During the recent ice storm we lost a large limb from one of our white cedar trees. We would like to offer to any of our members here on Patreon, at any level, the opportunity to take some of the cedar greenery for making smoke bundles. Simply get in touch to arrange a time to pick up your cedar greenery. We have plenty to go around so that everyone can have a big bunch. (The branches and ...
While we were pulling out some trash (old tires and such, left by the previous residents) from the woods on our work day this week, there was a particular plant whose thorns wanted to grab at us as we passed by it. This is one of the reasons why we have trails, because these shrubs can make it nearly impossible to pass through certain areas. However, they are another of our beloved native plants that grow in ...
By Sarenth Óðinsson, Board Member of Crossing Hedgerows The world is alive. This is especially easy to know at Crossing Hedgerows. You can feel life pulsing beneath your feet, even in the midst of Winter. There is life. Perennial food crops and flowers around the farm are coming back to life, with shoots beginning to pop up, and fruit blossoms preparing to open. The greenhouse is thriving with green interspersed with the decay of the last hops ...
I thought you all might like to see a picture of how wet it gets in the spring around here. This was as close as I could get to the creek yesterday. Some of the recent days previous to yesterday, I couldn't even get within sight of the creek. But did you know that there are some native plants and animals that require a habitat of regular flooding in order to survive? We have identified ...
Spring is in the air as the sanctuary prepares for the sun to rise. I also love how the veins of the stones in the circle are somehow glowing in the dim light. https://youtube.com/shorts/zF9Bx1as3Ac Blessed Be, Jean
"What beauty is in the world that I never noticed before?" -Rick Rubin Following is another cross post from the Patreon page of Brennah Cavanaugh Photography. Last spring I was fascinated by these tiny just-emerged oak leaves I found on the many oak saplings along the north edge of the woods. To me they looked like tiny felt crafts. They were actually tiny enough to be tricky to photograph. Bright red, fuzzy leaves don’t seem to ...
What makes a place sacred? I truly believe that when a place is visited over and over again with reverence, and when people walk the same paths to visit special sites, where the spirits of the land are recognized and offerings are made, then that place becomes more and more sacred over time. There is an energy that resides there, of a place that has had healing... and of a place that is seen and known in ...
Time to grab your rubber boots! This time of year there is typically a lot of flooding at the Sanctuary. The water can recede fairly quickly, but it's good to be aware that there can be days that if you visit, you will need some really good waterproof footwear. (This morning heading out to the hoophouse.)(This afternoon - you can see the May Pole at the back right.)(Another view from this afternoon - and in case you are ...
"My work is loving the world.Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird –equal seekers of sweetness.Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums.Here the clam deep in the speckled sand.Are my boots old? Is my coat torn?Am I no longer young and still not half-perfect? Let mekeep my mind on what matters,which is my work,which is mostly standing still and learning to be astonished.The phoebe, the delphinium.The sheep in the pasture, and the pasture.Which is mostly rejoicing, since ...
Dawn in the chicken coop at Crossing Hedgerows Farm. The chickens are waking up, preening their feathers and wagging their tails.(The crowing is coming from the coop on the other side of the inner wooden wall which mirrors the coop I’m in.) https://youtube.com/shorts/pzDd4yifMWQ?feature=share The outside walls have clear plastic panels on them over the screens to allow in maximum sunlight and warmth during the winter, like a greenhouse. In summer the panels can be ...
We have been officially accepted into the Botanical Sanctuary Network of the United Plant Savers organization! Because of the wide variety of rare and endangered medicinal plants we harbor at Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary and Farm, our application was approved!Following is some of what I wrote in the application, as well as including photos of our land and descriptions of our projects. I purposely listed plants that are included in their Species At-Risk List.We have a small three ...
On Monday I had the opportunity to speak at a public meeting of County Drain Commissioners for Wayne, Monroe, and Washtenaw counties regarding the clearing of the North Branch of the Swan Creek. This is the creek which runs through the Sanctuary land, eventually emptying into Lake Erie. The creek runs through these three counties, and the commissioners were asking for public comment from the land owners whose properties would be affected by a proposal to clear ...
Have you been wondering how you might go about creating your own gatherings or events at the Sanctuary? Here are a few guidelines that might be helpful:*All events must be approved and fit the mission of Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary.* If you are a member and are planning a free event exclusively for the members of the Sanctuary, you may use the space at no cost to provide a service to our community. Simply submit your idea for approval, ...
Hello Everyone! Today is a cross post from Brennah Cavanaugh Photography of a bluebird at Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary and Farm. We hope you Hello Everyone! Today is a cross post from Brennah Cavanaugh Photography of a bluebird at Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary and Farm. We hope you enjoy it! Here is a series of photos I took shortly before I went to New Mexico of a bluebird doing acrobatics to reach some dogwood berries. This series is definitely ...
Sunrise on Dec. 21st at Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary "The future enters into us, in order to transform us, long before it happens." ~ Rilke Brennah recently decided to plant a few seeds that are a variety which need to sit through the cold winter in the deep earth in order to germinate properly. "Some seeds, most often perennials from temperate climate, need 1-4 months of cold damp conditions before they will germinate. This is called ...
For our Skills and Friendship Day last week, the focus was on clearing around one of our American Hazelnut bushes to give it a bit more space. It had been getting closed in on by False Indigo Bush and Sunchokes, both of which are native perennials which we planted along with the hazelnut, but were beginning to crowd it out a bit too much.Sarenth cutting False Indigo Bush. It is a spreading shrub which has done really ...
The photo above was taken this summer of some native plants growing under the shade of autumn olive shrubs, which are considered invasive. There are two sassafras trees and some spicebush, both of which are highly valuable for wildlife and humans alike. These native forest plants popped up on their own in this spot, spread by natural processes.Autumn olives can be problematic when they take over areas that have generally been dominated by native thickets of shrubs ...
https://youtube.com/shorts/Q5i-7VtLsro?feature=share A couple of our members donated their leftover pumpkins to us for the chickens this past week. As you can see in the video, the chickens appreciated it very much... to the point that some were not wanting to share! So I ended up bringing in another pumpkin for them, as there were plenty to go around! Each chicken area got some pumpkins, and they were all very happy indeed. Pumpkin seeds are a ...
We had a lovely time foraging for materials for our Yule decorations this past Sunday. The photo is of the centerpiece that Alissa created from what she gathered. It's so beautiful! The Cavanaughs also have cut their Christmas tree, and I wanted to send a reminder that folks are still welcome to come out to gather materials or cut a tree. Even though they might be too tall, the bottoms can be cut off to still ...
November 20, 2022 at Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I would like to share with you the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address which I first read in Robin Wall Kimmerer’s beloved book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants . Greetings to the Natural World The People Today we have gathered and we see that the cycles of life continue. We have been given the duty to live in ...