PAGE 10 - The Perkin• Journal
A¸, |
Thursday, June 7,
The Natural Way
Dr. Jeff Black
Professor of Biology
Oklahoma Baptist University
Sam the cockatoo and I
worked in the yard this
weekend putting the
finishing touches on part
of a new wooden fence.
Sam enjoys playing with
nails, digging holes in the
ground and getting in the
way. The crazy bird
throws dirt in all direc-
tions with his hind feet
and then hides his head in
the hole he has dug. I
sometimes wonder ii he
doesn't think he is an
ostrich and is trying to
bury his head in the sand.
I lost sight of him for a
few minutes and then saw
his tail sticking out of a
posthole I had finished
digging. He spent over an
hour hiding or doing
something in "the
posthole. Judith sug-
gested I put the post in
the hole on top of him.
Sam is not her favorite
bird in the yard as he
loves to creep up and bite
her toes. I call him my
"watchbird" as he at-
tacks nearly anyone that
gets near me.
We have a flowerbed on
the north side of the yard
that contains wildflowers
from around Oklahoma.
It has trilliums from the
southeast, columbine
from the Ozarks and a
variety of other plants we
have transplanted over
the years.
One of our favorites is
Spiderwort or Ohio
Spiderwort The blooms
of this plant are starting
to show up along our
roadsides in central
Oklahoma. The leaves are
thick, 8 to 12 inches long
and narrow. Each flower
contains three similar
petals ranging in color
from light blue to
rose-violet.
Spiderwort goes by the
scientific • name of
Tradescantia ohiemis. It
was named in ~honor of
John Tradescant, gar-
dener to Charles I of
England, who assembled
a large number of plants
and published his
research on them in 1658.
The other part of the
scientific name, ohiemis,
indicates this plant was
collected and described
from Ohio. "Spider" in
the common name of
Spiderwort enters the pic-
ture if one breaks the
stems of this plant and
pulls them apart. There is
a thick mucilaginous
{glue-like) slime (sap) in
the stems that can be
drawn out into thin
threads resembling spider
webs. "Wort" means
"herb" or "root." Ano-
ther colorful name,
"cowslobbers," has been
given this plant, also
because of the stringy
mucilaginous sap in the
stems.
Spiderwort is frequent-
ly found growing in
clumps in sunny locations
in open woods, prairies,
along roadsides and on
disturbed sandy soils of
fields. The attractive
flowers can be observed in
Oklahoma from May to
August. We have found
that this plant responds
well to cultivation. Our
spiderworts can be
counted upon to flower
year after year and in-
crease in numbers in the
flowerbeds. And best of
all, this plant is adapted
to Oklahoma's climate
and needs little care.
The leaves and stems of
Spiderwort can be cut up
and used as a tasty addi-
tion to a wild salad. It is
also good fixed along or
with other greens. Just
boil it in salt water for a
few minutes and coat it
1984
with butter. It does not
need to be cooked long.
• A second flowering
plant that is creating a
carpet of blue along many
of our highways, fields
and yards is Prairie Blue-
eyed Grass {Shyrinchium
campeatre). The common
name Blue-eyed Grass is
attractive for this plant,
but not accurate. Blue-
eyed Grass is not a grass
and the flowers range
from white to dark blue
and the center of the
flower is often yellow.
Blue-eyed Grass is a
prairie growing cousin of
our domestic irises.
Botanists in Kansas have
suggested that it be call-
ed "Prairie grass-irid"
which would describe its
habitat in the prairie, its
grasslike appearance and
close relationship with
irises.
Before they flower,
these little plants look
like clumps of grass when
they appear in your yard.
They have narrow
grasslike leaves that may
reach two feet in height
but are usually much
shorter. Each flower is
made up of six sharp-
pointed petals that are
light to dark blue. The
flower stem is flat and
two-sided. A ,white-
flowered form and an
even rarer yellow-flowered
form may occasionally
show up in Oklahoma.
This is another
wildflower that can be
transplanted to gardens
or grown from seed.
Under cultivation they
will bloom beyond their
seasonal limits and make
an attractive addition to
any garden.
Spiderwort and our
native iris known as Blue-
eyed Grass are in full
bloom in central
Oklahoma. Watch for
them on your next drive,
you won't be
disappointed.
-O-
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THINKING IT OVER
Ill
BY Zola Sample
June is generally a
month of gay delight
when all things are sup-
posed to turn out right.
It's great for wedding
couples to set the date.
