In the northern part of the island, you can find one of the most beautiful, mysterious and even sometimes eery forests of Madeira. The name of this forest is Fanal and it consists of massive centen…
Nestled in the heart of Madeira, an island paradise off the coast of Portugal, lies a hidden gem that captivates visitors with its mystical charm and natural beauty – Fanal Forest. This enchanting destination is a haven for nature lovers and adventure seekers, offering a unique experience that combines lush greenery, ancient trees, and an...
Explore CFynes' 44 photos on Flickr!
Dreaming of a wedding in the woods? These ceremonies are full of forest wedding inspiration, from romantic to whimsical to adventurous!
Kelsey shares 5 great tips to make the most of your next trip to the gorgeous El Nido, Philippines!
The Thorn Choose the willow of the streams, choose the hazel of the rocks Choose the alder of the marshes, choose the birch of the waterfalls Choose the ash of the shade, choose the yew of resilience Choose the elm of the brae, choose the oak of the sun -old Scottish rhyme www.netplaces.com/celtic-wisdom/the-tree-of-life/nine-sac...
As the tree grows it starts the appearance of rings inside the trunk. Counting the rings of a tree gives a fairly accurate measure of a tree’s age. The growth rings show how the weather has changed and affected the tree’s quality of life over the years. The wider the rings the more growth of the tree and the closer it is to ideal weather conditions. The narrow the rings will indicate less growth due to cold weather or drought conditions. The oldest layer of growth is in the center; the newest gr
Dendrophile
Lonely Planet
If you’ve booked a trip to the Black Forest, remember it’s not all long walks and beer. Schedule time for some unforgettable experiences.
Want to witness the magic of the mini-forest? When you practice The Miyawaki Method, a unique approach to reforestation, you'll see an empty lot or backyard transform into a biodiverse forest before your very eyes. The following is an excerpt from Mini-Forest Revolution by Hannah Lewis. It has been adapted for the web. Photo Credit:
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Trees are sacred because they helped create this world, because they live on sunlight and soil and give us oxygen to breathe. They are sacred because they regulate the weather, the rain and the water of the earth, and have given of themselves for countless millennia, ages and epochs so that other beings can have food a
Looking for a magical day out? Look no further than Puzzlewood Forest. Situated in the Forest of Dean, it's the perfect place for escaping reality.
Białowieża Forest
How to visit the Quiraing on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. How to hike the Quiraing even in the rain! How to get the best views of the Quiraing.
Explore 5 great hikes in the Northern Black Forest, one of the most scenic places in Germany, famous for quaint villages and stunning nature.
From butterfly-covered trunks in Mexico to skeletal branches in Namibia.
After climbing up a rocky Belgian hillside and a slow walk through a thick forest, an insurmountable beauty reveals itself as turrets peak through the trees.
Another from Friday morning's outing in the local woods. I liked the soft light in this scene... Calderdale,West Yorkshire
Believe it or not, the mystical and fairy tale-like forest portrayed in these beautiful photos actually exists – it's called Hallerbos (or Halle Forest in Dutch), and it's located in Belgium. The reason this forest looks like it's been lifted right out of a fairytale is its dense carpet of bluebell flowers. These flowers thrive and bloom in spring and early summer, and it is their characteristic explosion of blue and violet that gives bluebell forests like this one their name.
A Blacksmith Guild http://www.traditioninaction.org/OrganicSociety/Images_1-100/A_023_Blacksmith.jpg A guild, according to Webster's Dictionary, is an association of people with similar interests or pursuits, also, or more particularly, a guild is a medieval association of merchants or craftsmen. The word guild comes from the Old English and means Payment or Tribute. Historically, for example, a carpenter could pay tribute to join a carpenter's guild. He would then be protected by the society of fellow carpenters... protected from price gouging, unfair trade, etc. and protected from others stealing their "secrets", i.e. skills or "tradesecrets". This is where a lot of the secret societies were initially formed (like the Masons... initially, stonemasons). That carpenter could then focus on being the best carpenter he could be while making a good living for himself and his family. But enough of the history... This term has been applied to Permaculture to describe a collection of plants (a polyculture) that individually could survive on their own, but perform much better when grouped together. One of the first, and most well known, Permaculture Guilds... the Three Sisters. http://api.ning.com/files/H5c*qJE70zhPQyH0YVPLwQTZm7xxzW5HhxqQf3ys9D5bzDh3u1xjKrMLIm1PFfQfidvTx9s5CF7cyNJ4onNzkzWx6ClHtR4q/3sistersmain_Full.jpg The classic Permaculture Guild is called the "three sisters" named by the Iroquois (native American tribe). The three sisters are corn, beans, and squash. The corn provides support for the beans. The bean is a legume and pulls nitrogen from the air and puts (fixes) it in the soil with the help of bacteria and fungi. The nitrogen fertilizes the corn and squash. The squash, with its large leaves, shades out weeds and prevents moisture evaporation, and has prickly leaves which deter animal pests. Finally, squash, beans, and corn are nutritionally complementary. Permaculture Guilds then are "groups of species that support each other in beneficial ways, aiding self-maintenance, and reducing the work required to maintain the system." - Martin Crawford (Creating a Forest Garden) An Apple Guild design by Bill Mollison http://www.labocacenter.org/Portals/3/Templates/IdealAppleGuild.jpg Polycultures (as opposed to monocultures like a field of corn) offer many benefits according to Dave Jacke (Edible Forest Gardens): As a whole, yield more than comparable monocultures Require fewer labor, energy, and material inputs Minimize stress, competition, and herbivory Maximize harmony and cooperation Generate self-renewing fertility Live within a sustainable water budget Remain stable with little to no maintenance Ideally, a Permaculture Guild will provide the following: Increase vital nutrients: mainly nitrogen with nitrogen fixing plants, but also phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and other minerals with mineral accumulating plants, and general fertility plants. Attract Beneficial Insects (like ladybugs, lacewings, mantises, predatory wasps, etc.) to reduce pests. Attract Bees (including honey bees) through the use of honey plants (nectar producing plants) to increase pollination. Confuse pests with strongly aromatic plants (so pest can't find the one plant they normally prey on). Give support to a diverse population of bacteria, fungi, insects, and animals which increases diversity. Contain plants with differing soil profiles (plants with different root patterns and systems, i.e. shallow vs tap roots... so the plants are not competing for the same soil space). Contain ground cover plants that suppress unwanted species, i.e. "weeds". Contain plants with the genetic diversity and/or selective breeding that resist pests and disease A guild design by Toby Hemenway (Gaia's Garden). http://smartpei.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451db7969e2011570d7df9a970b-800wi There is so much to building and designing guilds, and so many benefits from them, that it is impossible to convey it all in one post. I'll add more, a bit at a time, about constructing Permaculture Guilds and provide as many examples as I can. I just wanted to introduce the concept in this post.
If you're looking to make more of life in Britain over the next 12 months, Country Life's suggestions are here to help you make the best of this beautiful island.
what are Plant Guilds? American plum tree guild at Bending Oak Permaculture Farm What are Plant Guilds?Plant guilds are planting systems designed to replica ...
Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park Del Norte County, CA
These trees grow in the forest near Gryfino, Poland. The cause of the curvature is unknown
