A place to share ideas and tips for reduced consumption and alternative thinking.
A place to find inspiration and empowerment.
A place to connect with others- the homebodies, the nomads, the farmers and their daughters, the curious, the skeptical, the leaders and their mothers.
This is a creative space committed to resourceful, forward thinking.
Influenced by the past; implemented in the present; improving the future.
Garden services such as plant identification, installs, and general maintenance may be available upon request.
About
My name is Willamina and I have been a nature nut for, well, as long as I’ve been mobile. My greatest memories all involve the great outdoors and the plants and animals that I’ve encountered in both my own backyard and across the globe. I have an enduring love for the shaded forests of New Hampshire, but also appreciate the beauty of a midwest prairie and the mountains of Peru. The Negev desert still resonates deep within my soul, as do the magnificent stone runs of the Falkland Islands. Our natural world has so much to offer us and I hope you’ll consider joining me for a class or two as I share my joy of herbs, ecology, gardening and sustainable practices.
This is me, Willa, keeper of the plants and lover of Nature.
The Magpie’s Apprentice began as a Master’s Project back in 2015 when a position at an environmental education center just didn’t fit into my geographical desires. Unwilling to part from the beauty of New Hampshire but equally as resistant to change career goals, my small business was conceptualized and took root here in Rockingham County.
Offering small-group classes on various nature-based subjects as well as curriculum design and development, The Magpie’s Apprentice is based out of quintessential Chester, NH.
I am so blessed to do what I love while interacting with some truly amazing individuals who are interested in growing their own medicine and taking back their health; people who are excited to convert ‘trash’ materials into unique planters and garden accessories through upcycling; and busy families who want to grow their own backyard meals but haven’t the time to get started. I am always eager to speak at libraries and garden clubs, but have been more recently featured at NH Herb & Garden Day, NH’s Northeast Organic Farming Association, and Strawbery Banke Museum.
Want a veggie garden but don’t have the time to get it started? Eager to grow your own herbal allies but not sure where to begin or what to grow? Coupling my experience as a homesteader and herbalist with my knowledge as a UNH Extension Master Gardener, I am confident I can create something both beautiful and bountiful for your home garden.
From field to fork is a theory I lean heavily on for my personal health and commitment to sustainability; I would be honored to help you start growing both your own food and medicine also. My designs cater to your personal wishes and work around the pre-existing layout of your property. I am happy to simply consult or commission a design, but happier still to both design and install.
Installs can be as simple as a constructed bed to as thorough as bed, fabric, soil, plants, trellises, and irrigation. Depending on your location, maintenance services are also available upon request.
People are freaking out. This virus has us self-isolating, social distancing, quarantini drinking, and stocking up on so-called necessities. Toilet paper, guys? Really? I started writing this post a few weeks ago when the current cry of our golbal pandemic was a mere whisper. Interestingly, I think this post is more relevant now which is …
I bought my first piece of property in my home state of New Hampshire in late October of 2015 after a markedly hot, dry summer. The meadow grasses were already golden and stiff as I moved the last of my belongings across the threshold. The first few nights I slept here were uncharacteristically warm for …
When I was working as an environmental educator here in New Hampshire several years ago, I had the honor of teaching a nature photography class to a group of middle school students. We got along well enough, but as is typical with pre-teens, my charges voiced their opinions from time to time in regards to …
Magpies are members of the Crow family (Corvidae, to be precise) and recognized cross-culturally as clever, curious, and oftentimes obnoxious, passerine creatures.
The black-billed magpie is our native species here in the USA. Located in the western half of the country, their most easterly location no nearer to New Hampshire than the midwestern states of North and South Dakota, magpies are recognizable by their gorgeous plumage, their elongated tails and their often relentless vocalizations.
When I lived out west for a brief period of time, I was captivated by the ‘pies that nested in a small aspen grove directly behind my Colorado cabin. I watched them often, intrigued by their interactions with the world.
Brave and boisterous, they would dive bomb my housemate’s dog, scold us for leaving the house with chatters, clucks and whistles and frequently attempt stealing the buttons from our clothes on the dry line unless shooed away intermittently. Sparkly objects were their weakness and I have fond memories of trying to lure one of the more curious of the tiding* using bits of string and a shiny bauble as bait.
Fishing for pies, I would tell my roomies, as I sat on the lawn below the tree, motivated by the idea of one day having a tuxedoed totem alight upon my shoulder. The birds, alas, never came closer than arm’s reach before taking to the branches and showering me with a cacophony of agitated zips and squawks. I have yet to acquire my magpie familiar, but they never got that bauble either.
I haven’t seen a magpie in the wild since my last visit to Washington State back in 2016, but rarely a day goes by that I am not reminded of their quizzical nature and unmatched beauty. A slip of light passing through a countertop vase elicits an unconscious sigh as it triggers a memory of their iridescent tail feathers under a bluebird sky. A curious tilt of the head observed in a human or canine makes my heart warm, remembering how the pies would come to the window and lean a beetle black eye close to the pane before shifting their glossy heads and peering in with the other.
The screech of a jay makes me recall their cackling caws while dining on some unsavory side of the road carnage. Opportunists and as such, consumers of trash, rubbish and carrion, magpies are glorious in every manner except their dining etiquette. Someone has to do the job of cleanup crew and my beautiful ‘pies are willing volunteers, showing little preference to an apple core over a decaying carcass. .
Magpies build nests like most bird species, but unlike the vast majority, their constructions include roofing. ‘Pies create domed structures from twigs, leaves, mud and branches with specific entryways into their cozy abode. From afar, they look like enormous squirrel dens, but in my opinion, a more manicured version. Another interesting feature that sets these avians apart is their social structure. Most passerine birds live seemingly independent lives. They group together for migration or congregate at feeders, but for the majority, are often observed as pairs or solo adventurers in their preferred habitat. Magpies, on the other hand, are very social creatures frequently observed in living colonies. Their constant chatter coupled with their tendency to steal from human neighbors, makes them both a source of amusement and also annoyance in urban and suburban settings.
So why is it I chose to use the magpie as the totem for my business? Check out this post and you’ll know why 🙂
Contact
For class or workshop registration, please email me directly.
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