October 29, 1987 - A Wasteland RejuvenatedA Wasteland Rejuvenated
By PAUL STOUTENBURGH
I hope you have been able to get
out and take a walk to see the splen-
dor of our own Long Island's fall col-
ors. I just came back from a short
walk down around our old irrigation
pond. To many it probably doesn't
look like much, but to me it has an
attraction that lures me to its edges
each time I pass by. Today is only
one of its many changing moods of
shape and color.
When we first came to this spot to
build our home, the area in back was
an old eroded wasteland. It had long
lost its value as farmland for its cir-
cular shape with its washed -out and
rutted sides made it worthless. As a
matter of fact, the area where the
pond had been originally was filled
in when we bought the property.
As I became aware of our environ-
ment and how it functioned, I
thought it might be fun to see if we
could reestablish the area and so we
purchased it in bits and pieces until
we had four acres plus. We planted
willow trees in the low area and
cedars and pines around the edges.
Inside on the slopes we planted pas-
ture.
We also spread some of the soil
that had accumulated in the pond
area around the eroded sides. Then
with kids growing up we almost for-
got about our revitalization program,
but after being away from the area
for a few years in college we came
back to find it had blossomed.
Our trees had taken well in the
rich soil around the pond and the
pasture had now taken hold and
stopped all the erosion. Today we
have willows 16 inches in diameter
by the pond and cedars along with
rugosa rose forming a tight hedgerow
around the pasture. It's been a long
process but it does show that good
stewardship pays off.
Focus on
Nature
Today we have three cows grazing
in the pasture. Their droppings
through the years have enriched the
soil and our dug -out, old irrigation
pond attracts birds only as a huge
bird bath can. On my walk today
there were all sorts of birds enjoying
the tangles that surround the pond.
The white - throated sparrows were
back, busy scratching for seed, and
their plaintive call "Old Sam Pea-
body, Peabody, Peabody" dazzled the
air.
A female cardinal in her drab but
handsome coat plucked the small red
berries of the multiflora rose. A
bluejay flew in for a drink and two or
three song sparrows were busy
gathering seed in a sunny spot on the
bank of the pond.
A swamp maple I planted as a sapl-
ing, now eight inches in diameter,
leaned over the pond, its greenery
now changed to a golden yellow. The
sun illuminated each leaf. intensify-
ing its fall colors. I stood there cap-
tured by the magnificence of the sim-
ple and ordinary scene before me and
wished you could have been there to
see just how beautiful the simple
world can be.
On my way home the now grazed -
down pasture looked as if someone
had cut it with a mower. Yet beneath
my feet were blossoming dandelions.
They had adapted to the close -graz-
ing habits of the cows for their tall -
stemmed flowers had long since been
eaten off. To overcome the clipping
of their winged -seed blossoms they
merely changed their growth pattern
and blossomed hugging the ground.
No wonder they can and will survive
no matter how we try to eradicate
them.
Any plan can protect your needs...
A great plan will reflect your dreams
We have great plans for you
Rkiwil L fop0rq
THENFUITAB�LE
Main Road, Southold 765 -1309
The Fashion Farm
MAIN ROAD, FRONT STREET,
JAMESPORT GREENPORT
The Suffolk Times /October 29, 1987 /Page 11A
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
WHITETHROAT - -This small winter sparrow has recently returned
from its nesting ground up north to spend the winter months with us.
Listen for its plaintive "Old Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody" call.
The Best of Fall
I felt good about my short walk. I'd
seen the first white - throated spar-
rows back from their nesting sites
deep in the coniferous forests to our
north. I'd seen the old irrigation pond
doing its job as an attractor of
wildlife. I again marveled at how tall
the willows had grown around the
pond.
I'd seen how the dandelions, de-
spite the adverse conditions of con-
tinual nibbling by the cows, were
still able to put forth their burst of
yellow. These eventually will form
the fluffy, round, white seed heads
that drift away in the wind to settle,
germinate and grow in another sea-
son. It was fall, right in my own back
pasture, at its best.
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