Thelma's Days

Friday, October 25, 2019

How To Dry and Preserve Leaves

Oak leaf

I love walking though leaves in Autumn,

hearing them crunch under my feet.

I pick some up as their

beautiful colours catch my eye.

I have an easy way of drying and
preserving them, to make an inexpensive
Fall decoration for my table.

This is so simple and doesn't cost a penny.

I place them in a book,

usually a large heavy book for a few days,
about a week.

and viola....they appear pressed.

Maple leaves

Some books I use.
My favourite is a large atlas.

I put a heavy weight on top about a week.

Maple leaves come in many pretty colours.

from orange, yellow, rust, green, brown and reds.

What I do with them?

I place them on my table and cover with a clear plastic.
Makes a nice fall tablecloth.

A nice activity and learning
experience for children.

The colours blend well with fall cushions.

This pic below is my daughter's table I did a few yrs. ago.

My Grandkids and I collected leaves on our walks.

"I'm so glad I live in a world

where there are Octobers"

by Lucy M. Montgomery

Author of Anne of Green Gables.

Thanks to the Sherbrooke Record,

for featuring this blog in their newspaper.

Another blog I did on Autumn colours, click here. to view.

Thanks for your visit xo💚💛

Monday, October 21, 2019

Autumn's Bounty ~ Wildlife Food

Robin on the barberry bush outside the living room window.

Autumn, a season ablaze with colour,
shorter day, and cooler nights.
A time to prepare for snow and Winter.

We seem to do more cooking, baking
and preserving foods in Autumn.
Autumn's Harvest gives us so
many great foods to prepare
for the long cold Winter ahead.

Most trees, give food for wildlife.
We are blessed with an abundance
of beautiful trees and shrubs,

here in the Gaspé.

I am sharing a few in my region
of Eastern Canada.
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The photo below was taken in November, 2022.

My view from the living room window,

a Robin eating the berries on the Barberry bush.

He missed his flight south,

some Robins are staying for the Winter.

Robin on the barberry bush

Mountain Ash or

Rowan (Pronounced "round") Trees
They are native in the colder regions
of the Northern Hemisphere,
adding beauty to any landscape and
can been seen throughout the Gaspé.

The berries will stay on

until the birds, deer, moose, partridge
and other wildlife eat them.

This week the leaves have

turned brown, and are falling

I have a lot on my property.

They grow wild in the woods.

This year the rowan berries are huge
unlike last year.

The rowan berries are a favourite for deer.

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Oak Trees
There are approx. 13 species
of Oak trees in Canada.
These huge trees can grow up 100ft. tall.

Oak trees produce acorns in the Fall.

Food for squirrels, chipmunks,

raccoons, geese, woodpeckers,

bluejays, and deer.

I dry some leaves for decoration uses.

Oak leaves and acorns

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An Ornamental Crabapple Tree.
I took these photos on one of my walks.

These trees are spectacular in the Spring
covered in beautiful flowers.
The fruit are eaten by squirrels,
birds and other wildlife.

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Highbush Cranberries

Native to North America.

They grow wild in the forest here.

I have transplanted some trees in my garden.

The berries make a nice jam, jelly or juice.

A beautiful shrub/tree with a cluster

of white flowers in the Spring.

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Barberry Bush
A green bush that turn orange
in Autumn.

Red Barberry bush

in front of the living room window

where the Robins came to feed.

After the leaves fall of,

the Barberry Bush produces

little berries, more food for

rabbits, robins and other wildlife.

Robin outside the living room window

I found these bushes below,

growing in the woods.

The birds must have

carried the seeds there.

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Maple Trees
Sugar Maple Trees,
In Spring, maple syrup is made from
the sap of these beautiful deciduous trees.
Quebec is one of the world's top
producers of maple syrup.