The Lovely Mimosa Syrup!

   Here lately, it has become a great interest of mine to find uses for whatever is on the place.  It is not of my nature to run to the store for things.  In fact, I do not go at all if what I need can be found, grown, repurposed or caught (fish, crabs and shrimp).  While most folks would consider this a "hard" way of doing things, it suits my needs perfectly so it has become a way of life.  The shelves are well stocked if not overstocked with jars of fruits, vegetables, nuts, juices and medicines.  Yep, I have turned to herbal remedies for a lot of ailments.  Doctors' visits still come into play if needed and for checkups but, if it is something I can fix with an elixir, tisane, balm or tincture, so be it.

  Now comes the surprising fact.  There are so many plants, shrubs and trees that fall into the category of healing plants that my "medicine cabinet", also known as a pantry shelf, seems to be filling quickly with the wondrous concoctions of days past.  Sometimes, folklore is more of a science than pure legend.  More than once, these "potions" saved me from illnesses that were brought to the Little Bayou House by unthinking people.  Just last month, after being exposed three different times, crape myrtle tisane mixed with sage and rosemary helped me to ward off a bad respiratory illness.  Both Mark and Son were ill and my sweet sister-in-law had the same virus.  My tisane came to the rescue!

  Now, a new "brew" has been added to the shelf!  Six half pints of the loveliest syrup was stirred up from an unlikely source.  Mimosa!  Albizia julibrissin!  Yep, that lovely, pink silk tree that grows so rampantly in the South has quite the healing properties.  I have been wanting to try this for ages but the trees bloom at the same time that the garden produces so my time was spent canning foodstuffs and the blooms did their happy thing of making the yard beautiful and delightfully aromatic.  Yesterday, however, Son was helping me pick plums when I mentioned how I wish I had time to pick the mimosa blooms.  He never questioned my motives but merely ambled down the hill and reached up to the high limbs.  "Are these good?"  Yay!  I picked and picked the fluffy blooms until I had a half of bucket full.  While he would hold down the limbs and I would pick, I started telling him about my plans.  He smiled and just nodded.  He knows his mom is weird but he also knows that the remedies work. 

  The blooms were "debugged" (think spiders...each carefully returned to their tree), washed and then put in a saucepan of water.  After simmering, the blooms were carefully removed and sugar (and a wee bit of lemon juice) added.  The simmering continued until a nice, syrupy blend was created.  This was canned and set to seal.  My beautiful syrup will be ready when needed!  (No, I do not store my canned goods in the window but it was the best way to capture the gorgeous color and clarity of the syrup!) 

  It feels good to be learning what Mother Nature has to offer even at this late in the game for me.  My kiddos keep telling me to learn new things but, in this case, I think I am learning old things...just new to me.  

Not Today, Buddy!

  Physical therapy in the gardens has to be the best way.  Strengthening those muscles along with fresh air cannot be wrong.  Plus, I get to watch the critters that visit.  Early this morning, I was captivated by a grasshopper, of all things.  While I hoisted weights, the grasshopper basked in the sunshine.  The grasshopper seemed to not have a care in the world and, for a while, I agreed with him.  As far as I could see, the critter was enjoying life to its fullest but that changed within a snap.  Danger lurked in the mimosa tree!  The grasshopper was unaware that he was in a predator's sight.  He lingered on unaware.

 A flash of red told me that my friend, the cardinal, was searching for breakfast.  Each morning, I set out seed for the family of cardinals.  The male always comes first to make sure it is safe before calling his family in to feast.  This morning, however, the cardinal had his eye on the grasshopper!  I was torn between letting the bird catch the insect or helping the bug escape.  Either way, there would be a loser.  Was it to be the bird's breakfast or the bug's life.  Nature will be nature so I refrained from scooting the grasshopper under the ginger plants.  We would just have to see how this played out if I was to be neutral.  "Let nature take its course" has always been a difficult task for me to follow but...I lifted weights and watched.  The drama that was to be never unfolded.  The bird was distracted by another male cardinal and they went chasing each other in a territorial battle.  The grasshopper was safe for the time being.

  It has long been thought by most folks that Northern Cardinals only eat seeds.  Their thick bills do lend themselves to cracking the shells but about 30% of their diet is made up of insects.  They will often take moths, katydids, flies, spiders and, yes, grasshoppers as tasty treats.  In fact, the parent birds feed their nestlings on mostly a diet of insects. So, had it not been distracted, the cardinal would have made short work of my grasshopper friend!

