Volume 8, Number 2 e Turk's Ca> The newsletter Of The Delaware native plant Society Summer 2005 In This Issue A Call For Articles Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 A Call for Articles New Members Event Highlight Letter From the Editor Native Plant Treks Event Highlight continued Feature Article Resources and reviews Feature Article continued Gardening With Native Plants Gardening With Native Plants cont. Native Plant Highlight Event Highlight continued Thoughts from the edge... Page 7 " Upcoming Events o o o o o How Can I Get Involved? If you would like to write an article for The Turk’s Cap, we would love to print it. With like minded individuals as an audience. The Turk’s Cap is a great venue for plant or habitat oriented writings. We’ll take just about anything from gardening tips to book reviews. Of course, it has to be about native plants, or issues related to native plants; just a mi nor constraint. Your imagination is the real key. Contact Eric Zuelke (ezuelke@juno.com), or Bill McAvoy at 302.376.5416 for more information. A Cool Grass On Your Toes Welcome To Our Newest Members April through June Rose Ann Battista Katharine Boyd Alton Dahl & Beverly Barnett ( this pair have been members of the Society for years already, but they just recently became life members and we wanted to acknowledge their support. Thank you!) The Delaware Native Plant Society is open to everyone ranging from the novice gardener to the professional botanist. One of the primary goals of the society is to involve as many individuals as possible. The DNPS is working on some significant projects at this time. We are undertaking reforesta- tion projects at Prime Hook National Wildlife Ref- uge, at Blackbird Creek in New Castle County and Cedar Creek in Sussex County where we have in- stalled tree tubes around newly sprouted seedlings. Help is also needed at our native plant nursery at the St. Jones Reserve with the monitoring and watering of plants along with many other nursery activities. For more information, E-mail us at dnps@delawarenativeplants.org. Or visit our web- site at www.delawarenativeplants. org. Our website will have all of the past issues of The Turk ’s Cap along with a large section on native plants, as well as links to other environmental and plant related organizations. Event Highlight Knights island On 30 April 2005 we had a great field trip to Knights Island in Cecil County, MD. Knights Island is actually a narrow peninsula on the Sassa- fras River in extreme southeast Cecil County, MD. It is mostly forested, but also has steep dry bluffs, sandy shores and freshwater marshes. The area is a preserve that is owned and managed by the North American Land Trust who holds an easement on the property. At approximately 300 acres, it has plenty of room to roam around on and botanize. Thirteen people from the DE Native Plant Society, the Philadelphia Botanical Society, and the Continued on page 2 The DNPS Vision T he purpose of the Delaware Native Plant Society (DNPS) is to participate in and encourage the preservation, conservation, restoration, and propagation of Delaware’s native plants and plant communities. The Society provides information to government officials, business people, educators, and the general public on the protection, management, and restoration of native plant ecosystems. The DNPS encourages the use of native plants in the landscape by homeowners, businesses, and local and state governments through an on-going distribution of information and knowledge by various means that includes periodic publications, symposia, conferences, workshops, field trips, and a growing statewide membership organized by the DNPS. The Turk's Csp, Volume 8, Number 2 Letter From The Editor Looking for input on possible changes I have been editor of our esteemed newsletter now for more than 6 years, and this issue will be my 26th issue I’ve put together. To be quite honest, it's beginning to get a little diffi- cult to find topics to write about and even more difficult to find the time to write articles. 1 feel that it’s time for a change in the newsletter and 1 brought this topic up to the group in attendance at the last annual meeting in May, but I’d like to get more opin- ions and input from our whole membership. What I proposed at the annual meeting are the following changes: 1 ) reduce the size of the newsletter to 6 pages 2) remove the Letter from the editor. Letter from the presi- dent, Native plant highlight, and Native plant treks col- umns 3) have the remaining columns stay the same but expand the Thoughts from the edge of the garden column to touch on all current events of the Society 4) do a great number of reprints of previous articles because our membership has changed quite a bit over the years, and new members now