Roundup: The first Sunday that follows the full moon after the vernal equinox

Spring chicks and an egg hunt, European mistletoe, voter turnout for last election and more

Calla Lily (photo by Dale Dougherty)

Happy Easter. A USA Today article explains the how the date for Easter is determined, reflected in today’s headline. This year, March 25 was the date of the full moon that followed the spring equinox. This method of deciding on when to celebrate Easter sounds more like “The Age of Aquarius” than the Catholic Church, except that the Church overruled the variability of the heavens and fixed March 21 as the date for the vernal equinox, which is referred to as the ecclesiastical equinox. Easter can fall on a Sunday any time between March 22 and April 25.

The next time Easter falls on March 31 will be 2086. Next year, Easter will be on April 20th.

Spring chicks and an egg hunt

Earlier in the year, I had heard that The Feed Store, among others, would not have chicks by Easter because of the severe outbreak of avian influenza in the county. (CDC guidelines for March.). The outbreak has caused the prices of eggs to rise throughout the county.

I stopped by the Feed Store on Friday and found that they did have two different breeds of chicks for sale. A store clerk said that they would have chicks into June.

Chicks at The Feed Store (photo by Dale Dougherty)

The Sebastopol Kiwanis Club held its annual Egg Hunt in Ives Park on Saturday. The weather cooperated as kids lined up and waited for the start of the hunt.

The Egg Hunt at Ives Park. (Photo by Aubrey Doherty)

Mistletoe Woes

We have Luther Burbank to thank for the Himalayan blackberries that grow in the wild throughout our area. (See a previous Roundup: Blackberry Mania). We can also thank Burbank for importing the European mistletoe (viscum album). That’s what we see in trees in Sebastopol, according to arborist Merlin Schlumberger of Merlin Arborist Group. (There is an American mistletoe but it is not as common here.)

Burbank’s European mistletoe has spread slowly in the wild, mostly the work of birds eating the berries and flying to another tree. Merlin estimates that it has taken 100+ years or so for it to spread as far as 50 miles from Sebastopol. During winter, mistletoe is more noticeable because there are no leaves hiding it.

Mistletoe along the Graton Trail

There are a number of misconceptions about mistletoe, said Merlin, but the biggest is that mistletoe is bad for a tree. “Mistletoe is not a true parasite,” said Merlin. “It uses photosynthesis to create its own green leaves and it does not take dissolved sugars from the tree.” It is a “hemi-parasite” that does take water and nutrients from the tree.

According to the California Forest Pest Council, this type of mistletoe “proliferates to an exceptional degree in apple trees (Malus spp.), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), and ornamental poplar (Populus) species, but damaging effects manifest only gradually, if at all. In some long-infested black locust trees in the Graton area, it has apparently caused some branch dieback; once an infected branch dies, the entire mistletoe plant dies with it.”

Mistletoe on the branch of an apple tree. (photo by Dale Dougherty)

Merlin said that if there’s mistletoe growing on a small branch, then you can cut off the branch. You can’t just cut mistletoe off at its root because it will grow back. “You have to cover the area where it was growing in black plastic or with black tape to prevent it from growing back,” said Merlin. “Basically you have to suffocate it and it can take years.” This is what the Sebastopol public works crew were doing to the trees in the plaza, as we reported here in January.

Merlin wanted to make the point that while mistletoe might stress a tree, it doesn’t kill it. Mistletoe can damage a tree if it grows large and heavy that the weight might weaken the branch. “However, it’s not all bad,” said Merlin. Mistletoe can provide a habitat for birds and other critters.

European mistletoe has been used for medicinal purposes, perhaps one of the reasons that Burbank brought it over. Merlin has had calls from companies in the Midwest looking for a source for European mistletoe in Sonoma County because this is the only place where it is found in the US. (Merlin declined to help them for practical reasons.)

According to a US government health website:

European mistletoe has been used for centuries in traditional medicine for a variety of conditions, including seizures, headaches, and menopause symptoms. Today, European mistletoe is promoted as a treatment for cancer.

…

European mistletoe is not a proven cancer treatment. It should not be used as a treatment for cancer outside of clinical trials.

— National Center for Complementary and Integrative Medicine

The National Cancer Institute writes about mistletoe extracts:

Mistletoe extracts are one of the most widely studied complementary and alternative medicine therapies for cancer. In Europe, mistletoe extracts are among the most prescribed therapies for cancer patients.

— National Cancer Institute

Mistletoe at Laguna Youth Park

March 5th Election Results Finalized

Deva Marie Proto, Sonoma County Clerk-Recorder-Assessor-Registrar of Voters certified the results of the March 5, 2024, Presidential Primary Election on March 29, 2024. There were no changes to the projected winners in any of the races or ballot measures.

Half of the county’s registered voters actually voted in the election.

• 88.5% of all eligible voters in Sonoma County are registered, as of 2020 in a State report.

• Voter turnout for the November 2022 election was 65% of registered voters.

Fix-it Fair Returns on April 13

Steve Griffith is organizing the second Fix-it Fair at El Molino High School on Saturday April 13 from 10am to 2pm. The basic idea is to bring something that needs fixing and see if any of the expert helpers at Fix-it Stations can help you fix it.

“FIX-IT” STATIONS

• BIKE REPAIRS: lubrication, adjustments, flats, diagnostics

• SEWING, ALTERATIONS, TEXTILES: patching, sewing, repairs

• METAL REPAIRS: patio chairs, toys, small welding, soldering

• WOOD REPAIRS: chairs, toys, knickknacks, reattaching, misc.

• CERAMICS, GLASS, WOOD: gluing, reattaching, misc.  

• LAMPS, SMALL ELECTRIC: lights, small appliances, amps, misc.

• JEWELRY: beaded, misc.

• SHARPENING: knives, cutting tools, shears, clippers, (no chainsaws)

• TECH ISSUES: Apps & software glitches-cell phones, laptops, tablets.

  (no computers)

See my interview with Steve Griffith from last year’s event, Mr. Fix It.

Happy Birthday Clark Mitchel

Sculptor, surfer and Sebastopol Library supporter, Clark Mitchel turned 70 this week. A celebration for family and friends was held at Clark and Carol’s south Sebastopol home on Saturday.

Clark Mitchel (photo by Dale Dougherty)

Clark is also a kind and generous supporter of Sebastopol Times.

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The Week of March 13th - 20th

The lowdown on the city budget, Part 2: Possible solutions

Sebastopol Rotary seeks swim class volunteers

It’s All In the Cards

Falling tree damages Sebastopol Area Senior Center

Safeway steps up efforts to prevent teen shoplifting

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