  

Bewitching Aroma!

  While Son and I were out and about this afternoon, a strong southeast wind was cooling the air.  On that breeze, there was one of the sweetest scents.  It slightly smelled of peaches no...maybe bananas.  I thought the tea olives were blooming because those blooms have a slight peachy smell.  They were but Son pointed out that the wind was in the wrong direction.  So, I searched.  Following the scent, I headed down to the marsh edge.  Nothing blooming there.  I headed eastward around the path.  Nope, no blooms.  Still, that sweet scent lingered heavily on the breeze.  

  Since I was this far into a hike, there was no turning back.  The path took me down behind the canebrake, through the old peach orchard and far down into the woods almost to the creek bed.  It is always a happy time to be tromping about the woods and a few blooms did surprise me.  First, what I have tentatively identified as sweetspire could be found draping down along the path.  The long, spires of creamy white were beautiful but did not have the fruity aroma of the mystery plant.  Then, I spied what we have always called mimosa or pink silk tree.  The pink, fluffballs are actually albizia and grow wild throughout the woods.  They do have a lovely scent but it is not the one that bewitched me earlier.  

  The mystery scent still eludes me.  Perhaps tomorrow, I will search again. It bugs me when there is something new on the Bayou and I cannot find it to identify it.  

*The white blooms are NOT sweetspire but Swamp Cyrilla!  

Little Tree Custodians?

  Each day, I walk the hillside just to have a bit of peace.  It seems that there are certain things that start weighing on my well being and I have to escape for a few minutes.  It is usually during these hikes that I, not only find comfort, but also a lot of interesting critters or plants...sometimes both.  Yesterday morning, Mark and I were strolling along when I saw a black spot on the mimosa trunk.  Aha!  I immediately recognized what was afflicting my tree!  Not that is was particularly a bad thing but, still, it was there.  While some folks may be a bit squeamish about finding a horde of bugs clustering on a tree trunk, I was more interested in photographing them.  I knew what the critters were and could rest easy knowing they were not doing any harm to the tree nor would they do any harm to me.  

  The critters that were forming a tight cluster were bark lice and their clustering told me that the juveniles were being protected.  Obviously, the little rascals had hatched and were still a bit too young to scamper quickly enough to avoid predators.  The adults were rallying around them and keeping them tightly corralled.  The youngsters were being quite well-behaved and were staying right where their papas and mamas told them to stay!

  Most folks have a tendency to think that anything with the name "lice" has to be bad.  Well, while these are called bark lice, they look more like a type of fly.  They live in tight knit communities of anywhere from fifty to a hundred critters.  They do not harm the tree nor do they harm humans.  In reality, they probably do a big job of keeping the tree healthy by eating potentially harmful molds and dead plant material.  

  So, if you find a mass of bark lice on your tree, do not get all gung-ho with the chemical sprays.  The critters are there doing us a favor.  They are like custodians of the trees!  That said, I do not think I would like them to infest inside the Little Bayou House!  That might be a little much even for me!

Stress Relief at its Best!

   Meandering around the hillside and back in the woods behind the Little Bayou House, one can find any number of interesting plants.  One of my favorites is the albizia or silk tree.  The blooms have the sweetest scent and can be white to deep pink.  Most folks around here call the trees mimosas but that is not quite accurate.  There is a family of plants of the genus mimosa that are not the same thing at all!   But, mention the mimosa and everyone knows which tree.  They are favorites here in the Deep South and have earned their place alongside the magnolias. wisteria and confederate jasmine.  There is nothing better than sitting in the old rocking chair late in the evening and catching the scent of these blooms wafting on the cool night air. 

  But albizia is supposedly pretty amazing plant besides being so sweetly scented and so prettily adorned.  Just about all parts of it have purported medicinal uses when used properly.  One of the most touted uses is to help with relieving stress.  Sounds wonderful but, at the same time, sounds a bit scary because so little is known about the side effects.  Trust me on this, don't just run out there and grab a handful of leaves, flowers or bark and start munching it unless you want to pretend to be a rabbit.  Misusing any herb can cause more problems than it helps.  Get a bit of expert advice first.

