June 19-June 25: The Weekly Garden and Afield Report
Photos and Writing by Joseph Sapia
GARDEN AND AFIELD
2016, June 19, Sunday, to 2016, June 25, Saturday
Lettuce
Wild blueberries
HARVESTING FROM THE LOCAL PINE BARRENS: Blueberries are ripening. I picked some the other day and mixed them into a cup of yogurt.
Bird bath
BIRD BATH: I keep a bird bath filled with water at ground level. Birds not only “bathe” in it, but birds and other animals drink from it.
WILDLIFE IN THE YARD: The raccoons are still taking advantage of the sunflower kernels in the bird-feeder. And, one evening, I saw a huge skunk passing by.
Mullein in front of the American holly
WEEDS IN MY YARD: As I have mentioned, I leave many weeds growing to see what they develop into. Well, I have a huge mullein taking over my American holly in my backyard. In the front yard, I have pokeweed growing.
“Knock Out” roses
“KNOCK OUT” ROSES: Surprisingly, the first bloom of “Knock Out” roses continues.
Fungi in the backyard
FUNGUS, IN YARD AND WOODS: Fungi growing in my backyard and some in the local Pine Barrens.
Sassafras with its three styles of leaves
SASSAFRAS IN THE LOCAL PINE BARRENS: Sassafras trees can have three leaf patterns on the same tree: a two-prong mitt, three-prong, and oval. I found an aberration this week, one with five prongs.
Helmetta Pond at sunset
Joe Sapia has been a professional journalist since the 1970s. He also is a writing teacher, folk artist, vegetable gardener, Pine Barrens woodsman, Helmetta area historian, and Jeep driver, along with being Marquette University Jesuit-educated..
Born in 1956, Joe is a lifelong resident of Central Jersey, where his family — through his maternal side, the old Polish and Slovak workers of the George W. Helme Snuff Mill in Helmetta — has lived since about 1900. He is a voice of the land and Old Jersey ways.