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Happening
at the Crossroads
November 17,
2008
by Coggin
Heeringa
Last
spring (remember spring?) on wildflower hikes at Crossroads at Big
Creek (and other natural areas), participants rarely notice the flowers
of white baneberry. The inconspicuous clusters simply
couldn't compete with the violets, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, and Lady
Slippers that share this habitat. But by fall, this plant is
eye-catching, to say the least.
In autumn, clusters of stumpy
red stems are tipped with ivory-colored berries. And each berry has a
funny little purple dot in the center - sort of like the eyes of those
old fashioned porcelain dolls. Fact is, in fall, almost everybody
refers to the white baneberry plants as "Doll's Eyes."
The
berries don't last long. Most have dropped by now, leaving the squat
red stems that remind me of the red plastic jacks I played with as a
child.
The prefix “bane” in a plant name should be a warning.
One reference book describes the roots of baneberry as “virulently
poisonous and violently purgative.” The berries are also poisonous,
affecting the heart. The “dolls’ eyes” are thought to be fatal to young
children.
Poisons are more common in nature than we know.
Researchers are aware of the plants that poison humans and animals.
Less understood are mechanisms by which some plants poison other plants
by releasing toxins into the soil. Apparently, some plants release
chemicals which inhibit or kill beneficial underground fungus. This may
be one of the reasons invasive plants gain a competitive edge over
native species.
Alas, in our efforts to subdue weeds and
invasives, we may be adding to the problems for native plants, most of
which depend to some degree on the mycorhiza - the beneficial fungi
which grow in association with roots. Evidently, some herbicides can
kill mycorhizae.
On Saturday, November 22, at 2:00, Wild Ones of
Door County will sponsor the lecture, "Dirty Interactions: Soil.
Chemicals, and Mycorhizae." Dean Volenberg, Door County UWEX Ag Agent
is well informed on anything below the surface, especially factors
affecting plant growth. If soil type, moisture and available sunlight
are appropriate, but a transplant fails to thrive, what is the problem?
Dean will discuss impact of synthetic chemicals and mycorrrhizae on
plant growth. This program is free and open to the public
At 7
PM, Tuesday, November 25, will be the final screening of the Global
Lens 2008 film series. “Bunny Chow” was filmed in South Africa in
Afrikaans, Tsotsi, Taal and English with subtitles in English.
In
Bunny Chow, up-and-coming comedians Kags, Joey and Dave make clear that
life in the ‘new’ Johannesburg is not just about hardship and
townships. It's also about finding humor in relationships, hanging out
with friends and celebrating life on a raucous road trip to Oppi Koppi—
South Africa 's largest music festival.
Shot in a cinema vérité
style and using the street food ‘bunny chow’ as a metaphor for
contemporary Johannesburg's mix of races, cultures and attitudes,
Barker's edgy, urban comedy asks us to envision a nation through the
eyes of its future, rather than the tragedy of its past.
This
film series has been presented in collaboration this the Green Bay Film
Society and Neville Museum . Films are not rated but are intended for
mature audiences.
Crossroads
is a donor-supported learning preserve providing programs for lifelong
learning in science, history and the environment. It is located at 2041
Michigan (County TT) in Sturgeon Bay. The Collins Learning Center is open
2:00-5:00 daily.
Many of
the Past News articles may be retrieved from this directory,
indexed and named in the following manner: 080101-news.htm
where
the first two numbers are the year, the second two the month and the
last two the date.
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