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PrintGifts that celebrate the natural world
Josh Flanigan
It’s great to recycle, reuse, and buy from manufacturers who clearly have an environmental conscience, but it’s even smarter to gain a better understanding of exactly what we’re saving and cherishing.
Keeping an eye on the great outdoors
Two of the coolest ways to keep track of the world outside—especially during the winter—have to be these two items from Wingscapes: BirdCam and PlantCam.
The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology has recommended the BirdCam for its ease of set-up as well as for the unprecedented bird-watching opportunities it offers. A weatherproof, motion-activated bird camera, the BirdCam can take either still images or video, depending on how the user sets it up. There are also advanced settings for time-lapse photography and manual, remote control activation. It’s in a sturdy case and includes a standard tripod mount and stretch cords. Just like any other digital camera, the photos and videos can be downloaded using USB cables or an optional memory card.
So much for the technical stuff—what’s thrilling about this product is the idea of monitoring bird activity in the dead of winter, when only the most avid enthusiast would be out there shivering with binoculars. Western New York has a rich and diverse population of resident and migrant bird species, but most of us never get a chance to see them. BirdCam offers a glimpse, as well as a chance to amass a collection of wildlife photography.
PlantCam, Wingscapes’ newest nature-monitoring device, uses time-lapse photography to record the growth of plants, creating footage that normally one might expect to find only on PBS or one of the Discovery channels. This is also pretty amazing stuff: imagine tracking the growth of a tulip or daffodil from shoot to bud to blossom, and somehow being able to compress that into five minutes. That’s what PlantCam does, and what makes it a great gift idea for anyone, gardeners or non-gardeners. The set-up and operation are much like BirdCam. Visit www.wingscapes.com for details.
Wild books
Three Timber Press titles that came out in 2009 provide fascinating insight into natural history, while a fourth is a perfect gift for a plant geek. Native American Medicinal Plants, A Short History of the Honey Bee, and The North American Guide to Common Poisonous Plants and Mushrooms will enrich anyone’s experience of Western New York’s wild kingdom, as well as provide insight into how common plants and insects such as the bee profoundly effect not just the ecosystem but our daily lives.
What do yarrow, mint, lobelia, juniper, and mayapple have in common? They are all plants commonly found in Western New York, and they are all plants that Native Americans have used for medicinal purposes. There are 2,500 such plants used throughout North America and Native American Medicinal Plants, by anthropologist Daniel Moerman, has every one of their fascinating stories, as well as 150 line drawings of various plants.
A Short History of the Honeybee is the real secret life of bees, written engagingly by E. Readicker-Henderson and illustrated with 100 color photographs. Most of us have heard of the disturbing phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder, but few are aware of the essential role honeybees play in ensuring the continuation of the world’s food supply. This is a short and accessible narrative, written through the author’s personal experience growing up with honey and bees and becoming a beekeeper himself. His delight and dedication to bees comes through, and single-named photographer Ilona’s images are gorgeous.
A perfect companion to Amy Stewart’s Wicked Plants, The North American Guide to Common Poisonous Plants and Mushrooms is written by ethnobiologist Nancy Turner and is the resource for identifying possible backyard danger. (The danger could even be closer, as many household plants are equally toxic.) It is also an essential guide to clearly identifying poisonous mushrooms. Every dangerous plant is matched with a photograph of it on the same page, making this the only handbook you’ll ever need—definitely a paperback to take along on camping trips.
Finally, just for fun, a small book with major drama: Black Plants: 75 Striking Choices for the Garden, by Paul Bonine. As plant choices widen at our local nurseries, it’s time for novelty in the garden. There is life beyond daylilies, hosta, rudbeckia, and coneflowers. There are also black hollyhocks, bugbane, snakeshead iris, chocolate cosmos, black mondo grass, and many other dusky varieties. Well-situated, these will stand out in any garden, and are sure to elicit oohs and ahs from all who visit. But even if you never grow a black or even a brown plant, the book is still an entertaining look at nature’s oddballs, and a great gift choice for anyone who loves plants.
