No one knew about Bhindawas Bird Sanctuary. Wikipedia did not list it. My colleague mentioned about it during the course of a casual conversation. We googled the place up, found it interesting and off we went on a weekend, packing camera and binoculars. We never imagined getting there would be so arduous.

At the onset, locating the Gurgaon-Jhajjar state highway proved daunting in the complete absence of signage. There was a world of a difference between the map and the terrain. We had to frequently stop and ask for directions until we reached SH15A to Farrukhnagar. We were really annoyed by the time we stopped for breakfast at Rosy Pelican restaurant adjacent to Sultanpur Bird Santuary (see link below). However, hot Aloo Paranthas, cool air and bright sunshine soon restored our flagging spirits.

The haphazardly patch worked road offered a jerky ride. Tractors and motorcycles materialized without warning from side roads and kept us on the edge. Overtaking slow moving trucks on the single lane road also proved difficult. At Jhajjar we had a frustrating time finding the way to Bhindawas. After a lot of asking around and double checking we took the road to Chhuchhakwas and finally reached Bhindawas by midday. We could not locate the sanctuary gate anywhere and went along a desolate bund bordering a canal before getting stuck at a fork on the narrow road. In the end a helpful local guided us to the entrance.

We took the entry tickets and asked for a guide. The forest department could not spare one because there weren’t any. The sanctuary covering more than 1000 acres is bordered by a 12 km long motor able road along the embankment. We struck out on own and stopped the car at the first watch tower to look out over an expanse of Kikar at the far away lake. It immediately became apparent that unless we had a telephoto lens, any attempt to capture the birds on camera was futile. Water hyacinth infested large tracts of the lake. We spotted a few deer and Nilgai. A large number of birds flew around, hunted, preened and roosted on tree stumps and islets in the middle of the lake. Through binoculars we saw ducks, pelicans, storks and a variety of other birds we couldn’t distinguish. The lake was so vast that birds appeared as black specks to the naked eye.

The sanctuary also had a herbal garden already showing signs of going to seed. We spent some time looking over and identifying different plants and noting their names. From time to time forest department patrol jeeps went by in a trail of dust.

There were hardly any visitors besides us. An old rustic sat on his haunches as we stood watching birds near the edge where the main road skirted the sanctuary. We could see beautiful long legged green birds foraging the shallow waters for fish and insects. To our shock the old man offered to catch these birds and prepare a meal for us. We realized that for the locals, the sanctuary was nothing more than a source of water, food and firewood. They had little sympathy for what it represented and felt no pride. Bhindawas, unlike Bharatpur did not involve participation of the indigenous people nor offered them any kind of employment.

During the onward journey we were so obsessed with locating the sanctuary that we failed to notice the surrounding fields and hamlets. On the way back we stopped beside bright yellow-green mustard fields and paused to watch ponderous camel carts. At Jhajjar we took the NH71 Bypass to Rewari. The national highway though potholed and patch worked was double lane. There was a lot of truck traffic and at some spots the road deteriorated to little more than loose gravel. Once we negotiated the congested Rewari market, we quickly reached NH8 and touched Gurgaon by nightfall.

A kind soul has provided detailed instructions to reach Sultanpur bird sanctuary here:

http://toroid.org/ams/sultanpur

Rosy Pelican Restaurant – Tel: 0124 – 2375242

Photo Courtesy: Subha Varma/ V P Vinod

We have a small pond in the front yard that I made about 10 years ago. I dug a hole about 5 ft wide, 12 ft long and from 4 to 18 inches deep. I contoured it the way I wanted, lined it with sand, then covered that with a felt blanket. I cut a thick plastic pond liner to fit, patching the edges together with waterproof kiddie pond sealant.

At ten years of age, our front yard pond is heavily overgrown and needs thinning.

After adding rocks and placing the pump where I wanted, I filled it with water, planted taro, water iris, water hyacinth, a couple of dwarf rushes–straight and curly–and some pennywort. Or was it penny royal? Can’t remember. But that was a mistake. The pennywhatever escaped the pond and took over the yard.

Orange County Vector Control supplies us with mosquito fish to prevent mosquitoes in the pond. I’ve put goldfish in it on occasion, but the raccoons just eat them. An alternative to the mosquito fish is spraying with Bacillus thuringiensis israelii, a bacterium that specificaly targets mosquitoes and won’t harm butterfly larvae.

