"What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet;" -William Shakespeare Have you been wondering about the significance of our name - Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary? Found within the word hedgerow is the word "edge". In permaculture design we view edges as some of the most abundant places. Within ecosystems they allow for the biggest variety of life. On the edge of a forest where it is next to ...
Food Forest Guild Part 2 https://youtube.com/shorts/B8-CbCzNysw?feature=share * The word “guild” in this usage is a group of plants that can thrive together as you would find in a forest habitat. It has the layers found in a forest - tree, shrub, herbaceous, ground cover, and sometimes even vines. The different plants all serve various purposes… edible, pollinator friendly, medicinal, windbreak, etc. This weekend we are celebrating Christ's resurrection. It’s lovely how the plants ...
Recently I mentioned that we have been in the process of assessing where we're at with things at Crossing Hedgerows. This summer's flood was one of the reasons for that, with it putting us out of commission for quite some time. It is the worst flood we have had, and caused us to really look at the feasibility of our plans and the design we've been working towards for the land. Along with the flood, ...
Hi Everyone! I apologize for the delay in posting. I have been working on a project needed by EGLE for getting our permits to do the permaculture landscaping for the pond and gathering areas that we've been working on these last several years. After going through an engineering company for our first meeting with EGLE earlier this spring, Dan and I were given a quote by the engineer for $11,000 to do a "forensic wetland analysis" to ...
Sunrise - July 1st, 2023: A distinctive purple glow over the stone circleAs we head into July, I want to thank you all for your continued support of Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary. Though we haven't been having as many events this year, the land continues to heal and is teaming with ever more life. Sometimes the bird song is almost deafening around here, and the varieties of insects, and animals passing through are too many to list. Yet ...
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 ...
This week the monarch butterfly was put on the endangered species list. https://www.washingtonpost.com/kidspost/2022/07/25/monarch-butterflies-named-endangered-species-red-list/ I'm glad to report that we've still been seeing them around the farm and sanctuary regularly this year, and we do have a couple of different varieties of milkweed available for them. Yesterday I saw four different ones flitting about. Monarch on Swamp Milkweed - Photo by Brennah Cavanaugh Photography LLC taken on July 14, 2022 at Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary I would like to ...
Cardinals and Forsythia BushThis is the time of year when we see whole flocks of cardinals around the farm and sanctuary. Today we have a fresh covering of snow and the cardinals are so beautiful against the white (and dull greens and browns) of winter. Five cardinals (three males and two females) in a cedar treeBirds are a high priority for us at Crossing Hedgerows. Many of the perennial trees, bushes, and herbs we have planted are not ...
In our May gathering, one of the areas we walked through on our tour was the hoophouse. Cabbage and Leeks When we look at growing crops through the lens of healthy ecosystems, it requires that we think of all the elements involved and what they want and need to be healthy. Chard, Leeks, Onions, and Milkweed Some of the things I touched on during the tour, is how we ...
Some of the baby birds are beginning to fledge now. This whole nest of sparrows came down at once the other day, moving about in a little group while the parents continued to watch over them. It's a little hard to tell, but there are four of them here.Being a haven for birds is something we're quite keen on here at the farm and sanctuary. We love that we can provide an excellent habitat for them. Even ...
All creatures have their place and value in an ecosystem. The more variety there is, the more balance is created. Here are some photos Brennah took on August 3rd - 7th this past summer at CHFS. This is a tiny fraction of the insects (which Brennah photographs at all different life stages) that make up the habitat. We are sharing these as a special post for patrons only, as these photos have not yet been shared anywhere ...