I’ve Got Gall

One of the signs of a rough winter is an abundance of acorns. I have heard that this is the case this year except in my backyard. In today’s Portland Press Herald there is an explanation of something that has seemed odd to me. Instead of acorns there have been little white balls all over the yard. As it turns out these are these fuzzy balls are called galls – they fall off oak trees and protect harmless insects until they hatch in Spring.

They don’t harm the tree and the emerging insect looks like an ant with wings. The best news is that as adults, they don’t sting. So, if under your white oak, you are seeing lots of fuzzy tan balls, it is Mother Nature doing her thing for the insect world.

Yesterday, I mentioned the Farmers’ Almanac article on making bricks out of cow manure. Here is a photo of Ray Geiger making a concoction for bricks. The benefit was the “naturalness” of the ingredients and they weighed 1/20th as much as a clay brick and sturdiness. Not sure I know of any buildings constructed from cow manure but it certainly fits the “green movement”.

Here are a few earth friendly suggestions:

1) Best time to buy gas is in the morning or evening when the temperatures are cooler. You get more gas for the money. And, don’t top off the tank just to pay an even amount. The excess evaporates and adds to the pollution.

2) For wrapping gifts. Consider using extra wallpaper or going to a paint store and buying wallpaper ends. They can be attractive and less expensive than prepackaged paper. Or, use the comic sheets from the Sunday Paper to offer color and fun designs.

3) Speaking of leftovers, us leftover carpeting as car mats during the sloppy winter months. They can take the abuse of snow, sand and salt. Discard later and the car is clean.

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green movement, earth friendly, winter, galls, Farmers’ Almanac