We have enjoyed ten years of looking at our pretty pond, seeing all of the wildlife that it attracts. Our native Western Redbud blooms by it in spring, the irises and water hyacinth blaze blue in the summer, and our liquid amber trees drop their yellow and burgandy leaves onto the reflective water in fall. All year long, our pond is alive with visiting birds, butterflies, dragonflies and other wildlife. 

But that’s the front yard pond. I had a small round pond liner that I bought a few years ago to hold water plants while I was transferring them. I decided to make a water garden out of it as part of my backyard makeover.

Hole for the pond liner should be just a bit larger than the liner.

Using a prefabricated pond liner was much easier than building my own pond from scratch. First, I dug a hole a little larger than the liner, putting back a little loose soil until the hole was just the right depth. I added water to make the hole muddy so the liner would get well seated.

After the liner was in place, I added some water to help it get seated.

Normally I would have planted around the pond first, but because my space in back is so limited, I needed to get the flagstones in place as a first step. The plants would just get squeezed into whatever space was left.

I set pavers around the pond liner, leaving space between them for plants.

The next step was adding some pond planting boxes to the pond, then large gravel or small stones to hold the planters in place. The Garden of Perpetual Responsibility in front provided plenty of rocks.

Dirt in the planter boxes provides nutrients for plant growth, as well as holding them in place.

I harvested plants from my front pond, which desperately needed thinning anyway, and set them into gravel in the planting boxes. I also added a pot of a new black taro, Colocasia esculenta “Black Midnight.” Gorgeous plant. I first saw it on the garden tours in Raleigh with the other writers at the Garden Writers Association conference.

I added dirt to within a half inch of the top of the boxes, arranging the plants as I filled. The last step was adding decorative gravel to the boxes and the bottom of the pond. I had a bucket of it in the garage, leftover from the last time I had an aquarium in the house.

The new little water garden is finished.

The final step was planting thyme, chocolate mint, and sword ferns around the pond, and filling it to overflowing with water. The gravel peeks up out of the water, and will provide perching places for bees and butterflies as they drink from the pond. Now it just needs time to grow. See how easy it is to add a water garden to your yard?

Using an above ground sealed container is another way to have a water garden. At Duke Gardens in Raleigh, NC, dwarf water lilies grow in pots.

(To read more of Lou Murray’s environmental writing, see her weekly column, Natural Perspectives, in the Huntington Beach Independent at www.hbindependent.com /blogs_and_columns/)

TPW or the SRA need to address this problem…sorry for the horrible camera skills…but you get the idea.

Lake Fork North of 514 bridge…RIP brush pile docks…RIP lovely cedars to flip to…RIP boatlane to power line…

Rescue tender water plants such as water hyacinth: They need a frost-free place such as a greenhouse to hibernate.

• What about now by Chris Daughtry

It has been raining a lot lately, very gloomy and things seem very depressing no matter where you turn. As for most businesses in our area, they’re thriving, many are focusing on cost cutting rather than revenue generating since it’s a hopeless situation to bring in more business.  It’s riding out the tough times, number crunching for many that work in the Accounting department, having nightmares about cash flow.  It used to be that if you rubbed shoulder with the owner, then you have a job security, but not anymore, it’s most definitely you earn your keep these days.  One thing that I’ve seen and learned, you don’t take your personal problems to work, and you don’t take work home, the two just don’t mix, Max knows what I’m talking about.

It has been a while since I last posted about my garden, the Summer just flew by and now we’re heading for the Fall season. I’ve decided to plant some Fall vegetables, mainly because I want to expand my garden, and have more planting space in the Spring, but I still have a lot more work to do.

Lee is putting her little touch in “her” garden, her latest additions to the garden were the mushroom and birdbath, and her job is to make sure there’s clean water in the birdbath daily.

Believe it or not I still get string beans, just last week that I saw new flowers, and this week more beans.

My herb garden looks more like a Spring garden rather than a Fall garden.

I harvested all my peppers to make room for my Fall crops except for this one.

Some Fall crops.

My new planting bed for Fall crops, still a few more to go.

Another year of Water Hyacinth take over.

And my two Gardenias next to the driveway are in bloom.