  That said, I figure the best way to use albizia to treat stress is to find a front porch, pull up a rocking chair, watch the lightning on the horizon and breathe.  Breathe in that heavenly aroma from the mimosa tree that hangs over the rooftop.  Yep!  After about a half hour of that, I find things seem to be a whole lot better.  Or get out of bed at daybreak while the dew is still heavy laden and take a hike back under the mimosa trees.  My goodness!  I have nary a care in the world when I am there!  Maybe that albizia does work after all!

Its Magical!

  It should come as no great surprise that I think the Bayou is a pretty magical place.  Things here have a way of, well, just being a bit different than other places.  What may seem to be perfectly mundane one day can be quite mystical the next.  It all depends on how you look at things or, rather, how you see things,  I have often said that looking at things and seeing them are two different things.  Seeing is far better.  

  This morning's hike felt a bit different from the get go.  The old dog was not up to gallivanting about the hillside at daybreak so I traipsed the path alone.  As I rounded the bend near where the Bayou meets the creek, a sweet, almost intoxicating scent enveloped me.  Ahh, yes, the tree that folks around here call mimosa (actually, albizia) was in full bloom.  As I stood staring up at the pink, powder-puff flowers, it suddenly hit me that this was one of those magical, mystical moments.   

  Over night, a slight fog had settled over the marsh and softly wafted through the trees.  The early morning sunbeams were just starting to filter through and had seemingly spotlighted the mimosa tree.  There it stood...glowing in all its glory...a thing of untold beauty in the midst of the woods.  I fully expected some faeries to start flitting about the blossoms at any moment.  

  There is nothing better than hiking about the place at dawn.  It is a time when the newness of the day can not only be seen but heard, smelled, tasted and felt.  It is a sensory overload!  That saying "You snooze, you lose!" is accurate.  Had I laid in bed, I would have never seen the beauty set before me.  

What Better Way?

  Mark and I made a hike to the pier at daybreak.  The sunrise was a thing of beauty.  With it, peacefulness befell the Bayou.  After leaving the pier, we edged our way around the shoreline to where the Bayou makes the bend around behind the Little Bayou House.  Almost instantly, we were engulfed by a sweet scent wafting in the soft breeze. This was not the spicy aroma of the jasmine that bedecks the southmost arbor but rather the flowery scent of the albizia better known as mimosa.  The hot pink blooms looked like little fluff balls in the morning sunlight!  Both Mark and I stopped in our tracks.  I reached up to draw down the branch.  What better way is there to start the morn? The hike, the sunrise and sweet-scented mimosa blooms make for a happy morning, but all good things must come to an end.  Our delightful morning was shortlived.

  The serenity we experienced early in the day was the calm before the storm.  Four hours later, winds whipped about the hillside and even made the windows rattle and shake.   Rains became torrential causing the garden to flood.  A storm settled in for the day and raged throughout the evening hours.  While I sat listening to the sounds of the gale, I pondered if this was setting the stage for the summer.  Will we be pounded by tropical systems this year?  Will another bad hurricane wreak havoc on the area?  I hope and pray not.  

By Any Name!

  Since I posted a list of "odd facts" about the gardenia flower, I thought it would be only proper to do the same about the mimosa flower.  The two are blooming at the moment here on the Bayou making the hillside a regular fashion show of pink and white.  My sweet granddaughter would be loving this if she was here!

  Odd fact....mimosa trees have bipinnate leaves made up of small, oblong leaflets.  These leaflets close up at night and reopen when the morning sun hits them.

  Odd fact....these leaves can also sense movement.  Scientists believe that the closing is a way of repelling annoying insects.

  Odd fact....mimosas produce flowerheads that contain many flowers that have a soft fluffy appearance.  This fluffiness is do to the long hot pink stamens!

  Odd fact...the dried seed pods rattled by the wind can sometimes fool a person into thinking a rattlesnake is nearby.

  Odd fact....mimosa is a highly invasive plant that is nigh on impossible to kill.  If you do not remove all pieces of root, the tree will just sprout up again and will have several trunks to replace the one. Mimosa is a great tree to use for "sustainable" firewood.  It is fast growing and multiplies quickly.

  Odd fact....mimosa pudica, the scientific name, means shy or bashful plant and is due to the leaf folding habit.

  Odd fact...and perhaps the oddest of the bunch....what we call mimosas here on the Coast are not mimosas at all.  We have albizias (also spelled albezias or albizzias)  It is a beautiful tree with flower similar to mimosa and the "odd facts" still apply to this tree as well! Almost anyway...the name one, of course, does not apply!  Now, go figure!

