Last night we welcomed triplets to our herd of Nubian dairy goats. Dora is an excellent mother, and is busy caring for Dante, Daphne, and Dina. Gestation for goats is about five months. Just hours shy of Day 150, Dora gave us a happy surprise of three beautiful kidlings—two girls, and a boy. Goats often have two kids at once, but triplets is a bit less common.

Goats make delicious milk for us, but they are also important for managing invasive plant species at our Farm. Plants such as Autumn Olive, Japanese honeysuckle vine and Multiflora rose are detrimental to our landscape and our goals for biodiversity, but the invasive plants are tasty and nutritious parts of the goats’ diet. Then, the goat manure is composted on the farm, and it too becomes important for building healthy soils, and growing great native plant species.

One of the first native species the bees find is Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum) The photos show the tree almost ready to flower. It’s bloom precedes the Red and Sugar Maples. Sometimes Silver Maple is overlooked because it has weak branches, but it does grow quickly, and makes a nice shade tree in a moist area where it has room to spread out.  

Perhaps you can identify a Silver Maple near your home or school this week by comparing buds to the photos posted here.         

This perennial plant is native to the Eastern United States. It is usually 3 to 8 feet tall. It spreads when birds enjoy its late summer fruit in September. This fruit is especially important for species preparing to migrate. The birds later drop the seeds, so more Pokeweed grows in the following Spring.

Pokeweed develops racemes of whitish flowers in July. Then, by late summer the easily-recognized reddish, purple berries develop and stems turn reddish, too. Do you think you have seen any Pokeweed today along the roadside or on the edge of a wooded area?

Be warned that the roots and fruit are toxic if eaten by humans, dogs, pigs, and many other animals. Native Americans and early settlers used the fruit’s juice for crimson dye, and even boiled the tender, spring leaves as an edible treat.

Pokeweed grows a taproot up to one foot deep, so it is hard work to remove an established plant. To control its spread, cut back Pokeweed before it fruits, and remove roots completely.