Kent County, Delaware

The third type of frog we found while doing some pond maintenance – there must have been at least a dozen frogs we saw, but I only noticed 3 different types.

I think this one is a pickerel frog – thanks @DrMeowMix

Ok, so we load up the gear, get the boat in the water, get the trailer tucked away, and off we go. Still I have no idea where exactly we are off too. BW whips out her cell phone and lets the folks at our destination know that we are on our way, hangs up, looks at me with this little grin and says “We’re going to the last surviving cypress swamp and meeting up with the swamp dwellers.” Actually, I’m not a hundred percent sure that’s exactly what she said because my heart leapt and my head went dizzy with “surviving cypress” and “swamp dwellers”.

I will confess that for a split second I did get a little nervous. I mean, “swamp dwellers”, geez, that kind of terminology in the brain of a Yankee just conjures up scenes from Deliverance if you know what I’m mean Vern. But then I was like, wait, they’ve got cell phones. Why having a cell phone automatically means you’re not a psychopath waiting in the swamp to kill me and feed me to the gators, I don’t know. But it works for me. Plus, I trust BW and I don’t think she’s in the Yankee trafficking business or anything.

So anyway, as we cruised along Lake DeCade, BW pointed out how the local landowning company in the area has been fortifying the bank of the lake to try to prevent erosion. And for the most part, it appears to be working except for this area where there has been a breach.

This is just one small area, but you can see how rapidly the marsh behind the breach has become water. It shows, however, how quickly and relatively inexpensively protection can be established by private interests. BW informed me that the land company reinforces the entire shoreline of the lake each year in a time span of about 6 weeks. Most government entities who shall remain nameless can’t even decide whether or not they should make a decision about doing a study in that time span.

Sorry, getting off track. Seriously, this heat is frying my brain. Where is the ice cream man when you need him? Has anyone started on that petition yet?

OK, so BW slows the boat and turns in to this canal…

and tells me that the ridge in the background is known as the Mauvais Bois, which translated means something like “bad woods.” This is the last living cypress swamp in our area. Notice all the water hyacinth along the banks of the canal. Water hyacinth is an invasive species in south Louisiana and can basically double it’s population in a span of two weeks. It’s really nasty stuff and can quickly take over an area, impact water flow, block sunlight from getting to various aquatic plants, and starve the water of oxygen. BW tells me that it made it’s way to Louisiana via the 1884 Cotton Exposition held in New Orleans. Apparently the Japanese delegation distributed plants that they had imported from Venezuela and it quickly became popular as an ornamental plant in ponds and such. The rest is history. The picture below that I took today on Bayou Petit Caillou near the Bayou Grace office is a good example of how quickly water hyacinth takes over. Just a few weeks ago, there were only a handful of plants along the banks of the bayou.

But I digress. Back to the story. But, seriously, does anyone have a big tub of ice or something I can lie in whie I write this? I’m not even going to torture myself and see what the “feels like” temperature is according to weather.com.

Nope, I lied. I just checked. Apparently it is 89 degrees with a “feels like” temperature of, are you ready, get this, 105! I know you think I’m exaggerating. But I only wish that were true. Here’s proof.

OK, so really, back to the story. BW tells me that much of the marsh in this area is known as flottant. Flottant, as you may have guessed from the name, is a kind of floating marsh. I think it’s generally made up of Maiden Cane (but maybe BW can correct me on this bit of trivia.) As I was l to later learn from one of the Swamp Dwellers, if you’re a small person like he is, you shouldn’t have too much trouble walking across it. But if you happen to be a little on the bulkier side, you’d better watch your step or you’ll be on your way to China.

As we crept farther down the canal, we began to see these big, beautiful cypress trees…

and BW explained that the cypress knees we saw are actually like a big protection system for the trees by anchoring them in the soft muddy soil.

I am so thrilled to see this because most of the cypress trees I’ve encountered in my travels around the 5 bayous look like these, killed by saltwater intrusion.

Then we round a bend in the canal and I get my first glimpse of the Swamp Dwellers…

Tune in tomorrow for Part 3. I’m heading to the gym to sit in the industrial-sized ice maker for a while. But in the meantime for your viewing pleasure…

Just to update my sisters on my dad’s garden, my oldest sister wouldn’t be needing to see these pictures since she is here visiting with us this weekend, she is looking at the real garden.