Sensory Delight!!!

  For the past few years, I have been reading and getting an earful from well-meaning folks about the so-called invasive species.  Yep, there are species of both flora and fauna that can be classified as invasive. Usually, these have been brought in from other countries as novelties and just never left.  Now they have a foothold and are making a major nuisance of themselves.  One such invasive species is what we call Mimosa.  The tree is actually called something like Albizia Julibrissin but since that is far to difficult to say or even remember, Mimosa is the favored name.  It is on that all-hated "Invasive Species" list as one that will "take over" and push out native plants.  It does, indeed, spread like wildfire...but it IS a pretty wildfire plant!  I happen to like the Mimosa trees in the yard.  I did not plant them nor cultivate them.  They just happened so I left them.  I have had several folks beg for "starts" of the tree and I have happily obliged.  These same folks have come back to report that the tree did not fare so well.  It seems that the saplings are a favorite food of deer and rabbits.  I knew that the rabbits gnawed the bark but was in the dark about the deer.  It makes sense, though, that if one critter likes to munch something, others will follow.

  Late this evening, Ms. Ez, the dog, and I were taking a last minute hike about the hillside.  When we made our way back behind the greenhouse, I suddenly caught a whiff of something delightful!  Even Ms. Ez held her head high and sniffed!  The large Mimosa trees were in full bloom!  Wow!  I did not want to head back into the house.   Mother Nature was bombarding the Bayou with her own form of aromatherapy! The sweet, spicy yet flowery scent was nigh on intoxicating!

  It is a well-known fact down here in the Deep South, that certain scents can change the mood.  With our Jasmine, Mimosa (Albizia) and Southern Magnolias, we have our share of the most delightful aromas to tickle the senses.  Perhaps that is why true southerners have the reputation of being a bit more laid-back and more hospitable that folks dealing with the rat race in some big metropolis.  The image of a front porch furnished with rocking chairs sets the stage.  As the sun drops below the pines, the heavenly scent of the Sweet Three...Mimosa, Magnolia and Jasmine starts to linger heavy on the air.  Just as you are starting to enjoy the evening, crickets and frogs begin their nightly serenade near the pond.  At first, this seems like a cacophony that reaches deafening heights but then it mellows and becomes part of the southern night.  It doesn't get much better than this.  (Well, maybe if you add a tall glass of icy sweet tea!)  Yep, the senses are on overload!  Come sit a spell and enjoy life.

Working hard or hardly working?

Well, Old Man Winter is about to pop us all with another round of chilly (to say the least) weather.  Today was the last warmish day we will see for a while.  Not that I am complaining as our winters are nothing like those faced by our neighbors to the north.  Here, we will be near or just below freezing.  Not bad when you consider the rest of the nation.  Still, this called for a bit of preparation. The houseplants had to be hauled inside and the garden needed covering. The old wood stoves need firewood if they are to do their job so gathering firewood was high on the agenda.  Last week, I noticed that our big old mimosa tree had seen better days.  The largest portion of it had died and was dangerously close to falling on the stack of lumber.  Mark used his chainsaw to trim out the dead wood.  This would be split by Michael and added to the woodpile.  I am not above burning any type wood if necessary.  I figure that it is better to make use of something rather than waste it and that applies to dead trees as well.   My day was spent indoors as I was feeling a bit "under the weather".  Every now and again, I would peek out the window at the progress of the ongoing chore.  Even being ill, I felt that I should be out helping.  Usually, my job is hauling the split wood and stacking it on the wood rack.  I do not mind.  At least it is something to do outdoors.  

Once when I was watching the guys, I noticed a small ant crawling on the window ledge.  This was a brave little guy!  I wondered if he knew about the cold spell that was headed our way.  He needed to be far underground.  That little ant made me wish that I was as strong as him.  How easy would it be to fill that wood rack if I had his strength!  Earlier in the year, I watched as some ants carried chunks of stuff from our compost to their nest underground.  They hoisted huge pieces of food high above their heads and made the trek of about thirty feet to the hole.  Then the food was carried through tunnels until it was safely tucked away in some storage cell.  It is a well known fact that the little guys are strong and can carry many times their weight.  My carrying a few pieces of firewood pales in comparison to the load that an ant can carry. I do so wish I had the strength of an ant!  Or, maybe, I should train them to carry the firewood!  Nah....I am not on that good of terms with any of the ants on the hillside!