will have not seen past articles in this newsletter 5) and finally, sending out a broadcast email to the member- ship asking for article submissions and ideas each time a newsletter is going to be written (4 time a year) So, with that said, I’m looking for some feedback on these ideas. A newsletter this size and with this type of educa- tional content written four time per year may not seem like a lot of work, but more goes into it than meets the eye, and lots of things in life are pulling my time away from this newsletter. Doing the above ideas would allow me to continue putting this newsletter together, but would make it easier on me at the same time. Of course, none of this is set in stone and these are just ideas. I can keep the newsletter at 8 pages, but things will have to change a little. I’ve had quite a few people contribute columns to me over the years, and 1 appreciate your efforts and you were really the only reason the newsletter has stayed the size it is. I am very thankful for those regular contributors, but maintaining that high level of productivity is tough and requires a lot of work. I’m sure what I’m proposing here may be controver- sial to some of our membership, but the hard part of this for me is that I just can’t please everyone. I wish I could, but as things change for me (especially with me growing career), I have to shift other tilings around to accommodate that. So, please get back to me with your thoughts on this. Write to ezuelke@juno.com with your thoughts and opinions. Thanks. c%* 0000 Eric Zuelke, Editor o o o o o o Native Plant Treks White clay creek state park White Clay Creek State Park (WCCSP) is beautiful, scenic state park in northern Delaware. Located at the border of Delaware and Pennsylvania, it has one main trail that shares its scenery with both states. The park was created in 1968 when the state purchased 24 acres of land. The park has since grown to 3384 scenic acres in the continuing effort to preserve and Psge2 protect the natural resources of the White Clay Creek valley. WCCSP is made up of 4 parcels of land that have been pur- chased over the years. These parcels are the Carpenter Recrea- tion Area, Possum Hill, White Clay Creek Preserve, and Judge Morris Estate. Some of the many activities that are allowed are fishing, hunting, mountain bike riding, a life-course fitness trail, and of course hiking. This park is primarily composed of forests and mead- ows, and the flora of the park is quite diverse and is one of its greatest treasures. For the novice botanist all the way to the professional, WCCSP has some very interesting plants to find if you know where to look. Of course, timing is important with herbaceous plants and for those who love the spring ephemer- als, the downy yellow violet (V iola pubescens var. pubescens), and cutleaf tooth wort ( Cardamine concatenata ) are frequently found. If you like being near the water, then watch for the pale jewel-weed ( Impatiens pallida ), and eastern waterleaf (. Hydrophyllum virginianum ) in the floodplain areas and banks of the many streams that course they way down the slopes to White Clay Creek. Of the many fern species that make WCCSP their home, one in particular, the interrupted fern ( Osmunda claytoniana ) is really special. And if you happen to be wander- ing around at the edge of the forests in a field or thicket, be on the look out for the Carolina elephant-foot ( Elephantopus carolinianus ) which is in the aster family and blooms during the summer. Because WCCSP lies in the piedmont section of Delaware, there are many rock outcroppings which can hold many botanical surprises also, such as the rock fern {Polypodium virginianum) . WCCSP has so many botanical wonders in store for you, that I could not list them all here. But go hike around for yourself and see what you can find. Please visit http://www.destateparks.com/wccsp/ index. asp if you would like more information about this park. 0009 Eric Zuelke, Editor o o o o o o Event Highlight Continued from page 1 Muhlenberg Botanical Society took advantage of the chance to explore this recently protected urea. We saw many great species of plants. Some highlights were yellow oak {Quercus muhleng- ergii), dutchman’s breeches ( Dicentra cucullaria), redbud {Cercis canadensis), sandbar willow (Salix exigua ), and several spring ephemeral wildflowers. Local sites of botanical interest On Saturday April 16, 2005 we visited the garden of Jim McClements Garden, The Claude E. Phillips Herbarium and the DSU Woodland Trail. After the tour. Dr. Susan Yost made arrangements for us to eat lunches at the DE State Uni- versity. The garden tour and herbarium were all very interesting and we saw some great plants. All of the sites were reminders that everyone should create their own backyard