This is my second sister’s old fishpond, she has it sat in the back yard to raise her water lily and water Hyacinth since her fish seem to eat the roots of the water Hyacinth, so she rotates them around.  Sue planted some flowers for her, they are perennial flowers so that they’ll come up every year.

I took these pictures on Friday evening, the clouds are beautiful.

Not a lot left on the vines when I got there, my dad picked them earlier and said that I can take a picture of them from the wash bin.

I think some of the squashes are ready to be picked.

As for his Pomegranate tree, it has lots of flowers but they don’t look too promising as they start to fall off the tree, it might not bear any fruit this year.

As you can see her water Hyacinth, they look yellowish, not as healthy and glossy green like mine.

I know this is the proudest moment for me to be able to finally harvest some vegetables from my garden, it has been very rewarding thus far.

My first water lily in bloom.  I’ll be visiting Biltmore today and can’t wait to see their water lily.

My Water Hyacinth is spreading rapidly, looks very healthy in comparison to my second sister’s water Hyacinth, her fish ate all the roots.

My second sister gave me these Junior Sunflowers, they’re not very tall, only about knee high.

My gardenia, I also have 2 big bushes near my drive way that have many blooms.

The roostercomb flowers often made me think of the last flower in the garden.

A full house, they look very healthy.

My cherry tomatoes, I can’t wait to pick it for string beans, cucumber, or Spicy papaya salad

I’ve already tried this, not very hot yet.

My string beans start to climb, they don’t look too healthy to me, I have to wait and see if I’ll get any beans this year.  I think I should have tilled up the dirt in this area a bit more.

A Frame works like a charm for cucumbers, the one on the other side didn’t do too well, the soil is not as loose as this side.

It has been a week since I last posted about my garden, and everything is taking off real fast.  In my pond, I’ve the Lily pads, they come up every year, and I repotted them this year, after reading up on it I realized that I had too much dirt in there and used the wrong type of pot.  I’ve the Water hyacinth, and also added another free-floating perennial aquatic plant that I purchased at the nursery, I’m hoping that they won’t take over my pond like last year.

It’s nice and sunny today, I might go strawberry picking this afternoon.  Ira farm is closing down his strawberry farm and this would be his last season, kind of sad to see him go since he has been there for over 31 years, and I think he is either a 5 or 6th generation farmer, I’ve to check again to make sure.

My string beans along with the English Ivy start to climb up the trellis.

This is my first year growing peas and they look very healthy, but next time I’ve to plant them outside the A Frame, it’s kind of hard for them to climb up, and I have to go out there every day to make sure they are doing okay.

I’m going organic this year, and my Thai eggplants have little holes in them, other than that they look very healthy.

My sweet basil, the more I break off the bigger they get, I really enjoy eating them but it’s a different breed from the one that I buy from the Hmong store.

My pickling cucumber plants start to climb up the A Frames, at the rate that they’re growing I think they’d cover the A Frames in no time.

I’m not sure if these mushrooms are eatable, I have several patches here and there.  When I was little growing up in Thailand, my mom would take the wild mushrooms and boil them with rice to see if they’re eatable, and if the rice turned yellow, then it’s poisonous.  I don’t know if any of you have heard or did something like this as well.

Amongst these rains that we’ve been getting, not everything is happy, my garden nearly flooded and the parsley didn’t do too well, you can say part of it drowned.  I have to clear some area out and put down new seeds.

I did get to try the watermelon treat, it was good but I think I put too much limeade in it and made it too sour.  The mint tea recommended by Cambree is great, I think I’ll be drinking more mint tea from now on.

Picture of a Water Hyacinth.

Water Gardens & Features Q & A

Q: I’ve had many people tell me to add water hyacinth to my water garden. I heard they spread like wildfire and can take over my water garden. What’s so great about them? – Tiffany of West Virginia

A: Water hyacinth, especially in water gardens, are a useful tool when trying to create a balanced ecosystem. Water hyacinth are simple to use and perform many functions in a water garden such as: great for filtration, compete with algae for nutrients and provides shade and shelter. I know many of our readers may not agree with this so let’s explain some of the cons first.

