QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

OF THE

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

BOTANIC GARDENS

COLLEGE OF FOREST RESOURCES AUTUMN 20 0 6

Vol. 23 No. I

Ethnobotany Provides Clues to Beargrass Declines

Daniela Shebitz in the field with son Jonah.

Imagine being asked exactly where your great grandparents went to gather plant materials and how they managed the land.

This information was an important piece of the puzzle to figure out the changes in bear- grass ( Xerophyllum tenax) communities over time on the Olympic Peninsula in Wash- ington State. Daniela Shebitz, who recently completed her doctorate at the Univer- sity ofWashington in restoration ecology, worked with members of the Quinault and Skokomish tribes to learn about the decline in beargrass habitat and traditional practices. Dr. Sarah Reichard, Head of Conservation at UW Botanic Gardens, was Shebitz’ advisor.

The project started when the tribes re- ported that it was getting harder to find beargrass, used for making baskets, hats, and other objects. Shebitz used multiple methods to study the problem; an ethnobo- tanical approach interviewing and working with tribal members, and an experimental approach, with field and greenhouse stud- ies. She found that there was a significant decline in beargrass in low elevations on the Olympic Peninsula.The main factors were found to be fire suppression and illegal har- vesting by the floral industry.

Prairies and savannas were dominant forms of vegetation in the Puget Sound lowlands before 1 850, and they were maintained through both natu- ral and human-caused fires.

Fire suppression followed the movement of tribes onto res- ervations, and this changed the landscape and knowledge of traditional burning practices.

“My goal was to help cultures continue tradi- tions that would be threatened without the plants available to them,” explained Shebitz.

“I wanted to make sure the tribes felt their knowledge is important, and help scientists gain a new perspective and show other ways of thinking.”

When asked about why prairies and savannas were maintained, Michael Pavel, a Skokomish teacher and a consultant in Shebitz’ study replied: “It was a joyous place to be able to gather.. .This would become our grocery store, but it was also our bedroom and our living room. It was a place that we could worship.. .And it is what we are hoping to continue because it wasn’t so long ago that we forgot, that the people that I grew up with still took it to heart to be able to share because they felt it was meaningful.”

Shebitz finished her PhD in the summer of 2006 and has moved to Union, New Jersey to begin a position as Assistant Professor of Ecology at Kean University.

For more information on Shebitz ’ beargrass research, photos, and links, visit our website, www.uwbotanicgardens.org.

“My goal was to help cultures con- tinue traditions that would be threatened with- out the plants available to them.”

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In this issue: Miller Library Notes ~ From the Editor ~ Class Listings ~ Events Calendar

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON BOTANIC GARDENS AUTUMN 2006

Miller Library News

Looking for Repulsive Plants and Other Gardening Questions

Book Launch

UW Botanic Gardens Director David J. Mabberley will be discussing his new book October 26, 6-8 p.m., at the Miller Library.

jtfi ) Plant * Answer Line

The Plant Answer Line is open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call 206-UW- PLANT (206-897-5268), or e-mail your question to: hortlib@ij.washington.edu

Librarians at the Miller Library answer hun- dreds of gardening questions a month, rang- ing from the common to the surprising.This past summer questions have been coming in via the phone line, email, and in-person at a record pace;4l6 in May, an all-time record, and over 300 each in June and July.The fol- lowing are a few samples (with responses severely pruned to fit the space).

Q:“l am looking for plants that are so repulsive that wild rabbits, free ranging peacocks and sheep will not eat them.”

A: Former Librarian Carol Orion responded that while there aren’t many truly rabbit-re- sistant plants, providing plant protection, us- ing repellents and scare devices, and modify- ing habitat are the best approaches. (She also found websites with peacock information, and sources for sheep advice.)

Q: “ Does there exist a good and thorough list of tasks to be done in the garden for autumn cleanup and getting the garden “ready” for winter?”

A: Librarian Rebecca Alexander recommend- ed the book Gardening in Washington and Oregon Month-By-Month, by Mary Robson and Christina Pfeiffer (Cool Springs Press, 2005). It covers indoor and outdoor plants, lawns, bulbs, shrubs, and trees.

Hundreds of these questions and answers along with gardening tips are now avail- able to search or browse in the Gardening Answers Database - follow the link from the Miller Library homepage, at www.millerli- brary.org.

The

Story

of the (Ripple

David J. Mabberley

Red Label Means Green Light for Circulation

More books than ever are available for bor- rowing from the Elisabeth C. Miller Library. Until now, only a small portion of the library’s collection of books could be bor- rowed by the public. Library staff are in the process of converting a significant number of books to lending status. By the end of the year, the number of circulating titles (of those published after 1950) will grow from around 1 5% to 90%.

What does this mean to library users? Readers will have a much wider selection of books that can be borrowed and taken home, to enjoy at your leisure. Look for the red label on the spine of the book that indicates it is a lending copy. Not a current library user? Simply bring in your driver’s li- cense, fill out a form, and start reading! With over 15,000 books on horticulture, botany, landscape and garden design, you’re sure to find inspiration for your garden.

Family Programs

Saturdays 10 - 1 0:45 a.m.

Free

Stories and activities that celebrate gardens, plants, and nature; for 2-7 year-olds and their families.

September 9 October 14 November 4 December 9 January 6

Trees are Terrific! Lovely Leaves Harvest Stories Winter Magic Plants Through the Year

Notes and Classes

From the Editor

Fall Quarter Classes

I am thrilled to be at the UW Botanic Gar- dens as the new Education and Outreach Manager! I would like to thank my predeces- sor Sue Nicol and Bev Gonyea, who was the interim Education and Outreach Manager, for all their great work.

