Quote of the day

Every time I plant a seed, He say kill it before it grow, he say kill it before they grow. -Bob Marley

Edina Tokodi & Jozsef Valyi-tóth, eco-minded, guerrilla street art.

NYC-based, artists Edina Tokodi and József Vályi-tóth of Mosstika Urban Greenery use—not paint, but—living grass and moss to create ‘living’ and ‘natural’ graffiti, so that the urban jungle feels less concrete-like and more earthy. 

“We believe that if everyone had a garden of their own to cultivate, we would have a much more balanced relation to our territories. It is with this notion in mind, that we at Mosstika, aim to collide the worlds of art and nature, creating havens of unexpected greenery, within the colder harsher environment.” 

Plant of the day Bellis perennis (Daisy)

Daisies are a popular domestic remedy with a wide range of applications. They are a traditional wound herb and are also said to be especially useful in treating delicate and listless children. Recent research has been looking at the possibility of using the plant in HIV therapy. The herb is mildly anodyne, antispasmodic, antitussive, demulcent, digestive, emollient, expectorant, laxative, ophthalmic, purgative and tonic. The fresh or dried flowering heads are normally used. An infusion is used in the treatment of catarrh, rheumatism, arthritis, liver and kidney disorders, as a blood purifier etc. The daisy once had a great reputation as a cure for fresh wounds. An ointment made from the leaves is applied externally to wounds, bruises etc whilst a distilled water is used internally to treat inflammatory disorders of the liver. Chewing the fresh leaves is said to be a cure for mouth ulcers. Daisies also have a reputation for effectiveness in treating breast cancers. The flowers and leaves are normally used fresh in decoctions, ointments and poultices. A strong decoction of the roots has been recommended for the treatment of scorbutic complaints and eczema, though it needs to be taken for some time before its effect becomes obvious. A mild decoction may ease complaints of the respiratory tract, rheumatic pains and painful or heavy menstruation. The plant, harvested when in flower, is used as a homeopathic remedy. Its use is especially indicated in the treatment of bruising etc.

The simple daisy has a wide and long lasting body of folklore surrounding it. To begin with, there are several theories surrounding the Latin name of Bellis, as some authors believe it is derived from the latin word ‘bellus’ meaning ‘pretty, whereas others believe that it derives from the word ‘bello’, which is latin for ‘war’ – this association may be due to the plant’s long standing reputation as a wound herb, as well as the fact that it may well have been found growing on most battlefields. This association may perhaps partially explain the dichotomy between the assorted deities the plant is associated with.

There is also the possibility that the name derives from the myth of the water meadow nymph named Belidis, who, being pursued by the lustful orchard god Vertumnus, turned herself into a daisy in order to escape. The plant’s name has also been associated with the Celtic sun God, Belenos. The name ‘daisy’ derives from the Anglo Saxon name for the plant, ‘daeges eage’, which means ‘day’s eye’, meaning the plant’s tendency to only open during sunlit hours.

The old authors – most notably Gerard and Culpeper – believed that the root of the daisy could be used to stunt growth, and was often given to puppies to keep them small.

The folk name ‘Measure of Love’ comes from the old tradition of plucking petals from a daisy whilst saying ‘he loves me, he loves me not’, as a simple love divination charm.

Dried daisies which were picked between noon and one o’clock before drying bring success to any venture according to an old piece of German folklore.

An old Celtic belief surrounding the flower dictates that the spirits of still born children were reborn as daisies.

Quote of the day

"Plants are thought to be alive, the juice is their blood, and they grow.  The same is true of trees.  All things die, therefore all things have life, gifts have to be given to all things." 

-Pomo Chief, 1926

Peter Lippman, Old cars reclaimed by nature

Simply Stunning...

Quote of the day

All plants are our siblings. If we listen, we can hear them speaking. -Arapaho Proverb

Plant of the day  Mahonia trifoliolata (Agarita)

Agarita is a small-to-medium, evergreen shrub that produces an abundant spring crop of red berries. Its leaves are spine tipped, appearing somewhat like holly, and spread out palmately in threes. Valued by both humans and wildlife, the red berries can be made into an excellent jelly that Texans have been producing for generations. Not only does agarita fruit make a great jelly, it makes great pies, cobblers, and a very refreshing drink when mixed with sugar. Surprisingly, the documented medicinal uses of the plant far outnumber notations of its food use. Read on to explore the many uses of this interesting little shrub.