Many southern states have restricted water hyacinth because of its aggressive growth. They clog waterways and choke out native plants. In these areas other plant types can be used. Bogs can be planted with marginal/bog plants to maintain the water body that are not as aggressive. Water lilies can be utilized for shelter and shade. If you are in the northern climates, water hyacinth still spread quickly but they cannot survive the cold harsh winter.

So Why Use Water Hyacinth Anyway?

• Easy to Plant: Water hyacinth are one of the most simple plants to add to your water garden. Simply drop them in and enjoy. You can place them in your waterfall filter, calm areas in the pond or any place where there is at least a few inches of water.
• Shelter: Water hyacinth float on the water’s surface covering the pond and shading it from the sun keeping the water cooler. The root systems also provide hiding places for your baby fish as well as cover in general against predators.
• Filtration Capacity: Water hyacinth have large root systems that can stretch 10 or more inches. Each of these individual roots have thousands of root hairs which increase the roots surface area. We know from our filter systems that the main reason they work so well is the large amount of surface area for bacteria to grow on. Multiply that by numerous water hyacinth and you have instantly doubled or even tripled your filtration capacity.
• Compete with Algae: Since water hyacinth are prolific growers, they compete with algae for the same food source, thus keeping your water garden balanced and looking good all year.
• Looks: Water hyacinth are nice too look at. Foliage is green all season and purple flowers form through out the year as well.
• Easy to Remove: If water hyacinth get out of control in your water garden, don’t worry, they are extremely easy to remove with a pond net.

With so many benefits, in the right conditions, water hyacinth are a great renewable resource.

POND TALK: Do you plant water hyacinth in your water garden? Tell us what you think about water hyacinth.

THE SLIGHT EDGE

Time is one of our most precious assets. We each get the same amount of time each day, each week, each month and each year. Would you like to know how to build your business more effectively?

KNOWING what actions you need to take to bring you the results you want is your first step.  Once you know that, here is a principle that you can start to apply immediately, taken from the book, “The Slight Edge: Secret to a Successful Life” by Jeff Olson.

It is a Simple, but Powerful Concept:

If you do the same Small Actions DAILY,
consistently, over time,
they will compound over long-term and bring you results.

I would rather see you work 15 minutes a day, consistently, than 5 hours all in one day. When you do a little each day, consistently, momentum builds up and compounds over time.  Oh, you won’t notice it right away, perhaps not even for a couple months. But then, all of a sudden, WHAM! All the work you’ve done accumulates and brings you results.

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Here’s a couple true life examples of “the Slight Edge” principle we observe in nature:

The Bambo o Plant
The Bamboo Plant grows only one inch in the first year of life.
The second y ear it grows one inch.
The third year it grows one inch.
The fourth year it grows one inch.
The fifth year, WHAM! It grows 20 feet!

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The Water Hyacinth
It’s kind of like a lily flower that floats on water. So picture a pond with a little flower floating on it. Look at how it spreads out over a 30-day period:
On Days 1-14, it is hardly noticeable.
On Day 15 it covers about a 12×12 inch square.
On Day 20 we are already about 2/3 through the month and it’s a dense patch like a small mattress.
On Day 29 Half of the pond is covered with growth.
The VERY NEXT DAY, On Day 30, WHAM! The Entire Pond is Covered!

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Would you like a CHART to Track your Daily Activities?

CLICK HERE For Your FREE Daily Activities Chart

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’til next time . . .

Hugs, 

Loretta Helson
815-224-4220 (CT)
HUGS: “Helping You Grow & Succeed”
MentorPlanB@gmail.com

Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) are truely an amazing species. They are extremely easy to grow. I have talked to a few people who have managed to let these  plants not perform well or die, but it’s rare. They grow so well and so quickly that they cannot be shipped to 11 states.  You can still have these plants in many of these states,  just keep them in private waters. The trouble comes when plant loving people take the extras to waterways and release their excess into no native waterways. The good news,  in more than 90% of the united states gets a hard freeze each year, one hard freeze zaps these wonderful plants and they will no longer be a problem. This means they are annuals and must be replaced each year. Not a problem for most as they cost about $2-$3 and if you buy in quantity, can be as low as $1.50 each.

These plants are amazing filters of the water, in Europe in fact huge vats and greenhouses of Hyacinths are used as primary water treatment tanks. They grow and multiply so quickly and absorb almost all nutrients in the water.

