After Stitches East, Webs, Free Pattern

"As many of you know who have attended a Stitches show, we always bring along Berroco yarns . . " so begins an entry of the Webs blog this week (free pattern on Thursday, too) read more about the event at http://blog.yarn.com.

Webs was part of the yarn, vendors, fiber celebration that was the recent Stitches East event in Hartford.

Webs, also called "America's Yarn Store", is located in western Massachusetts, and is a second-generation, family-owned business.

Locks, Padlocks, Antique Doorknobs

One of the most interesting museums in the region displays a wide variety of hardware and locks (and keys).

The Lock Museum of America located in Terryville, Connecticut. Eight rooms hold the largest collection of locks, keys and ornate hardware in the United States. The mechanical workings to how a lock operates is shown on site.

For more information see www.lockmuseum.com



Members of the Antique Doorknob Collectors of America (ADCA) recently met in Hartford for their annual convention.

ADCA is a non-profit organization found in 1981. Members are devoted to the study and preservation of decorative hardware from the Victorian to the Art Deco era. For more information see www.antiquedoorknobs.org.

Tally From BioBlitz At Keney Park

The internationally recognized Connecticut State BioBlitz held this year in the Greater Hartford area, documented 1,715 different species of plant and animal life. The event brought together scientists, college students, and school children from a number of universities and scientific institutions in a race against time to see how many species they could find in a 24-hour biological survey.

This was the 10th anniversary of the BioBlitz and included a return to Keney Park, site of the state’s first BioBlitz in 1999. Goodwin College’s Riverside Drive Campus in East Hartford served as the "base camp" and the hub of public activity.

Over the course of one day the scientists were able to identify 1,715 different plants and animals from Hartford’s Keney Park, and the areas surrounding Goodwin College, including adjacent reaches of the Connecticut River.

Recorded species included numerous mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, fish, plants, mosses and lichens, algae, parasites, insects, spiders, and fungi. This year’s total exceeded that of the inaugural 1999 BioBlitz by nearly 350 species. The Connecticut State BioBlitz still holds the one-day world record for species counted with 2,519 species identified in 2001 from Tarrywile Park in Danbury.

Interesting and noteworthy finds include a breeding pair of bald eagles and a peregrine falcon. Several pregnant little brown bats mist-netted at Keney Park suggested the population there was healthy, in marked contrast to many of the state’s populations which are suffering from white-nose syndrome (WNS), a mysterious fungal disease.

Notable reptiles include a spotted turtle, wood turtle, and a whopping 19-pound snapping turtle from Keney Cove that was used to host a National Geographic Crittercam. An 18-pound northern pike attracted considerable attention among those censusing the Connecticut River fish.

A marvelous array of fungi—close to three times the number found at Keney in 1999—was collected by the Connecticut Valley Mycological Society.

The BioBlitz yielded one new state record—a rare moth. According to David Wagner, professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, co-director of the Center for Conservation and Biodiversity at UConn, and the BioBlitz organizer, seven of caterpillars the rare moth (Ufeus) were found along the trunk of a majestic cottonwood growing by the Connecticut River near Goodwin College.

Also participating were 26 middle school and high school students from across Connecticut that were selected as junior scientists to work alongside notable scientists and some of the region’s top naturalists. The students had guided mini-safaris, collected their own specimens, and offered presentations to the public.

The Dorr Foundation sponsored the 2009 Connecticut State BioBlitz. Other major financial and in-kind contributors include the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at UConn, Center for Conservation & Biodiversity at UConn, Goodwin College, the Friends of Keney Park, the City of Hartford, the Town of East Hartford, the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UConn, the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, Leadership Greater Hartford, Keney Park Trailblazers, B.A.S.S. Federation Nation, Upper Albany Collaborative, and the VCB Association.

The Connecticut State BioBlitz has become a model for more than 500 similar events around the globe, whose singular charge is to reveal the wonderful diversity of life occurring just outside our backdoors.

“The discovery of more than 1,700 kinds of wildlife in Greater Hartford was far richer than any of the event’s organizers would have imagined,” says Wagner. “The event underscored the important role that urban environments can play in sustaining Connecticut’s biological riches, and encourages curiosity and excitement about science in both children and adults.”

For additional information please visit http://web.uconn.edu/mnh/bioblitz/ or call (860) 486-4460.

Species breakdown count:

Mammals 17
Reptiles/amphibians 16
Birds 81
Fish 15
Vascular plants 386
Bryophytes/lichens 73
SMMMNIAI* 86
Coleoptera 247
Diptera 100
Hymenoptera 97
Butterflies and moths 233
Dragonflies/damselflies 20
Primitive insect orders 78
Acari (ticks/mites) 52
Spiders and kin 70
Fungi 118
Plant pathogens 26

Total number of specimens: 1715
*SMMMNIAI = Single and Multicelled Non-insect Aquatic Invertebrates

Walk or Learn Greener Ways, Earth Day, April 22

Connecticut celebrates Earth Day (April 22) with ongoing events including:

Wednesday, April 22

Patriots Park Forest Trail Dedication & Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, Town of Coventry, Patriots Park Forest Trail, 9:00 a.m.

Hike the trail with students from the George Hershey Robertson School. Contact Wendy Rubin, Director, Coventry Parks and Recreation at (860) 742-8911.

Composting 2009 – Hartford Gold, Niles Street Community Garden between Sigourney/Laurel Streets, Hartford, noon to 1 p.m. Press conference with Mayor Eddie Perez announcing the availability of free compost to city residents. All event attendees will receive a quart of compost. For information contact Knox Parks at (860) 951-7694.