Another Treasure of the Deep South

Just mention the Deep South and automatically a number of things pop into the mind. There is a certain nostalgia about moss-covered oak trees, screened porches, Southern drawls, magnolia trees, jasmine and of course, mimosa trees! It seems that you cannot take a drive anywhere without seeing the lovely mimosa trees. They are in most every yard, along the sides of the road, on vacant lots and growing wild just about everywhere imaginable. The tree, itself, is interesting enough with its sprawling branches that almost make it seem to be multiple trees fused into one and its habit of closing its leaves for the night..but those blooms! Those wonderfully sweet smelling blooms that lend just enough perfume to the night air to make you long for a porch swing! I can remember climbing up in the mimosa tree at my aunt and uncle's house. My cousin and I would scamper up the branches like two little squirrels to pick the pink, puffy blossoms. There we would sit, sniffing our little bouquets! Memories!

The mimosa trees are in full bloom on the Bayou. Today when I was out roaming the hill, I could hear the tree buzzing! The pink blossoms are sending out their delightful aroma and are calling all of the honeybees from miles around it seems. It is a positive outlook when the honeybees are happy! I have been contemplating getting a few beehives so it is nice to know that the mimosa trees will provide a ready source of pollen! I have heard tell that honey will take on a bit of the flavor and aroma from whatever flowers the bees visit..oh my goodness..wouldn't that be quite the interesting honey for pancakes!

I also noticed a new visitor to the Bayou this evening. A small marsh bird that has not made its presence know before this week. If I am identifying this bird correctly, it is a Sora. The Sora usually is around fresh water, not in a saltmarsh. But it seemed to be quite happily nipping up the bull minnows in the tidal pools, so I suppose it will be ok. This tiny bird reminds me of a miniature King Rail. It is very timid, darting in and out of the marsh. It is such a cute little crackerjack that I hope it decides to stay even though according to the bird books, it is just a winter visitor. Hmmm..a bit late there, Sora!

Is it Circadian Rhythm or are they just tired?

Circadian Rhythm..a name given to the "internal clock" that regulates the biological processes in a living thing. Yep, it is a couple of big words that basically mean things just get tired and go to sleep. Nah..just teasing..I really do not know what it means. I was just reading where it is this Circadian Rhythm stuff that makes Mimosa leaves close up at night. I have no clue..I just always figured the tree knew it was nighttime and it needed to rest. I was thinking about this the other evening when out for my stroll. The mimosa leaves were starting their nightly folding and I wondered just what triggered this action. How did the tree know when to start..and how did it know when to wake up again without an alarm clock? After coming inside, I did a bit of research and got more confused than ever. It seems that this Circadian Rhythm thing causes changes to take place on a twenty-four hour cycle. Well, what if one day my Mimosa tree decides to sleep in and not unfold its leaves..would that throw off its whole "rhythm"? Would my tree then be out of cycle enough that it would not know to get up the next morning? And if I kept a Mimosa in a dark room for twenty-four hours, would it be so confused that its days and nights would be messed up making it sleep all day? Oh, the questions one encounters when walking in the garden! I knew that my Prayer Plant folds its leaves at night (hence the name..it appears to be saying its nightly prayers), but again, I had no clue why. Perhaps it is just a very pious plant, I do not know..or maybe its mother plant taught it well..or maybe it is Circadian Rhythm..who knows? I guess this is one that I will leave to the "experts"..my trees and plants just use commonsense and go to bed when it is dark!

While we are on the subject of things with rhythms, the cicadas are out in full force on the Bayou. Every night the trees are buzzing with their serenading and it really does not quieten down during the day. (No Circadian Rhythm with Cicadas! Ha..say that one aloud a few times!) Supposedly, we have a type of cicada called the Hieroglyphic Cicada here in the South. You could have fooled me on that one as we always called them "locusts" not to be confused with locusts that are basically grasshoppers. They are also called "jar flies" by my neighbor's children because they catch them and keep them in jars. Now, these are not to be confused with fireflies either just because they were caught and put in jars..they were not "jar flies" they were know as "lightning bugs". This is all quite simple when you look at it this way..cicadas are locusts and jar flies..locusts are grasshoppers.. and fire flies are lightning bugs not jar flies! (I am glad I could clarify that for you!)