Water Hyacinths Growing, To Flower let them grow in clucsters, fertilize with miracle grow, and they like sun and heat 85*+

 These plants like still water, they like to grow in clusters, do not break old foliage apart only new if you must. They enjoy sunshine but will do well in shade. Add them only after wether is warm, cold night will prohibit growth for up to 6 weeks and cause yellowing! They love nutrients, you can add a granular fertilizer like regular old miracle grow to a pond. Fish wont notice anything and plants will thrive. Add a few tablespoons per week anywhere in the pond, THERE IS “NOTHING” SPECIAL ABOUT POND PLANT FERTILIZER. (it will contain no iron but thats it, most fertilizers dont contain iron which is a cause of algae).

Below is how a water hyacinth looks normally upon arrive. If too tall it may lay on its side for a few days but all new growth will be upright.

Water Hyacinth at arrival when ordered or bought from store. Buy in quantity for quicker blooming.

KEEP AWAY FROM SPLASHING WATERFALLS AND FOUNTAINS! A wet plant is an unhappy plant, they need to exchange oxygen through the leaves and water inhibits this process.

Water Hyacinth Farm

This plant will prevent algae and keepwater crystal clear once 30-40% of the pond has coverage by plants (lilies, lettuce, or hyacinth).

The roots are a great place to hide from herons and raccoons. An all around wonderful plant.

Gardeners who love ponds shouldn’t do without water lilies or the Nymphaea sp. A lot of Filipinos think the Nymphaea water lily is the lotus (scientifically called Nelumbo nucifera). The term “water lily” is also incorrectly used for the Water Hyacinth or the water weed Eichornia crassipes, which are often seen in the Pasig River. Nymphaea are often called Egyptian lotuses, while the plants belonging to the genus Nelumbo are commonly called Chinese or Indian Lotus, both of which are not related.

The genus Nymphaea includes about 50 species of aquatic plants which belong to the Nymphaeaceae plant family, and they have a cosmopolitan distribution. They are used as ornamental plants in ponds.

The name Nymphaea comes from a Greek word which means “nymph.” The nymphs in Greek mythology were supernatural feminine beings associated with springs, so the application of the name to delicately flowered aquatic plants is understandable.

The leaves of Nymphaea are circular and have a radial notch from the circumference to the petiole or leaf stem in the center. To further remove confusion, despite their name, water lilies are not related to the true lilies, which belong to the family Liliaceae. The latter usually has underground bulbs. The flower petals of Nymphaea are much larger than the sepals, and when the fruit matures, it sinks below the water level immediately after the flower closes.

There are two forms of water lilies. First is the Egyptian White Water lily, or the Nymphaea lotus. Reportedly, it flowers on the Nile River in the evening and closes and sinks in the morning. The Egyptian Blue Water lily, or N. caerulea, opens its flowers in the morning and then sinks beneath the water at dusk. This symbolizes the Egyptian separation of deities and is a motif associated with Egyptian beliefs concerning death and the afterlife.

The recent discovery of psychedelic properties of the blue lotus may also have been known to the Egyptians and may explain its ceremonial role. Remains of both flowers have been found in the burial tomb of Ramesses II.

For horticultural use, there are now a lot of hybrids for the fun of water gardening.

Ref: dailyinquirer

I posted about my Water Hyacinth the last time; mozemoua asked if she could have some. There is only so much that I could take inside with me during the winter months, and this water floating plant spread so fast that you only need a couple and it’ll grow overnight.

When I promised her that I’d give, I really didn’t know how I would ship this since we live in different states, but we were able to work out the detail that I’d give this to her with no charge, and she offered to pay for the freight, so UPS ground seems like a perfect solution for us. I choose to ship on a Monday so that it will have plenty of time to get there, I’d hate for it to get stuck somewhere over the weekend. UPS has not updated their tracking yet, but I think it’d take about 1 or 2 days to get there UPS has updated their tracking information, and it is scheduled for delivery on 10/08/2008, so it’ll take 2 days to deliver to her area.

I checked to see if it’s legal to ship Water Hyacinth to her state, and it is, many places in her area actually use it for waste water treatment. I picked out the Water Hyacinth yesterday and mostly young ones so that I can give her more. I put them in my large vase/pond that I used as my water lily and fish pond before I made this bigger pond in my backyard, that way by Monday afternoon, I would have them ready to pack and ship.