There are no ethnographic records for our species,Berberis trifoliolata, because its distribution does not overlap with the locations of any ethnobotanical studies. However, the berries, leaves, and wood or bark of Berberis trifoliolata are similar to the other species of Berberis growing in adjacent regions, including Berberis haematocarpa in the Trans-Pecos and Berberis repens in the Guadalupe Mountains. Numerous ethnographic accounts document the use of these and other Berberis species by the Native Americans of the Plains, the northern Southwest, and the Pacific Northwest. Virtually every part of the plant had a use for food, medicine, and dye.

Archeological Occurrences. Agarita has not been identified from archeological sites in the South Texas Plains, probably due to a lack of research. However, just west of the region, agarita berries and seeds were identified in the well-preserved rockshelter deposits of the Lower Pecos (Dering 1979). Wood from agarita was noted in samples collected from an Indian campsite in Edwards County, just northwest of Uvalde (Quigg 2005). More excavations and analysis will likely uncover additional archeological evidence of this useful plant.

Food Use. Despite the fact that agarita is a legendary specialty food in Texas few Native American groups consumed the berry. Hodgson (2001) did not report any ethnographic documentation of its use as food by native peoples in the Sonoran Desert, stating that alkaloids were present not only in the roots, but also in the berries. This is probably why the tart flavor and beautiful color of the berries works well in a jelly, a foodstuff which is made with sugar and consumed in small quantities. The Chiricahua and Mescalero Apache ate the fruit fresh or made jellies with it. The process of making jelly involved mixing in an unidentified sweet substance. I suspect that the substance is probably sugar, and making jelly is a post-contact practice. Other groups that are reported to consume fresh berries include the Yavapai, Jemez, Blackfoot, and Cheyenne (Castetter 1935).

Medicinal Uses. Alkaloids in the roots provide the medicinal qualities of Berberis, and numerous groups used decoctions, poultices, and infusions to treat ailments ranging from fevers to stomach troubles and open wounds. The Havasupai used Berberis repensroots in a decoction as a laxative and a treatment for an upset stomach (Weber and Seaman 1983). The Ramah Navajo and some groups in the Pacific Northwest also used the roots as a laxative (Vestal 1951; Turner et al. 1983). Indians in Mendocino County, California used a decoction of the root bark to treat stomach ailments (Chesnut 1902).

Antiseptic qualities of the root and root bark are suggested by its use to treat wounds, skin or gum problems. Mescalero Apache soaked shavings of the inner wood in water and used it as an eyewash (Basehart 1960:49). The Ramah Navajo used a cold infusion to treat scorpion bites. The Hopi chewed the plant bark to treat gum diseases. Penetrating qualities of the plant are exhibited by its use to treat aches or pains. The Navajo used a decoction of the leaves and twigs to treat stiffness in joints (Elmore 1943). Urinary or reproductive tract treatments include use of the decoction to treat venereal disease by the Paiute (Kelly 1965). In Washington, Reagan (1936) observed the native inhabitants of the Olympic peninsula using a tea made from the roots as a "blood remedy" for an undefined ailment.

Other Uses - Dye: Many groups used Berberis as a dye. The Havasupai and Navajo dyed buckskin with the plant. Basketry was dyed yellow by the Walapai (Weber and Seaman 1985). The Mescalero dyed hides yellow with a mixture of root shavings fromBerberis (Basehart 1960:49).

Ceremonial. The Ramah Navajo used the whole plant as an internal cleansing agent (Vestal 1951). Regan makes a cryptic reference to its use in ceremonies by the White Mountain Apache "because of its yellow wood" (Reagan 1929:155). The Hopi used the root and leaves for ceremonies. The Hopi used the yellow root and the leaves in the Home Dance. The Zuñi crushed the berries and used them as face paint and paint for ceremonial objects.Berberis use by the Zuñi was the exclusive right of the individuals in charge of the ki-wit-siwe, which were the chambers dedicated to anthropic worship. The plant was said to belong to them (Stevenson 1904:62; 1915:88).

Quote of the day

A nobler want of man is served by nature, namely, the love of Beauty.

