2014.08.17 20:19
Answering to my soliloquy.
In this 6 acres of land, besides me, many creatures are also surviving.
And they
Many of the plants, called "weed", are so agressive and we had to dig out their roots (e.g. blackberry) to make organic ferilizer (퇴비) pile.
Deers, ticks, bats, fish, insects, wild birds, and the numerous plants, "weeds", live
together competing for territory, food or sunshine.
I did not know why many small trees I planted were dying. The reason was simple. They did not
receive enough sunshine because of the big trees or weeds blocking sunshine. Too much water or
too little water also kill them.
Sunshine is an ultimate energy source for plants, which is a simple truth, I realize.
Many times, I failed to grow the germinated small
did not receive enough sunshin all day.
Even the
Under the tall trees, small trees and grasses cannot survive, as they do not get enough energy from the sunlight.
When, lotus leaves are becoming huge and completely cover the water surgface, no other water plants
can grow beneath due to the lack of sunshine.
The best way to keep small tress alive is to protect them from deers and weeds blocking the
sunshine, away frm any shade created by tall trees. I need lots of mulch to prevent weeds growing near the tree or I have to pull
those weeds manually until they outgrow the weeds.
Even trees try to outgrow each other trees to get more sunshine.
If a bamboo plant stays on one spot without growing new branches or leaves all summer, it is
growing root system for the next season. If there is enough water, sunshine and nutrition, the
new shoot will come out in the middle of a summer too.
Some of the plants are very dangerous to us and the county goverement (군청) is holding
educatinal meetings as these weeds kill cattles and hurt human beings with spines.
We have now the invasion of Star Thristle (very invasive plant), which forms seeds with very
hard metal pin like spines, puncturing even a leather globe (가죽 장갑). It is dangerous to remove
them with bare hands.
I dug out and removed at least one small pickup truck load of this weed and dumped into the
pond water, as seeds will germinate in any humid soil and spread rapidly. Another way to kill
them is to burn in a dry pile.
Luckily, conifers(침엽수 예:소나무 ) do not attract deers and the leaves are very acid and no weeds
grow under their shade.
These little pine trees do not need protection from deers.
Every broad-leaved (활엽수) trees need to be protected with chicken wires
until they are 5-6 feet tall, as the deers eat the tip of new branches. I found out also small
pines survive better than the big pine trees when planted.
Maples, Magnolia, american Redbud, and dogwwod need to grow inside of chicken wire fence.
Bamboo spreading?
Three pots of bamoos (Madake (Ph. bambusoid) which you will see in southern Korea (Damyang)
filled my small vegetable garden in the back yard in two years. No weeds can grow there as they block
sunshine with leaves or dead peeled shoot skins. I will transplant them into the wider area to
provide shade and view next spring.
New bamboo shoots are coming out. My faithful helpers.
Lotus?
I thought they were only making large leaves without flowers for a while in one spot, but within the
last three months they filled already one half of our one acre pond. Lotus plant spreads even 20-30 meters (60-100
feet) in 3-4 months. Now I understand why my neighbor did not accept my free gift of lotus
plant in their pond!
This picture shows the pond in the spring when a few leaves were coming out.
Three months later, the whole area is covered with this lotus and began to produce flowers.
The diameter of lotus leaves are about 30 cm and receive sunlight all day.
That energy is converted into the new root system to spread.
I am afraid the lillies will be completely shadowed out unless I remove lotus roots around the
shallow lilly beds.
Eventually the little red lotus plant seeds I planted in the southern end will meet the advancing large crowd
of agressive lotus. They may have a show down. Who will win? Or truce?
Before the end of the year, I will know the score.
Why lotus plant needs flowers and seeds, if they can spread with root alone so fast?
They want to marry with other lotus plants growing far away to enrich their varieties
and produce the new breeds of lotus which could adap to the changing environment?
Huaman beings knew early on "how not to marry with close siblings and cousins." Lotus knew that too!
Why they make pretty colored flowers?
They want to attract bees, that will transport their pollens to lotus flowers FAR AWAY I think.