I’ve never shipped any living things before, but had seen how they shipped Orchid plant, one of our customers shipped Orchid to one of my co-workers in the past, and it was lots of shredded newspaper and I thought that I would try the same with the Water Hyacinth. I wrapped the roots with wet paper towels, and put it in a sandwich bag to keep it from wetting the box. The Water Hyacinth look comfortable in there, all covered with shredded newspaper, so we’ll see in a couple of days if they made it to their new home okay.

Updated 10/8/2008: mozemoua received the Water Hyacinth yesterday at 2:29 PM delivered to her front door but she didn’t return home until late yesterday, these are photos from her blog posting, I’m very happy that they are in great condition, one even has a flower.

My fish pond or is it water hyacinth pond?

I can’t say that too much of anything is a good thing, I’d never have thought that I would have a problem with the Water Hyacinth, this water floating plant is spreading at a very fast pace, practically taken over my pond. Water hyacinth are free-floating perennial aquatic plants native to tropical South America. One of the fastest growing plants known, water hyacinth reproduces primarily by way of runners or stolons, which eventually form daughter plants. They provide a food source for gold fish when used in man-made ponds, also help to keep water clean, and provide oxygen.

Water Hyacinth

Although I do have to say that the flowers are beautiful but usually last only a day or so, and the leaves are glossy green, the air pockets in the bulbous areas keep the plant afloat. I think the problem is that my pond is too small and this is spreading too fast, I gave some of them to my second sister but hers are not doing well at all, they’re yellowish and her fish apparently ate all the roots. My roots are still intact, and the long thick black roots provide spawning and hiding places for my fish, I now have at least 6 to 7 new baby fish. Of course another benefit is the nutrient absorbing qualities of the plant, they help to control the algae in the water.

Koi fish, gold fish, and baby fish

Baby fish

In some areas, these are used as cattle food and in biogas production. Recently, they have also begun to be used in wastewater treatment due to their fast growth and ability to tolerate high levels of pollution. Parts of the plant are also used in the production of traditional handicrafts in Southeast Asia, some samples of mats, baskets, and sofa below.

Water Hyacinth Mat, this is natural flooring water hyacinth rug / mat / carpet with plaited style. It makes your room warm and nice looking. Made in Vietnam.

Water Hyacinth Basket. Made in Vietnam.

Water Hyacinth Mat. Made in Thailand.

This is a Water Hyacinth sofa, corner unit, selling at $951.00. Made in Thailand.

This is an interesting read by morungexpress, August 26, 2008: Water hyacinth turns into exotic handicrafts

Entrepreneurs producing handicrafts from water hyacinth at a training programme organised by NEDFi

Of course, this is one way of controlling the Water Hyacinth, and I do have to say that it’s a very creative way of doing it by turning them into handicrafts. Another way is to Bamboo stakes placed to control water hyacinth at Lake Tempe.

Photo taken by Rhett A. Butler

These bamboo tripods form bungkas, large man-made circles of floating vegetation. These serve as fish traps, attracting fish during the rainy seaons. As water levels drop towards the dry season, a fine bamboo fence is built around the bungka, trapping the fish.

When we went to Barclay Park this spring (yes, there’s a backlog of postings, my apologies– but fortunately for ye readers who like attending my witterings and pretty pictures, since there is a backlog, the blog will likely not die even after I finally return to the US in the fall for the kiss and cry of the election…  Oh, where was I?  Right… Barclay Park, a spring morning when I actually woke up REALLY early to go take photographs), the air wasn’t oppressively hot, and there were plenty of people doing their morning exercises of Tai Chi, and stretches and strolling energetically about.  In spite of the hopping pathways which hosted adorable tots being walked by their parents, there was a certain ambiance that retained that silent watchful quality nature has, even when it’s not all that silent…

Cute lizards

A smushed flower– these are pretty common if you stroll underneath the trees with slightly fern-like leaves and red flowers which I don’t know the proper name of.  They’re beautiful though, and I’ll photoblog them at some point.  ETA: My mother informs me that they are called “flame trees” and that Tainan has also been known as the “flame tree city.”

Another flower that was growing on bushes close to the water’s edge.

I think these are vaguely orchid-like, even though they are attached to a bush.