The ancient Greeks called the world {kosmos}, beauty. Such is the constitution of all things, or such the plastic power of the human eye, that the primary forms, as the sky, the mountain, the tree, the animal, give us a delight in and for themselves; a pleasure arising from outline, color, motion, and grouping. This seems partly owing to the eye itself. The eye is the best of artists. By the mutual action of its structure and of the laws of light, perspective is produced, which integrates every mass of objects, of what character soever, into a well colored and shaded globe, so that where the particular objects are mean and unaffecting, the landscape which they compose, is round and symmetrical. And as the eye is the best composer, so light is the first of painters. There is no object so foul that intense light will not make beautiful. And the stimulus it affords to the sense, and a sort of infinitude which it hath, like space and time, make all matter gay. Even the corpse has its own beauty. But besides this general grace diffused over nature, almost all the individual forms are agreeable to the eye, as is proved by our endless imitations of some of them, as the acorn, the grape, the pine-cone, the wheat-ear, the egg, the wings and forms of most birds, the lion's claw, the serpent, the butterfly, sea-shells, flames, clouds, buds, leaves, and the forms of many trees, as the palm.  -Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Plant of the day Artemisia vulgaris (Mugwort)

It has stimulant and slightly tonic properties, and is of value as a nervine and emmenagogue, having also diuretic and diaphoretic action. The Genus name Artemisia is from the Goddess Artemis who was the Goddess of the Hunt, Wild Animals, Childbirth, Virginity and Young Girls. Many of the plants in this genus heal the female reproductive system. The leaves and flowering stalks should be gathered just at blossoming time, usually between July and early September. The root is gathered after the flowering time in late autumn. The root is washed and dried and the leaves and flowering stalks dried in a dry and dark and warm place. Mugwort is an ancient herb. Know to have been used in Ancient Egypt and Greece, Anglo-Saxon tribes believed that Mugwort was one of the nine sacred herbs given to the world by the God Woden. There are several references to the Chinese using Mugwort in cuisine and the famous Chinese poet Su Shi in the 11th century mentioned it in one of his poems. There are even older Chinese poems and songs that mention Mugwort that can be traced back to 3 BC. Native Americans rubbed the leaves on their body to keep ghosts away or would wear a necklace of Mugwort to prevent dreaming of the dead. In the Middle Ages a crown made from Mugwort was worn on St. John's Eve to gain security from evil possession and in Holland and Germany it was believed that if gathered on St. John's Eve it gave protection against diseases and misfortunes. Mugwort is considered a magical herb, with special properties to protect road-weary travellers against exhaustion. The Romans planted Mugwort by roadsides where it would be available to passers-by to put in their shoes to relieve aching feet and also protect them from sunstroke, evil spirits and wild beasts. For that reason, St. John the Baptist was said to have worn a girdle of Mugwort when he set out into the wilderness. Equally, a garland or belt of Mugwort can be worn while dancing around the fire during summer solstice celebrations, with the herb then being thrown into the fire to ensure continued protection throughout the coming year.   Some of the magic in Mugwort is in its reputed ability to protect against nightmares and induce prophetic and vivid dreams when the herb is placed near the bed or under the sleeper's pillow and it is also reputed to give lucid dreams and hallucinations if drunk as a tea or smoked. Mugwort added to a bath is a good relaxant. As this herb stimulates the uterine muscle it must not be used by pregnant women. Care should also be taken in its use as ingestion of Mugwort for 10 consecutive days can result in illness and sometimes death. Nine Herbs Charm A snake came crawling, it bit a man. Then Woden took nine glory-twigs, Smote the serpent so that it flew into nine parts. There apple brought this pass against poison, That she nevermore would enter her house.

Biomimicry

Biomimicry (from bios, meaning life, and mimesis, meaning to imitate) is a design discipline that seeks sustainable solutions by emulating nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies, e.g., a solar cell inspired by a leaf.  The core idea is that Nature, imaginative by necessity, has already solved many of the problems we are grappling with: energy, food production, climate control, non-toxic chemistry, transportation, packaging, and a whole lot more.

Animals, plants, and microbes are the consummate engineers. They have found what works, what is appropriate, and most importantly, what lasts here on Earth. Instead of harvesting organisms, or domesticating them to accomplish a function for us, biomimicry differs from other "bio-approaches" by consulting organisms and ecosystems and applying the underlying design principles to our innovations. This approach introduces an entirely new realm for entrepreneurship that can contribute not only innovative designs and solutions to our problems but also to awakening people to the importance of conserving the biodiversity on Earth that has so much yet to teach us.

Looking at Nature as Model, Measure, and Mentor

Consciously emulating Nature's genius means viewing and valuing the natural world differently. In biomimicry, we look at Nature as model, mentor, and measure.

Model:  Biomimicry is a new science that studies Nature’s models and then emulates these forms, processes, systems, and strategies to solve human problems – sustainably.

Mentor:  Biomimicry is a new way of viewing and valuing nature. It introduces an era based not on what we can extract from the natural world, but what we can learn from it.

