is vital to bring awareness to people globally about epilepsy through this celebration. Share your knowledge to make your family and community understand what epilepsy is in detail. Wear purple or lavender colour dress or hold ribbon to spread awareness about Epilepsy. Be an active supporter to spread knowledge about this disease by indulging in holding an epilepsy fund-raising event. Take the awareness thoughts from rural to urban side of your region as people are still unaware of epilepsy and its symptoms. It is also vital to make people with epilepsy to stand strong from the social stigma they are facing.

Source

[rabbitcruiser]

Naturescaping Wildlife Botanical Gardens, Brush Prairie

What do you think about my pic?

[rabbitcruiser]

Naturescaping Wildlife Botanical Gardens, Brush Prairie

What do you think about my pic?

[rabbitcruiser]

Spring begins on the March or vernal equinox, which is when the amount of sunshine is approximately 12 hours long.  

The amount of sunlight will incrementally increase until the first day of Summer.The vernal equinox marks the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator. This is the imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator, from south to north. The time the sun crosses the equator marking the Vernal Equinox is different for each time zone.  For those in the Pacific, Mountain and Central time zones, this will occur on March 19th.  For those in the Eastern time zone, spring begins on March 20th at 12:30 a.m.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Get ready for longer days and increased sunshine. Tune up the lawn mower. More sunshine means the grass will be growing. 

HISTORY

Human beings have been following the sun and creating a calendar based on seasons since the beginning of time.  This year spring arrives a little earlier due to it being a leap year.  You might remember back on Leap Day a little math lesson regarding the Gregorian calendar.  To keep our calendar following the seasons so that spring happens when flowers grow and winter arrives when snow falls, an additional day was figured into years divisible by the number four.However, that is a bit of an over-adjustment.  

To correct it, years also evenly divisible by 100 but not 400 are skipped.  

For example, in 1700, 1800 and 1900 there were no leap days added.  In the year 2000, a leap year was added to the first century year with a leap year since 1600.  Consider that Galileo was at the height of his scientific career, Shakespeare was nearing the end of his and Queen Elizabeth I would die three years later.This has caused this spring to occur earlier than any living human being alive has every seen.  Before this year, the earliest spring on record took place in 1896.

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[rabbitcruiser]

Few things on the planet are more beautiful or fascinating than flowers—with over 400,000 flowering plant species in the world, there is definitely something every one of us would fall in love with. Flowers have served numerous purposes over the millennia, from decorational purposes to medicinal ones, as well as many, many more. In 17th century Holland, a house could be purchased for tulips, and flowers have also been an integral part of various religions and mythologies and their traditions and rituals. Could you even imagine a wedding reception without the bouquet toss? Would there be any Christmas without poinsettias? What would poets and painters do without the flowers that have inspired them to create countless works of art? From the simple daisy to the elegant rose, and from the colorful wildflowers dotting hillsides to the elaborate and vibrant flowers of southeastern Asia, flowers have more than deserved their own day though for their contributions to art, culture, and life.

The History of Plant a Flower Day

Flowers have likely been around for nearly as long as the planet itself, with new and fascinating species springing up all over the place of the last few billion years, give or take. Flower arrangements, however, or the art of using flowers as a decoration, date back to Ancient Egyptian times. As early as 2,500 BC, Egyptians were using flowers to adorn tables and great halls, as well as show respect to both the living and the dead. Different flowers also carried different symbolic meanings—lotus flowers and water lilies, for example, were believed to be among the goddess’ favorites, and many different kinds of flowers were also uncovered in tombs of pharaohs, high priests and other wealthy citizens. Later, both the Ancient Greeks and Romans continued to use flowers for these same purposes, and also began to use some of them as herbs. In China flower arrangements became popular in the 3rd century BC, where they played important roles in religious practices and traditional medicine.

How to Celebrate Plant a Flower Day

The best way to celebrate Plant a Flower Day is to plant a flower, or perhaps even many flowers! Depending on where you’re located in the world, March may or may not be the best time to be planting anything, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a flowerpot and do it at home. So if it is nice and warm in March where you live, set a little bit of time aside on this holiday to sow some seeds in your yard or garden. This could also serve as the perfect time to take your children outside and explain a bit about how nature works its magic, what helps plants grow, why we need them, and what we can do to help protect out planet from pollution. Instilling a sense of wonder for the world in your children will help them appreciate the planet and make them more aware of their surroundings—plus, what could be more fun than spending a sunny day outside with your favorite little people and planting lupins, poppies or fuchsias? And even if your part of the world is cold and dreary this time of year, you can still enjoy a day of learning about nature and all it has to offer humankind. Like flowers themselves, Plant a Flower Day was meant to be enjoyed.

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[rabbitcruiser]

Naturescaping Wildlife Botanical Gardens, Brush Prairie

What do you think about my pic?

[rabbitcruiser]

Naturescaping Wildlife Botanical Gardens, Brush Prairie

What do you think about my pic?

[rabbitcruiser]

Naturescaping Wildlife Botanical Gardens, Brush Prairie (No. 2)

Choosing the right place for the right plant, tree or shrub is what the Collector's Garden is all about ... choices.

Strolling through this garden you will discover it is rich in a full, colorful array of flowers, shrubs and trees, many of which you may remember from your childhood or even stories of your grandparents childhood era. For some it may be a short trip down memory lane as they recognize a color here, a fragrance there. You will delight in seeing old favorites as well as many new varieties as you search for that special something that would look perfect in your garden.

This informal, country style garden attracts plenty of our local birds and other wildlife using small scale varieties of bird favorites. Plantings in the garden provide food for wildlife in the form of fruit, berries, seeds nectar and pollen. There are two water features in the garden, a standard birdbath and a shallow dish in the rock garden. Trees and shrubs as well as a brush pile, logs and small rock piles provide cover. Evergreen species also provide cover.

Native plants in this garden include vine maple, sword fern, creeping Oregon grape, hazelnut, serviceberry, and Oregon grape. A small herb garden, with both perennial and annual herbs, is especially attractive to butterflies, bees and other pollinating insects. A small garden area contains a semi-dwarf apple tree, a red and a black currant bush, a dwarf and a semi-dwarf blueberry and loganberries.

No lawn was planted as grass has little value to wildlife and requires a lot of care. A number of groundcovers were used instead under trees and shrubs. Six types of thyme and mosses are used around the stepping-stones. There are five deciduous trees, none of which grow over 25 feet tall. Dwarf varieties of hazelnut, serviceberry, and spruce are used. The Bristle cone pines are very slow growing. Many of the shrubs are compact varieties also.

An arbor supports climbing vines and will provide shade in the summer. Drip irrigation has been installed to reduce water use and help prevent mildew and other problems inherent in overhead (sprinkler system or hand) watering.

In the summer watch the swallows feeding their babies in the birdhouse.

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