Well, often the pond dries up and the root can die out completetely when there is no water
during the drought.
The seeds do not germinate unless there is water for a month. That means
they do not germinate if the water evaporate and dry again within one month. The seeds want to
be sure there is water at least for one water for the survival of the new plant.
What a cleaver design they developed for the survival?
The plants are advancing towards the weed on the shore near the rocks.
The weeds may lose the battle for the sunshine to these advancing lotus.
Charles Darwin was so right! Only those species that can adapt to changing environment can
survive.
Those around us now, whether they are plant or animals, are the survivers!
Ebola virus is stupid?
They will not survive if they kill all human beings.
Look at the common cold virus!
They live well with human beings, as they do not wipe out human beings except the weak ones.
Deers:
Their natural enemy, Mountain Lions, were removed and killed by humans, so deers thrive now.
In spring, the male deers chase after females and won't mind going through the rusty barbed
wires, even breaking them, resulting in mortal lacerations.
I have no other way than protecting the broad-leaved small strees (활엽수) from deers with
a small chicken wire fence around each plant with a great expense.
But the deers do not bother pines and bamboos. So all my broad-leaved small trees, dogwood, maples,
American red buds, gingkos,... all live with a checkin wire fence around.
When the sun goes down,
and night falls, the place becomes a play ground of beavers, bats, fish and
frogs under the moon light.
Then, I go to sleep to have all kinds of weary dreams
2014.08.18 02:21
2014.08.18 06:46
Deer problem is our own creation.
We have many peacocks in our hospital ground since it became a prison hospital surrounded
by a long tight fence. No fox can come in to hunt these birds.
I will be free in 6 weeks from the hospital.
In spring they are so loud and patients have hard tome to take a nap, then we need less sleeping pills.
I see why we require an environmental impact report for the calif high speed rail.
No one expected DMZ BECOMING a wild life sanctuary.
2014.08.21 10:35
공작새 공원이 된 정신병원
우리 병원이 감옥에서 들어오는 환자를 치료하기 시작한후로
튼튼한 철조망속에 들어가게 된후로,
공작새가 우리 병원 철망안에 들어와 서식하기 시작한것이 몇년 되는데.
암놈이 한 20 여마리 숫놈이 한 10 마리쯤 자리를 잡드니
고양이 개 여우등 적이 될만한 동물이 못들어 오게 철망을 쳐두고 24 시간 감시하니,
풀씨를 먹고 환지들이 던져두는 빵쪼가리 먹고 번식을 하고 이렇게 자리를 잡앗는데
봄에 알을 낳고 새끼가 부화할때 쯤되면 Racoon 이란 동물이 담을 넘어와 알을 집어 먹어
부화율이 낮아 수자가 크게는 번식못한다고 합니다.
왼쪽 계단위에 보이는게 제 사무실이지요.
민선생의 은퇴후의 전원생활이 돋보입니다.
사슴과의 전쟁은 이곳도 마찬가지입니다. 수년전 민선생 내외가 우리집
방문시 보신것 같이 이사슴들은 집사람이 철망 울타리 아래 사진같이
허수아비까지 동원해도 아랑곳 없이 제할일을 하고 갑니다.
사슴이라는 놈들의 식성이 우리와 비슷?해서 우리가 좋아하는 푸성귀들만
먹고가는것 있지요. 꽃들도 순식간에 해치우고요.
우리옆집사람은 차고 앞에 dry food을 내놓아 사슴들이 와서 먹고가는데
돌아가기전에 우리집에들러 dessert로 우리뒷뜰 꽃,푸성귀들을 먹고가는데
가까운 옆집사람을 제지할수도 없고요? 사슴방어작전에 이웃과 손발이 맞지
않은 형국입니다,ㅎ,ㅎ.
그러나 우리 운영자님 말씀따나 원래 그들의 territory이니 어찌하리오! 규정
옆집 차고 앞에 마련된 사슴의 조반상
dessert time?
아침 밥상받고 유유히 떠나는 사슴! 사진 왼쪽 아래에 보이는 허수아비에 아랑곳 없이,ㅎ,ㅎ.