For June’s Creation Care plant of the month, we’ve picked the Desert Wild Grape, a native of our region.
We decided to learn a little bit about grapes this month, since we’ll be celebrating The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ at tomorrow's Masses (Sunday, June 19th). Part of every Eucharistic celebration includes the preparation of the gifts, and the reminder that the wine in the chalice is the product of God’s goodness, “fruit of the vine and work of human hands…”
Walking around our church’s Olive Ave campus, you can see a flourishing grape vine, with small green grapes developing at this time of the year, and another reminder of grapes in Scripture, painted by the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for all parishioners to enjoy.
Grapes and wine are mentioned often in the Bible, and why wouldn’t they be? It turns out that grapes have been part of the historical record for as many as 8,000 years. The first evidence of cultivated grapes was found just south of Tbilisi, Georgia, according to National Geographic. Also, it seems that there are as many as 8,000 varieties of grapes.
In our region, two well-known native grapes are the California Wild Grape and the Desert Wild Grape. Both are easy to sow and grow, according to the California Native Plant Society (website: Calscape.org). Both can be planted as a ground cover or to attract and feed birds. Both are drought and frost tolerant.
We chose the Desert Wild Grape as the Creation Care Plant of the Month for June because we easily found it in a few places around Redlands, including the demonstration garden at the Gateway Ranch, on Live Oak Canyon Road.
(...we also liked its colorful nickname, the “Coyote” grape... )
When you see the Desert Wild Grape, you’ll notice that its leaves are heart or kidney shaped, and often have wooly hairs on the underside. Earlier this spring you would have seen yellow flowers, which have since developed into small green grapes. In a few more weeks, they’ll ripen and darken to an almost black color.
Insects, birds and butterflies feed on the flowers or the grapes, while humans, including the indigenous peoples, have eaten the desert wild grape’s berries, and dried them for raisins and even fermented them into wine.
We hope you enjoyed learning about California native grapes as much as we did. If you have some in your yard, please consider sending a photo to this e-mail address, or telling us why you chose to plant this species.
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Blessings to you this Corpus Christ weekend, and Happy Father's Day, from Creation Care Ministry.
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From the Sequence, following the second reading for tomorrow's Mass:
You who all things can and know,
Who on earth such food bestow,
Grant us with your saints, though lowest,
Where the heav’nly feast you show,
Fellow heirs and guests to be. Amen. Alleluia.
(From the Sequence, following the second reading for tomorrow's Mass)