A water hyacinth.

Sunflowers always make me think of Provence, but there was a little field of them in Barclay park too.

Wind and rain but no hurricane for us near the town of Tarpon Springs, FL this 19 August 2008. The bayou across the street from my house has been stirred, sending the floating Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) out into the brackish water where the Sheepshead and Mullet can eat it. The Great Blue Heron was the only bird I saw all day. I could not find the missing road sign. With luck this photo will be all I have to remember Fay.

L, a L.A.M.B. fragrance by Gwen Stefani

NOTES (as listed on fragrancenet.com): water hyacinth, violet, fresh pear, white freesia, jasmine, muguet, sweet pea, rose, orange blossom, heliotrope, peach

I was visiting with my sister for the weekend, she was finishing up getting ready to go out while I browsed her new magazine selection. I came upon an advertisement for the (at the time) new fragrance from Gwen Stefani, and immediately became excited. I admired many of the pieces from her fashion line L.A.M.B., and expected this fragrance to be ultra-fun, ultra-flirty, and ultra-sassy. We went to Nordstrom’s right away so that I could investigate further…

CLASSIFICATION: unique, fresh, feminine, slightly floral

AGE GROUP: college

SIMILAR SCENT(s): n/a

FORM: eau de parfume

To my surprise, L by Gwen Stefani was NOT flirty, was NOT fruity, and was not at ALL sassy. It did not represent the in-your-face, fun-loving, zany Gwen Stefani of yesteryear. I know now that this scent was definitely created with her “classic,” “timeless,” beauty phase in mind (think: softly curled hair, glamorous red lips, mysteriously lengthy eyelashes). This was a bit of a let down for me compared to what I was expecting, but I did not lose interest, or hope. I sniffed the tester numerous times before making the plunge – I sprayed my wrist ever so lightly. We continued walking about as I would check the scent every few moments. One of my favorite things about L by Gwen Stefani is it’s consistency. The scent did not change at all from first sniff of the nozzle, to first spray on the wrist, to being worn all day.

The scent itself is a bit tricky, for me, to put my finger on. It’s unlike any fragrance that I have ever smelled, and perhaps doesn’t fit into my normal perfume tastes. It’s more on the mature side, which I usually shy away from – although this fragrance is not by any means a bad fit for the younger, college crowd. It’s definitely not overwhelming, but has staying power and an attention-getting aroma. While there are some fruity notes (pear, orange, peach), they are not abundant whatsoever, and I would not consider this fragrance fruity in the least bit. For me, it’s just a fresh, feminine scent that is timeless; wear it with jeans and flip flops or out on a fancy dinner date and either way, it won’t be out of place.

REPORT CARD

(We highly recommend reading our guide to understanding our grading system if you haven’t already)

First sniff (bottle): A

First sniff (skin): A

Worn scent: A

Staying power: B

Scent as compared to note(s): B

Bottle: C-

Overall: A

This one is more of a generalized crowd pleaser than any of the other perfumes that I have reviewed so far; the young and the old, the fun and the serious, the thoughtful and the carefree will all get something worthwhile from this scent.

Success at Stennis
A New Image for the Water Hyacinth
In tropical and subtropical areas where water hyacinths grow, including the southern United States, these aquatic plants are generally considered a colossal nuisance. They are extra-ordinarily prolific, virtually indestructible, and their rapid growth clogs rivers and streams.

However, in a small but growing number of American communities, the glossy green, violet-flowered water hyacinth is developing a new image as a useful and beneficial plant. Its upgraded status stemmed from the discovery – in a NASA technology application project – that water hyacinths thrive on sewage; they absorb and digest wastewater pollutants, converting sewage effluents to relatively clean water. Thus, the plants have exciting promise as a natural water purification system, which can be established at a fraction of the cost of a conventional sewage treatment facility. Water hyacinths are serving that purpose in several locales and a number of other communities are considering adoption of the technique. For maximum effectiveness, pollution-gorged water hyacinths must be harvested at intervals, but this apparent drawback offers potential for additional benefit. Harvested plants can be– and are being – used as fertilizer. They can also be heat-treated to produce consumer energy in the form of methane gas. And if an economical way of drying the plants can be developed, they may find further utility as high-protein animal feed.

Read the entire article here…