Measure:  Biomimicry uses an ecological standard to judge the sustainability of our innovations. After 3.8 billion years of evolution, Nature has learned what works and what lasts.

Quote of the day

“Thou orb aloft full dazzling,

Flooding with sheeny light the gray beach sand;
Thou sibilant near sea, with vistas far, and foam,
And tawny streaks and shades, and spreading blue;
Before I sing the rest, O sun refulgent,
My special word to thee.

Hear me, illustrious!
Thy lover me—for always I have loved thee,
Even as basking babe—then happy boy alone by some wood edge—thy touching distant beams enough,
Or man matured, or young or old—as now to thee I launch my invocation.
(Thou canst not with thy dumbness me deceive.
I know before the fitting man all Nature yields.
Though answering not in words, the skies, trees, hear his voice—and thou, O sun,
As for thy throes, thy perturbations, sudden breaks and shafts of flame gigantic,
I understand them—I know those flames, those perturbations well.)

Thou that with fructifying heat and light,
O’er myriad forms—o’er lands and waters, North and South,
O’er Mississippi’s endless course, o’er Texas’ grassy plains, Kanada’s woods,
O’er all the globe, that turns its face to thee, shining in space,
Thou that impartially enfoldest all—not only continents, seas,
Thou that to grapes and weeds and little wild flowers givest so liberally,
Shed, shed thyself on mine and me—mellow these lines.
Fuse thyself here—with but a fleeting ray out of thy million millions,
Strike through this chant.

Nor only launch thy subtle dazzle and thy strength for this;
Prepare the later afternoon of me myself—prepare my lengthening shadows.
Prepare my starry nights.”  -A Summer Invocation by Walt Whitman

Plant of the day  Hydrastis canadensis (Goldenseal)

The action is tonic, laxative, alterative and detergent.

Goldenseal is in serious danger due to overharveseting. Goldenseal became popular in the mid-nineteenth century. By 1905, the herb was much less plentiful, partially due to overharvesting and partially to habitat destruction. Wild goldenseal is now so rare that the herb is listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, goldenseal is one of the most overharvested herbs. More than 60 million goldenseal plants are picked each year without being replaced. 

The Cherokee used goldenseal to treat cancer and indigestion, to improve appetite, and as a topical treatment for skin disorders. The Iroquois used goldenseal for whooping cough, fever, heart disease, and as an eyewash. In addition, they used goldenseal as an aid for stomach and bowel ailments, an emetic, and an antidiarrheal agent. Because the goldenseal plant is native only to the eastern U.S., it has never been used in traditional Indian or Chinese medicine.

One traditional use of goldenseal is as a mucous membrane tonic. Note that it does not have to come in contact with the mucous membranes to have this effect. Hold some goldenseal in your mouth for a minute or two, and you can feel the effect on the mucous membranes in your nose and sinuses. Traditional doctors stated that goldenseal increases the secretion of the mucous membranes. At the same time, goldenseal contains astringent factors, which also counter that flow. Thus it was referred to as a mucous membrane "alterative", increasing deficient flow but decreasing excessive flow. How this happens has not been determined by science, but is thoroughly supported by the traditional uses.... It is my opinion that goldenseal acts as an "antibiotic" to the mucous membranes not by killing germs directly, but by increasing the flow of healthy mucous, which contains its own innate antibiotic factors—antibodies. This effect is unnecessary in the early stages of a cold or flu, when mucous is already flowing freely.

Quote of the day

One way or another, we all have to find what best fosters the flowering of our humanity in this contemporary life, and dedicate ourselves to that. -Joseph Campbell

Plant of the day  Symphytum officinale (Comfrey)

Nodding gaily as Fine Folks nest
Just a leaf or two please
To bring my poor bones rest
Take over my fields
To nourish my fold
I harbour my Blackwort
More than I do gold.
~ Blackwort, dated around the late 1800's.

Demulcent, mildly astringent and expectorant. As the plant abounds in mucilage, it is frequently given whenever a mucilaginous medicine is required and has been used like Marshmallow for intestinal troubles. It is very similar in its emollient action to Marshmallow, but in many cases is even preferred to it and is an ingredient in a large number of herbal preparations. It forms a gentle remedy in cases of diarrhoea and dysentery. A decoction is made by boiling 1/2 to 1 OZ. of crushed root in 1 quart of water or milk, which is taken in wineglassful doses, frequently. Comfrey leaves are of much value as an external remedy, both in the form of fomentations, for sprains, swellings and bruises, and as a poultice, to severe cuts, to promote suppuration of boils and abscesses, and gangrenous and ill-conditioned ulcers.  The whole plant, beaten to a cataplasm and applied hot as a poultice, has always been deemed excellent for soothing pain in any tender, inflamed or suppurating part.  It was formerly applied to raw, indolent ulcers as a glutinous astringent.  It is useful in any kind of inflammatory swelling.