refuge full of native plants to escape the world whenever you want to! Continued on page 6 The Turk's Cgp, Volume 8, Number 2 Resources And Reviews Native plants of the northeast: a guide for gardening AND CONSERVATION, BY DONALD J. LEOPOLD Editors note: I mistakenly gave the wrong title to the book by this author in the last newsletter, so Em showing the review again with the correct title. No other single volume on native plants has such comprehen- sive horticultural coverage. Nearly seven hundred species of native trees, shrubs, vines, ferns, grasses, and wildflowers from the northeastern quarter of the United States and all of eastern Canada are included. Of course, the natural ranges of many of the plants extend beyond this area, and the book is an essential resource for everyone interested in gardening with native plants of all kinds, as well as those who need the information provided here for habitat restoration and enhancement of biodiversity for the sake of conservation. Natural plant communities of eastern North America are described, providing a foundation for the choice of plants for different areas and climates — or a variety of sites in the garden — as well as for restoration of native plant habitats. Illustrated throughout with color photographs, the en- cyclopedic portion of the book includes practical advice on cul- tivation and propagation in addition to descriptions, ranges, and information on hardiness. An appendix recommends particular plants for difficult situations and for attracting butterflies, hum- mingbirds, and other wildlife. Written from the unique perspec- tive of an author who has professional credentials in horticul- ture, botany, forestry, and ecology as well as hands-on practical experience, this book is the most trustworthy single source for all who wish to cultivate native plants Natural landscaping: designing with Native plant COMMUNITIES, BY JOHN DIEKELMANN & ROBERT SCHUSTER John Diekelmann is a licensed architect and a graduate land- scape architect. Among his most notable projects are the archi- tectural plans for plans for the Adler Planetarium Extension in Chicago and the landscape master plans for the Wisconsin chapter of the Nature Conservancy. Robert Schuster is a writer and educator who has participated in many projects restoring natural plant communities. He is director of the Simonds Center for Instruction and Research in Nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Native plants journal magazine Eclectic forum for dispensing practical information about plant- ing and growing native plants for conservation, restoration, reforestation, landscaping, highway corridors, and so on. The journal publishes papers useful to and understandable by grow- ers and planters of North American native plants. Technical and practical information on the growing and planting of North American native plants. More information on the web at http:// nativeplants.for.uidaho.edu. cfo r£\ ' r\W I s 1 Natural Quotes 1 1 “When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” i 1 John Muir i 1 Feature Article Snags and logs Vigorous, living trees provide wildlife with food and shelter, but what about dead or dying trees-or even logs? Just as they did when they were healthy and living, dead and dying trees are critical elements of habitat for many animals. Trees are like any living thing-they have an infancy, youth, maturity, old age, and death. And, as a tree ages and eventually dies, changes in its bark, wood, and other parts create habitat for animals suit- ed to each stage in the life and death of the tree. Dead, standing trees are called snags, and when snags fall to the ground they are then called logs. Biologists are increasingly calling standing dead or dying trees “wildlife trees” in recognition of their enor- mous value to birds and other creatures. How Do Snags Help Wildlife? Animals find shelter in snags. Cavities that have formed in the heart of a tree from disease or from the loss of limbs provides a place to nest for woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees, bluebirds, some owls, wrens, ttee swallows, and many other birds as well as raccoons and squirrels. Snakes use tree cavities to shed their skin. Inside a tree, the snake is well hidden during this very vulnerable time. Existing cavities can form at any time during the maturity of a tree but woodpeckers can actively excavate a nesting cavity much easier in the soft wood of a dead tree. When they move out of their hole other animals can enlarge the entrance hole and move in. Bats may also roost in tree cavities. Some bat species prefer to roost under the loose bark of a dead tree. The brown creeper, a small forest bird, will nest under loose bark. Ospreys, some hawks, and great homed owls will nest or use nests