Idlewilde Farm

05/08/2026

There are still spaces available for Baby Goat Pilates with Susan tonight at Idlewilde Farm. Go to zentralstation.net to get your tickets!

05/02/2026

A branch fell off your oak last fall. You've been meaning to haul it to the curb. It's been on the ground for six months.

In that time, it became an apartment building.

Year one: Fungi colonize the exposed wood. You can see the first brackets forming on the bark — small, shelf-like growths that are breaking down the lignin and cellulose inside. The branch is getting softer.

By year two or three: Beetle larvae have tunneled into the softened wood. Their galleries — winding channels the width of a pencil lead — aerate the interior. Woodpeckers find the branch and drill into it to extract the larvae.

By year five: A red-backed salamander has moved into one of the beetle galleries. She lives in the damp, rotting wood and hunts pill bugs, mites, and springtails on the surface. The branch is now a hunting ground and a shelter.

By year ten: The branch is mostly soil. The fungi, the beetles, the salamander, the woodpecker — they converted a fallen limb into nutrients that are feeding the tree it fell from.

🌿 A different way to see the branch:

- A fallen branch is not debris — it's a building under construction
- If it's not blocking a path, leave it where it fell
- The fungi that colonize it aren't disease — they're decomposers doing their job
- One fallen branch can support more than thirty species over its lifetime

You almost hauled it to the curb. Thirty species are using it now. 🌿

05/02/2026

Historic Port To***co MD Courthouse; May 2, 9-2.
https://www.facebook.com/share/1SYozQjvEE/

The Annual Port To***co Market Day is almost here! Join the Society for the Restoration of Port To***co this Saturday, May 2, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the historic Port To***co Courthouse for a showcase of some of Southern Maryland’s best local artists, vintage items, and vendors. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/32zFQnq.

05/02/2026

Night skys on the farm are nice.

On May 2026, the sky puts on a show you don’t want to miss.

From a glowing Flower Moon to a rare Blue Moon…
and even a meteor shower lighting up the night — it’s all happening this month.

📅 Key dates:
• May 1 — Flower Moon
• May 5–6 — Meteor Shower Peak
• May 16 — Dark Sky Night
• May 18–20 — Planetary Alignment
• May 23–24 — Moon & Venus
• May 31 — Blue Moon

Look up. Some nights are worth remembering.

05/01/2026

New kids for Idlewilde Farm and goat yoga with Zentral Station.

04/08/2026

02/06/2026

Hey, you all.
Idlewilde Farm's newest kid, Bentley, is about three weeks old and is really getting around!
It's still too icey for you all to visit, but once it's better you definitely should. -Dennis and Debbie Fikejs

01/13/2026

Hey, you all. This morning, Idlewilde Farm welcomed a new baby boy goat! He sure is cute, that's for sure.
Naming honors to our friend Lynn George Willett when she visits the farm next.
We'll try to update pics better than usual. See you on the farm!
-Dennis & Debbie F.

11/30/2025

This is Jimmy, our new Zebu steer for Idlewilde Farm.
He'll be a good buddy for Mighty Whip.

11/09/2025

Hey, everyone. Heading back to Idlewilde Farm with our new mini-zebu, Mighty Wind.
Come on out to see him!

11/01/2025

On the way back to Idlewilde Farm with four new emu!
A mated pair with a blonde and standard, and two standard males we're hoping will like our girls.