The Fragility of Time, Ignacio Canales Aracil

Part dome, part surrealism, Aracil’s flower sculptures are woven together and explore the fragility of time.

“The sculptures — called, ambitiously, The Fragility of Time — are meticulously built out of plants and flowers plucked from various parks in the UK (with permission, of course). Aracil then flattens the blossoms and weaves them one by one over a cone-shaped paper mold. There’s no adhesive used here; the flower arrangement is its own support structure (comparable to a straw hat). About a month later, the flowers dry out, and Aracil removes the mold. The only addition is a coat of varnish to prevent the plants from absorbing moisture.” -Ignacio Canales Aracil

Quote of the day

"Every Person, from morning till evening, is making invisible forms in space by what he says.  He is creating invisible vibrations around him, and so he is creating an atmosphere."  -Hazrat Inayat Khan,  "The mysticism of the sound of music"

Plant of the Day  Scutellaria lateriflora (Skullcap)

Skullcap is a cooling, bitter herb that calms the mind and restores the shen to the heart.  It's an antispasmodic, diuretic, sedative, tonic.  An infusion of skullcap is good for spasms and convulsions and for nervous conditions, such as excitability, insomnia, and general restlessness.  It has also been recommended for rheumatism, neuralgia, and delirium tremens.  American Indians used the plant to promote menstruation, and it was reputed to be effective against rabies.

It is ritually used to calm and open the mind to meditation, aiding insight.  Skullcap can be used in spellcraft to prevent a man falling for the 'wiles of the women'.

Carl Warner's Whimsical Food Landscapes

British photographic artist Carl Warner is a master of food and form, crafting astounding fantasy food landscapes that are part Ansel Adams, part Anthony Bourdaine, part your childhood daydreams dreamt from the counter of your grandmother’s kitchen.

"Making landscapes out of food seems like a rather unusual thing to do for a living, and people often ask, ‘What made you start doing this?’ It seems that the burning heart of this question is really the curiosity about what it is that motivates any human being to do something out of the ordinary, and my short answer to this is usually a simple, because I had the idea and I chose to do something about it.” -Carl Warner

Quote of the day

“Each such cycle is a unique event; diet, choice, selection, season, weather, digestion, decomposition and regeneration differ each time it happens. Thus, it is the number of such cycles, great and small, that decide the potential for diversity. We should feel ourselves privileged to be part of such eternal renewal. Just by living we have achieved immortality - as grass, grasshoppers, gulls, geese and other people. We are of the diversity we experience in every real sense.
If, as physical scientists assure us, we all contain a few molecules of Einstein, and if the atomic particles of our physical body reach to the outermost bounds of the universe, then we are all de facto components of all things. There is nowhere left for us to go if we are already everywhere, and this is, in truth, all we will ever have or need. If we love ourselves at all, we should respect all things equally, and not claim any superiority over what are, in effect, our other parts. Is the hand superior to the eye? The bishop to the goose? The son to the mother?” 

- Bill Mollison

Plant of the Day  Verbascum thapsus (Mullein)

It is a bitter, cooling, mucilaginous herb that promotes healing and soothes the tissues.  It has diuretic, analgesic, expectorant, and antiseptic properties.  It contains triterpene saponins (including verbascosaponin), mucilage, iridoid glycosides (aucubin, catalpol) flavonoids and phenolic acids.

Verbascum's high content of mucilage and saponins renders this herb ideal for the treatment of respiratory ailments, from coughs and colds to emphysema, asthma and whooping cough. In addition to the soothing effect imparted by the mucilage, it possesses good antibiotic properties.

Mullein is used to see manifestations of spirits, to see into the otherworld, and to commune with the spirits and deities who dwell there.  It is used for divination and dream work or a combination of the two (prophetic dreaming). Mullein protects you in your sleep helping to combat both evil spirits and nightmares. As it helps one to fall asleep when ingested, Mullein makes an excellent tea to encourage prophetic dreams and as an aid in lucid dreaming or astral travel while asleep.

Dreamer’s Tea

2 parts Mullein flowers

1 part Poppy flowers

1 part Mugwort

2 parts Spearmint