April 2023

Local Plant of the Month:

Cattail

Cattail is an iconic plant of wetlands, areas of land that are flooded with water all the time (like near ponds, lakes, streams and rivers) or by seasonal changes. Cattails and cousins are tall, reedy plants that can be found around the world. Two cattails are native to North America, including Colorado--the broadleaf and southern cattails. And indigenous people have used cattails for over 12,000 years for food and medicine, building houses or baskets, shoes and hunting tools, even diapers for babies. The cattails roots are rhizomes, which can be eaten or ground into a flour (along with the stem). Its leaves are quite sturdy and long, so they can be woven into containers or even houses. When the dark red capsule flower bursts open, it releases seeds and fluff. This fluff absorbs water and is soft, so people have used it to line babies' cradles. The cattail is not only "useful," but a sacred plant for the Shoshone and other tribal nations.

Cattails are an important plant to the animals who call wetlands home, like our April Local Animal of the Month. The dense root and rhizome system that cattails create provide safe cover for fish and many aquatic creatures, such as salamander larva. Animals also eat the plant. And this month begins a very special transformation for cattails, such as those near us at Bluff Lake Nature Center: The arrival of the red-winged blackbird. Blackbirds migrate in different flocks for males and females, spending the winter more than 600 miles away from their nesting sites. In early spring (right now, in fact!), the males start arriving, standing guard over the best areas for nesting (often preferring cattails). Then, female flocks arrive, and the nest building begins, with nests often floating on or hanging above water to protect females and baby birds. Read this article for more on their remarkable migration!

There are many reasons to love cattails and wetlands! We hope that you will join us on Earth Day to help care for and clean up a very important area near us--the Bluff Lake Nature Center. And if you make it out to Bluff Lake, look for the red-winged blackbirds and other animals who consider the cattails home.

Photo above trigal27 on iNaturalist (at Bluff Lake Nature Center); Red winged black bird photo (right) by Christina Foust at Bluff Lake Nature Center, June, 2021

Local Animal of the Month:

Tiger Salamander

There aren't too many amphibians who call Colorado home. Perhaps the only species of salamander living in the Centennial State, our April local animal of the month is the tiger salamander. Tiger salamanders are about 6-8 inches long, with characteristic stripes and markings (which can be orange-ish, yellow-ish, or green-ish) against their dark brown to black bodies. They live in woodlands and wetlands like Bluff Lake Nature Center, where our April Local Plant of the Month thrives, providing good cover for animals like the tiger salamander. They are very hard to spot, because they spend most of their lives burrowing in wet soil (and unlike other salamanders, tiger salamanders dig their own burrows--sometimes 2 feet below ground!).

Tiger salamanders live most of their lives on land, but they often return to their birthplaces to lay their own eggs. Like many other amphibians, salamanders eggs hatch in water, and their larva are aquatic with gills to breathe, just like fish. After about 2.5-5 months, the young salamanders undergo a transformation, they lose their gills and fins, and instead grow lungs and legs! Salamanders eat insects, snails, and slugs, and are an important pest control for mosquitoes. Tiger salamanders are also considered an indicator species, which means they can help scientists know how healthy or unhealthy a local ecosystem is. Because their skin is moist and permeable, it makes them more vulnerable to pollution. So if an area has poor soil, water, or air quality, scientists can tell, by the presence or absence of salamanders.

Recycling Tip of the Month: Don't "Wishcycle" Plastic Forks and Spoons

This month, we're focused on "wishcycling." Have you ever heard this term? When people throw into the purple cart things that they wish could be recycled, or that they hope will get recycled, or that they feel bad about using and throwing in trash so they put it in the purple cart.....that is wishcycling.

Wishcycling is bad, because if the purple cart has too much contamination (mistakes!), it will go to the landfill anyway. So don't wishcycle your plastic fork and spoon at lunch! Instead, throw them into the landfill.

OR, BETTER YET, ask your family to help you buy a reusable set to bring to school! Just search "reusable cutlery set" and you will find lots of great options, including those made with bamboo, metal, or a sturdy plastic. You can also stop by Zero Market the next time you're at Stanley Marketplace. Or share YOUR ideas here!

Photo by Brian Yurasits on Unsplash

And checkout this video from Greenpeace, The Story of a Spoon, to help you remember to bring your own to school!

Zero Waste Snack of the Month: Fresh or DIY Dried Fruit

In March 2023, the Green Team focused on Food Waste. This month, we encourage everyone to bring in some great zero waste snacks wrapped as nature did it herself--fresh fruit! Bringing in an apple, orange, or banana is a great way to cut back on plastic wraps that can't be recycled. You can also try to make your own dried fruit at home, to use up those extra apples you might have (or later this summer, some of those Colorado peaches!). Check out how to do your own dry fruit here: https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/homemade-dried-fruit/

Vegetarian Dinner of the Month: Lasagna!

This delicious lasagna recipe can get even the most committed meat eater to enjoy their veggies.

1-2 portobello mushrooms, chopped into 3/4 inch dice
1 zucchini, chopped into half moons
1 green pepper, chopped into 1/2 inch dice
1 teaspoon each basil, oregano
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced)
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 cans tomato paste
15 ounces ricotta (or cottage) cheese
1/2 cup (or more) shredded parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1 brick frozen spinach, thawed and drained well
1 package sliced mozzarella cheese
8 lasagna noodles, cooked
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium sauce pan, and saute first 3 ingredients until soft (about 7 minutes). Add the spices and garlic, then add the tomatoes. Simmer on medium/high heat covered for about 15-20 minutes, until the flavors combine and the vegetables are softening. Add the tomato paste and warm for 5 more minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, parmesan, eggs, and spinach, and mix well.
Spray a large glass baking dish with Pam spray, then layer half of the cooked lasagna noodles. Next, layer on the ricotta-spinach mixture. Place half the mozzarella cheese slices on top of the ricotta. Then, carefully add half the tomato-vegetable mixture. Repeat.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes, then let rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting and enjoying.

( Photo by Karolina Kołodziejczak on Unsplash )

Green Team Events

April 4: Club Meeting

4:05-5:30pm Mr. Binder's Room

Join us for our Spring "From the Creek to the Lake" Clean Up! April 22, drop by between 9am-3pm.

May 2: Club Meeting

4:05-5:30pm Mr. Binder's Room

May 3: Walk, Bike, & Roll to School Day!

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