Green Basics for Small Businesses, Spanish American Association, 95 Park St. , Hartford, 6 to 8 p.m. Presentations on environmental topics affecting small businesses including proper disposal of fats, oils and grease; fluorescent lights and buying recycled paper. For information contact Mary Sherwin at (860) 424-3246

Earth Day Battery Recycling, Hartford Public Library, 500 Main St., Hartford, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Bring rechargeable and alkaline batteries to the library to be recycled. For information contact Mary Albro at (860) 695-6284

CT Folk: 2009 Connecticut Folk Festival and Green Expo Kick Off Party, Yale Peabody Museum, New Haven, 5:30 to 7:30pm
Music and gathering amid the fossils and mural of the Great Hall of Dinosaurs. Explore the Peabody’s sustainable choices exhibit while you eat, drink, and enjoy a special preview of this year’s festival. Food provided by Catch a Healthy Habit.
RSVP to Alice-Anne Harwood (aliceanne@ctfolk.com) or Coleen Campbell (davact@aol.com). Space is limited; more information at www.ctfolk.com.

Thursday, April 23

Green Career Fair at Crozier-Williams, 1941 Room, Connecticut College, 270 Mohegan Ave., New London, 1 to 4 p.m. Learn about environmental jobs, careers and graduate programs from organization representatives through panel presentations, discussions and displays.

Build Green, City Steam Brewery, 942 Main Street, Hartford, 6 to 9 p.m. Network with sustainable professionals and learn about cutting edge green building projects and training programs. For information contact Heather Burns-DeMelo at (203) 470-8020.

Bees and Castle That 'Sherlock' Helped Build

What do bees and Sherlock Holmes have in common?

Well, a new book The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King weaves together the facts of keeping bees and breathes new life into the marvelous character that is Sherlock Holmes. Part of a series of novels by King, the book is due out in audio form soon.

By the way, playing that time-tested detective who used modern forensic methods long before they were the rage, helped Connecticut actor William Gillette build his unique (truly his own design) stone castle perched high above the Connecticut River on one of the "Seven Sisters" hills that flank the eastern side.

Gillette was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and his neighborhood, known as Nook Farm, included Samuel Clemens and his family, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and other literary and publishing notables.

It was Clemens (Mark Twain) who aided Gillette on his life path to become a famous stage actor.

Twain’s influence paved the way for Gillette to step into his first acting jobs, where his talents bloomed, winning over audiences and defining him forever. Gillette later developed into a playwright and producer as well.

The actor donned a deerstalker cap and used a curved pipe as he portrayed the detective on stage. His 30 years of performances indelibly fixed in the mind's eye as "Holmes."


More about the inside of the castle, Gillette's train and his rides along the hills of East Haddam, plus the book on bees and Sherlock Holmes, coming up.

Image of Gillette portraying Holmes, courtesy of Wikipedia.

Above, the visitor's center at the park.

Connecticut Agriculture Important? Be There.

Members of more than 30 agricultural associations will converge for Connecticut Agriculture Day at the Capitol on Wednesday, March 18, north lobby, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The public can attend and join legislative leaders in Hartford to view displays, and let policy makers know the importance of agriculture and to air concerns about legislation important to agriculture.

The Outstanding Young Farmer (OYF) award, sponsored by the Connecticut Agricultural Information Council (CAIC) and the Connecticut Jaycees, will be announced. The recognition is to "foster better urban-rural relations with farmers by creating a greater public interest and understanding of today’s farmer and challenges." For more information call Jaime Lizee Smith at (860) 713-2559 or jaime.smith@ct.gov.

Beatrice Fox Auerbach, G. Fox

A Woman in Business: The Life of Beatrice Fox Auerbach (Xlibris) tells the story of the human force of nature behind the legend that was G. Fox in Hartford.

Beatric Fox Auerbach was a beauty, stylish, groomed to perfection and dedicated to service and excellence in every detail. Her store reflected all of that.

Auerback believed on promoting people on ability, provided benefits for her workers, and put the customer's needs first.



Every inch of G. Fox's store in downtown Hartford was attended to, thought about, and groomed. The attention to detail was a reflection of Auerbach herself.

Author Virginia Hale researched the book by listening to friends, relatives, and colleagues and doing extensive readings of diaries and letters and other materials.

Auerbach ran Hartford's G. Fox & Co. from 1938 until 1965. She sold G. Fox to May Department Stores Co. in 1965 and died in 1968 at 81.

The Hartford store closed its doors for good in 1993. The building now serves as the site of the Capital Community College campus, city agencies and commercial businesses. The wonderful magic that was G. Fox in its heyday is missed.

Note: The Connecticut Historical Society (photo collection) is gathering memories of G. Fox. See link to browse more images such as the details of the Connecticut Room (above), and more details here.

Large Things Turn on Small Choices

"For want of a nail the shoe was lost,
for want of a shoe the horse was lost,
for want of a horse the knight was lost,
for want of a knight the battle was lost.

A kingdom was lost - all for want of a nail."

- Proverb, that dates back to the 14th century


Horseshoe nails are made by an American company, Capewell, founded as The Capewell Horse Nail Company on January 17, 1881 in Hartford, Connecticut. A storied firm, Capewell products are well-known in the equine world.

In 1985, Mustad International Group acquired the nails operation of Capewell and founded Capewell Horsenails Inc. now located in Bloomfield, Connecticut.