Bridal announcements fill
the pages of newspapers
after the graduation siege
of photos. It is a time of
love and joy.
The atmosphere is
generally exciting with
roses blooming and loving
couples enjoying the late
twilight. Roses bloom
late, honeysuckles per-
fume the air while doves
whisper in the treetops
near. Contentment
spreads throughout the
entire area. Even
workmen from the fields
relax and sprall on the
yard grass near.
In the fields the corn is
laid by, most in roasting
ear stage and spring
chickens grown are ready
to fry. Meals are spread
from garden vegetables
tantalize everyone's ap-
petite. It is a great time
for the farmer's wife, or
any housewife to enjoy
preparing their meals.
Even though one knows
with the month of June
the year is half spent,
they rush about to fill the
long daylight hours with
pleasurable tasks, resting
now and then at short in-
tervals to admire the
greenery which surrounds
all the area about. For so
they should in this part of
the country for July and
August may bring the
dreaded heat and drouth
that sometimes and often
follows. June is a month
for rejoicing, happiness
and trust.
In June most public
schools are out. Young
children have a chance to
enjoy themselves, relax
and soak up sunshine.
Some take to the swimm-
ing pools where danger
lurks if they are not pro-
perly supervised. Swimm-
ing is good exercise for
those who can take care of
themselves but even then
caution must be taken.
Some enjoy the early mor-
ning hours at public
libraries. Reading habits
are good to form in this
way as most librarians
make the occasion an in-
teresting one. Parents can
encourage this habit and
later will be happy that
they did. Besides this
habit may correct many
future mishaps of leisure
hours spent by the child
in other dimensions of
future living. To learn and
enjoy reading is a great
pleasure enjoyed by all
ages. There are twenty-
six million people, accor-
ding to a radio announce-
ment, in this nation who
cannot read or write.
They cannot check their
child's grade card or help
them with their
homework. It is not only
a tragedy but a shame
this day and age when so
much money is spent for
educational purposes. It
is not too late at any age
to go back to school.
Picnics and outdoor
outings are greatly en-
joyed on weekends:
weiner roasts in late even-
ing for the young fry are
great. Horseshoes used to
be a great sport along
with croquet in the cool o!
the evening while waiting
for others to prepare a 21st CENTURY CENTER BAND--The
homemade freezer of high school musicians recently performed!
wholesome ice cream tostate honor band during grot
top off the evening. June for Oklahoma State University's 21st
is a great month if nofor Agriculture and Renewable
tragedy or accident oc- $30 million research and education
curs. Beware of many pleted in early 1987. Shown with Music
hazardous things that can Montemurro (left) and OSU Band Direct~
dampen and mar the en-Kastendieck (right) is Craig Fitzgerald
tire group on an outing. High School. Students from 37 high
-o- participated.
99 •
The spotlight is on
Perkins in the forthcom-
ing issue of True West, a
national magazine with
over 100,000 circulation.
"This is Perkins,
Oklahoma!" by True
West editor Jim Dullenty,
details Perkins' history
from the time before the
white man through its
early days as the town of
"Cimarron" and right up
to the present.
An impressive array of
rare old photos and
several modern pictures
of Perkins are featured in
the article, which
describes Perkins, "on the
banks of the fabled
Cimarron river in the
heart of Oklahoma," as
the perfect setting for
True West Magazine.
Perkins is the new
home of True West and
its sister publications Old
West and Hunter's Fron-
tier Times. Evans
Publications of Perkins
recently purchased the
trio of western history
periodicals from Krause
Publications in Iola,
Wisconsin.
"A Look I~side True
West" accompanies the
Perkins story. It
describes the magazines' used to
modern editorial offices
and half-million issue The Se
storage area located just West
two miles north of about Perkins
Perkins on Highway 177.fascinating vl
"Inside True West" alsoother stories
introduces the Western American
Publications staff to the available at
national readership andnewsstands
reveals how the latest in Perkins
computer technology is starting June 211,
BITE FOR "l'il()(ll}l,l':
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They slol)i)e(I, and rt'lurll-
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idl'lil itit'd ill Iht' liul'no. \o
IIIll' V¢IIN hl)lll(', hul ii NIIIIIII
Ihit~ ran lip alid hil Mi'~.
Micki~h Oll Ihe ililkh'.
Ihdice ('lilill' mill ililtllltllill-
I'll lhl' (h)~.
('IUlIISTIANS
()B~EliVE 80Tll
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