Where the Wild Things Are

Here at Iowisota, nestled between bluffs along the backwaters of the Mississippi River, I’m surrounded by wild things. And I love it. There are new surprises daily, some of them delightful, some not-so-much.

The season of wild berries has come upon us quickly. I’m enjoying wild blackcap raspberries and wild gooseberries; they are abundant enough this year that I’ve even been able to beat the birds to as many as I want. I see quite a few wild grapes forming; we will see if any of those stay on the vine until ripeness this year. I will be harvesting some wild bergamot (beebalm) soon to dehydrate and use as an oregano-substitute. The land is giving me wild things, and fortunately there is plenty to go around.

But some of the wild things have gotten out of control. Notably, we are overwhelmed by rabbits, woodchucks, voles, and chipmunks. And they are damaging things that are important to us. Woodchucks have taken up residence under the barn and multiple other places. They are causing damage to the barn and contents, and a bit over a week ago there was one persistently gnawing on the underside of a guest’s car. We got out the live trap and quickly ended up with sequential captures of wild things. The racoon was released to wreak havoc some other day, but I can’t say that the woodchuck fared as well. If anyone asks, I can now tell them that woodchuck actually tastes quite good! The rabbits are also out causing some very dismaying damage. I know I can’t grow anything unprotected, but I was hoping that the beans, corn and squash in my small fenced “three sisters garden” would be safe. Last week my beans were big enough to almost start flowering, but this week I’m down to two sisters! Apparently my fence was breached, and my beans plants were completely consumed. The voles and chipmunks are also doing their part to join the attack. My nasturtium plants keep disappearing, the voles girdle my new Nanking cherry and ate the roots out from under one of my new apple trees. And critters keep chewing wires in the truck, causing extensive damage. The downside of wild things.

Last week one of my real sisters (not the beans, corn or squash) was here overnight and heard and saw a bobcat in the back yard, so hopefully it will come back again and eat some rabbits. When I’ve hiked up to the rocky point on the bluff, I’ve been able to observe a couple of timber rattlesnakes. I like the wild things up there where I expect to see them, but I hope I don’t encounter any down by the house if they come to eat the voles and chipmunks that hang out in my retaining walls!

We’ve had some drama in the wild lately. It seems the cute little house wrens are not as sweet and innocent as they look. I noticed that one of the under-the-balcony barn swallow nests was stuffed with messy sticks and grass (completely out of character for my swallows) and a vocal wren was singing consistently outside my window. Later I watched a wren harass one of the barn swallows that was sitting on the rail. Apparently, the wrens are trying to take over the swallow nests. I’m not terribly happy about that, but there are times I have to let nature take its course.

I have to say I enjoy being “the most wild thing of all” around here, but I’m clearly not in control. There is always a wild rumpus going on. Some of it is delightful, some of it is disheartening, some of it makes me contemplate the balance of things. I think it is good for us all to contemplate the balance of things.

I’ve recently had opportunity to contemplate history too. Chris Wellman Hall gave an excellent talk for us about the Human History of the Upper Mississippi River Valley. I look forward to having her back to share more with us, perhaps by the fireside in January. But right now we’re still in the heat of summer and we have Samuel Thayer coming to teach us about summer foraging (July 18^th) and the identification and ecology of floodplain plants (July 19^th). I’ll be continuing to schedule a free

“women’s walk” every month throughout the summer and into the fall. We also book private retreats and lodging. We hope to have you join us for a visit where the wild things are!