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Slug Return from Capistrano Day is an annual holiday observed on May 28 in the United States, in celebration of our favorite garden buddies- Slugs! The holiday was established by Ruth and Thomas Roy, in a parody of “Swallows Return to Capistrano Day”, the return of cliff swallows at San Juan Capistrano in Spring. While there have been no official documented cases of slug migration, it is a fun way to celebrate the seasonal return of slugs and their role in our ecosystem.

Slugs are often seen as pests, but they are an integral species involved with breaking down organic matter and recycling nutrients in the soil. They are also a food source for many animals, including birds, frogs, and small mammals.

Slug Return from Capistrano Day highlights the importance of small, often overlooked creatures in our ecosystems. Look at them!

Learn about slugs: Take some time to learn about the important role slugs play in ecosystems and how you can help conserve them. You may be surprised at just how fascinating these creatures can be!

Sea slugs are another creature demanding awareness. There are over 2000 species with wildly different appearances. Here is a recently spotted rainbow sea slug:

And here are some other varieties:

Lettuce Sea Slug

Leaf Slug or Leaf Sheep

Blue Dragon Sea Slug

Community gardens are places where people come together to grow produce, herbs, and flowers. The gardens can be divided into individual plots or cultivated communally. They may be on underused land, incorporated in public parks, and even on rooftops.

While we may think of them as a recent phenomenon, community gardens have long been a part of human culture, providing a space for people to come together and grow their own food. For example, during World Wars I and II, Victory Gardens were popularized as a way for citizens not only to supplement their diets but also to boost morale and support for the war effort. More recently, while the focus of community gardens has continued to be on combating food scarcity and strengthening community, other issues like environmental sustainability, education, connection with nature, and community empowerment also have become important.

At the heart of community gardening is the philosophy of shared responsibility and cooperation. Members of a community garden work together to maintain the space and ensure its success. This fosters a sense of solidarity and creates opportunities for people to build relationships and learn from one another. The connections go even beyond human community. These gardens also can serve as green spaces in urban areas, improving air quality and providing habitats for pollinators and other wildlife.

There are numerous opportunities to become involved in Dubuque area community gardens. The most local option is here on Loras’s campus, the Tom Blacklock Memorial Campus Garden. This garden was started in 2014 under the leadership of Professors Aditi Sinha and Tom Davis and Honors students with the help of a grant from the city. It initially was a way to explore edible landscaping as well as a means to increase awareness and educate the camps about local eating and the ease of growing food. Over the years it has continued to expand. A garden map provides a plan each year with careful attention paid to plant selection and placement, but always with the inclusion of at least one new or somewhat unusual vegetable. Prairie plants outside of the garden attract beneficial insects and pollinators. The garden produce may be used by anyone in the campus community. Likewise, all are welcome to help with the garden. If you are interested, you can sign up here: Garden Volunteer Sign Up Summer 2023. To learn more about community gardens and gardening visit the book display on gardening on Library’s fourth floor and check out these ebooks.

This coming Sunday is Mother’s Day, a time to honor mothers and motherhood. Many will celebrate the mothers in their lives by giving flowers, cards, and other gifts. However, in the United States Mother’s Day was initially envisioned as a day to advocate for peace.

One of the early supporters of this commemoration was Julia Ward Howe, who during the Civil War helped the wounded and worked with the widows and orphans of soldiers on both sides of the conflict. In the face of the devastation caused by the war, she believed it was important for women to come together and call for peace. In 1870 she issued her “Mother’s Day Proclamation for Peace” in which she argued women could no longer let their sons be lost to war and that violence could not bring about justice. She concluded, “In the name of womanhood and of humanity, I earnestly ask that a general congress of women, without limit of nationality, may be appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient, and at the earliest period consistent with its objects, to promote the alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, the great and general interests of peace.”

It would be over forty years later, in 1914, that Mother’s Day would become nationally recognized when Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating an annual Mother's Day be held on the second Sunday in May. This came about in large part due to the advocacy of Anna Jarvis. Jarvis began her efforts to establish Mother’s Day as a holiday in 1905, the year her mother Ann Reeves Jarvis died. The elder Jarvis was also a peace activist and had worked alongside Ward Howe. Anna Jarvis organized the first modern celebration of Mother’s Day in 1907 at a worship service at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia. This was  followed by a large-scale letter writing campaign to politicians and the media urging the adoption of a day honoring motherhood.

Although she was successful in getting the holiday established, she soon became disheartened by the commercialization of surrounding the day. She organized boycotts and protests but failed to turn back the tide of profit. Still the origins of this day need not be forgotten. Even as you go shopping for your mother and the mothering figures in your life, take some time to think about the connections of this day with peace advocacy. To learn more about peacebuilding, check out the book display on the Library’s third floor. Happy Mother’s Day!

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a time to pay tribute to the generations of Asians who have enriched America's history, identity, and culture. It also offers an opportunity to improve awareness and appreciation for the diverse Asian cultures and communities that make up the United States today.

The people of Asia and the Pacific Islands have contributed to the history of North American since the mid-1500s. During the Age of Exploration, as the western world was seeking new routes Asia, Asia was also exploring the West. The earliest records indicate sailors from the Philippines were part of the landing party at Morro Bay, California in 1587.

Asian immigrant groups also participated in the early settlement of the United States, contributing to economic development especially in the American West. Chinese sailors worked in the shipping trades in the Pacific Northwest and New England. Chinese workers were also vital in the building of the transcontinental railroad. Likewise, Indian, Japanese, and Chinese immigrants worked in western lumber camps, while Korean, Japanese, Filipino, and Chinese Americans played an important role in the agriculture industries in California.

This history is not simply one of labor, however. In the late nineteenth century Chinese, Filipino, and Japanese students began coming to the United States to attend college. Asian immigrants also served in the military. During the Civil War, Chinese soldiers fought for the Union Army. Soldiers of Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Filipino heritage served with distinction in the American Armed Forces in both World Wars and the wars since.

Additionally, the Asian cultural legacy has been greatly influential on the United States. Food is perhaps the most visible contribution. However, there are also practices for spiritual and physical well-being such as yoga, martial arts, and acupuncture. Music, art, dance, film, and architecture have also been influenced by Asian American culture. The iconic toy, the yo-yo, was brought to the US by a Filipino immigrant, Pedro Flores.

Despite the many contributions Asian American have made to the country, they often have been met with discrimination and even hate. From the treatment of Chinese railroad workers to the Japanese internment camps during World War II to the recent increase in hate crimes in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Asian Americans have not always been valued. Nonetheless, since 1977 an effort has been made to commemorate this heritage on a national level. Following these initial efforts, Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week was officially established as law in 1979. Then in 1990, Congress expanded the celebration to a month. May was chosen as it coincided with the anniversaries of the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. To learn more about Asian and Pacific American history and heritage, check out the book display on the main floor of the Library.