Thanks also to subscribers who responded to our newsletter survey last fall. Over half of the respondents prefer a hard copy of the newsletter over electronic. Appreciative comments included “ Thank you for your work and your presence in the commu- nity' and “CUH [Center for Urban Hor- ticulture] and its programs and field trips have given me much pleasure as well as broadened my life."

UWBG will continue to offer paper and electronic versions of this newsletter. We are exploring ways to provide more information to more people at a lower cost. We have combined the Urban Hort and ProHort news- letters, and launched a new monthly on-line newsletter, E-Flora (see sidebar).

Please contact me at 206-543-3889 or eloud- on@u.washington.edu with your questions or suggestions. Look for our winter edition of the newsletter - it will be twice as big!

Elizabeth Loudon

Education and Outreach Manager

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON BOTANIC GARDENS
NEWSLETTER, VOL. 23, NO.
(CONTINUES URBAN HORTICULTURE NEWSLETTER AND PROHORT NEWSLETTER)
Mission: Sustaining managed to natural ecosystems and the
human spirit through plant research, display, and
education
UNION BAY GARDENS	WASHINGTON PARK
(CENTER FOR	ARBORETUM
URBAN HORTICULTURE)	2300 Arboretum Drive East
3501 NE 4 1st Street	Box 358010
Box 354115	Seattle, WA 98 195-80 10
Seattle, WA 98195-41 15	206-543-8800 (phone)
206-543-8616 (phone) 206-685-2692 (fax) www.uwbotanicgardens.org	206-616-2871 (fax)
UWBG Management: David J. Mabberley, Director Carrie Cone.Administratve Services Kern Ewing, Head of Restoration Fred Hoyt, Grounds and Facilities Elizabeth Loudon, Education and Outreach Karen Preuss, Elisabeth C. Miller Library Sarah Reichard, Head of Conservation

All fall classes are limited to 15 students; pre-registration is required.

Fig leaf and fruit - illustration by Louise Smith, instructor and award-winning botanical artist

Botanical Drawing for the Complete Beginner (5-part series)

Mondays, Oct 9 - Nov 6

Mornings 9:30 a.m.-noon OR evenings 7 - 9:30 p.m.

Instructor: Louise Smith

Fee: $ 1 55; pre-registration required

Practical and Creative Landscape Design (8-part series)

Tues/Thurs, Oct I 7 - Nov 9 7 - 8:30 p.m.

Instructor: Kim Rooney

Fee: $250; pre-registration required

In this fun, interactive studio class you will

develop your own home garden project to plant

next spring.

Continuing Botanical Painting: Getting More Comfortable with Watercolor (4-part series)

Every other Thursday, Oct 1 9 - Nov 30

9:30 a.m.- noon

Instructor: Louise Smith

Fee: $ 1 20; pre-registration required

Continuing Botanical PaintingrThe Art of Painting Leaves (4-part series)

Every other Wednesday Nov I - Dec 13 7 - 9:30 p.m.

Instructor: Louise Smith

Fee: $ 1 20; pre-registration required

For full class descriptions or to register:

- check the website at www.uwbotanicgardens.org ~ call 206-685-8033

[-FLORA

Get the freshest news with E-Flora, UWBG’s new on- line newsletter. To subscribe to E-Flora, email jrobins@ u.washington.edu or call 206-685-2590.

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON BOTANIC GARDENS AUTUMN 2006

Union Bay Natural Area Walking Tour

Saturday, Oct 7, 10:30 a.m. - 12 Free Meet at trailhead to UBNA

Join UWBG Head of Restoration Kern Ewing on a tour of this former landfill, now a restoration site and home for wildlife. Dress for the weather, tour will take place rain or shine!

Maple Viewing in the Japanese Garden

Saturday, Oct 21,11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

(entrance fee for Japanese Garden)

UWBG Education staff will have a table of children’s activities at the Maple Viewing event, sponsored by the Japanese Garden.

Hidden Gems: Undiscovered Pacific Northwest Plant Books

Thursday, Oct 12, 7 - 8:30 p.m.

Fee: $ 1 0; pre-registration required Miller Library

Brian Thompson, Curator of Horticultural Literature at the Elisabeth C. Miller Library, reads and shares from his personal favorites amongst the many books by lesser known PNW authors, both present and past, in the Miller collection.

Maple Walk in the Arboretum

Saturday Oct 21,1- 2:30 p.m.

$5 suggested donation

Meet at Graham Visitor's Center

Join Horticulture Staff Supervisor David Zuckerman for a walking tour of the Washington Park Arboretum maples, one of the top three most diverse maple collections in the country.

The Story of the Apple: Book Launch Thursday Oct 26, 6-8 p.m.

Miller Library

UW Botanic Gardens Director David J. Mabberley will discuss his new book, published by Timber Press with co-author Barrie E. Juniper.

Halloween Cemetery Tree Tour Sunday Oct 29,2-4 p.m.

Fee: $20; pre-registration required

Where: Lake View Cemetery, 1554 l5thAve E, adjoining Volunteer Park

Legendary Tree Expert Arthur Lee Jacobson will lead a tour of this fascinating park with over 80 different kinds of trees. Dress for the weather, tour will take place rain or shine!

Weekend Walks: Free Guided Tours of Washington Park Arboretum 1st and 3rd Sundays, I p.m., meet at Graham Visitors Center

University of Washington Botanic Gardens College of Forest Resources 3501 NE 41st Street Box 354115

Seattle, WA 98195-4115

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID SEATTLE, WA PERMIT NO. 62

AUTUMN 2006

09-9615

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