built on the tops of very tail snags. Cavities and loose bark can also serve a safe place to hibernate or metamorphose in the case of moths or butterflies. Snags are very attractive to insects that help to decom- pose the various parts of trees. Bu ds, reptiles, and mammals eagerly seek these insects. Animals also eat the fungus that grows on dying trees. Besides using snags to find food, some animals use cavities and loose bark to store food. Snags, with their stripped and bare branches, also serve as great lookout perches for hawks, eagles, vultures, and other carnivorous birds that are large enough to find it awkward to perch on leafy branches. How Do Logs Help Wildlife? When a snag falls down and becomes a log, a com- pletely new ecosystem is created. Tiny soil organisms, which add to soil nutrients through their metabolism, begin to decom- pose the log, only to be preyed upon by other organisms and insects, which also eat the bacteria and fungi that add to the decomposition process. These insects in turn provide food for Psge 4 The Turk's Qp, Volume 8, Number 2 all kinds of animals. Pileated woodpeckers, for example, can sometimes be found hammering a log apart with a powerful beak that has evolved for this purpose. Within the log, the woodpecker could find ants, beetles, and termites. What the pileated leaves behind in the gap it has made in the log, other birds can now easily reach the inner sanctum of the tree. Holes in logs can become traps for rain water which can become a place to drink or bathe. The rotting wood itself is wet because of chemical changes. This wetness in turn attracts salamanders and tree frogs. Logs can even become nurseries for the seeds of other trees, providing all the moisture and nutrients to nurture a seed into a healthy, new tree. Ferns and other forest plants also grow on rotting logs. Logs that have fallen in rivers and ponds provide resting areas for birds and turtles and safe havens for fish. Snags and Logs in Your Backyard If you are lucky enough to have a small woodlot, locate the snags or dying trees that are there, as well as the logs and other fallen woody debris. Diseased or dying trees or trees with hollow insides may have bracket fungi clinging to the bark. Noticeable populations of beetles can also indicate a dying tree. Trees that are dying begin to lose their leaves, then the small branches that support the leaves, then the larger branches and so on until there is only a single trunk left. This will then eventually fall to the ground. Trees may fall before this point because of lightning, storm breakage, fire, disease, insects, or a variety of other factors and begin the cycle of a log earlier in the decaying process. In fact, you can never have too many snags or logs to suit your wildlife neighbors. However, you will need to decide which to keep and which to remove based on their height and then distance from your home. If a snag is likely to fall and hit your home, your neighbors’ homes, or any other personal prop- erty of value, remove it. But save all snags that are not poten- tially dangerous. Try to also save as much fallen woody debris, including logs, as possible. This serves as important habitat for ground-dwelling birds, mammals, and reptiles. "Cleaning" up the forest floor actually removes a whole layer of habitat, which in turn causes local extinction of all the animals that depend on it. Cleaning up the forest floor should be limited to small dry branches if it is done at ail. Try to always keep the larger logs and branches where they have fallen. If you do not have a forested property, it is possible to bring small logs in as part of your landscape. Logs placed in a backyard are especially useful if they are shaded most of the time and are positioned perpendicular to the line of a slope so that the soil moving down the slope is trapped against the log. The soil that accumulates next to the log will begin to foster soil organisms that will break down the log, and help make it more useful to larger animals. Snags and logs can be improved for wildlife by en- couraging vines to grow on them. Virginia creeper, greenbrier, and trumpet vine can be used as food and shelter for the animals using your snags and logs. If you have a pond, a log partially submerged will help make the water more accessible to small animals and can serve as a resting area for turtles, frogs, and birds. It is possible to create a fallen tree or log by cutting a living tree about 3/4 through the trunk and pushing it over. Called a hinge tree, this can provide food and shelter for ground -dwelling animals. It is also possible to create a snag by “girdling” the tree. Girdling involves cutting a band between one and six inches wide through the bark and completely around the tree. This prevents water and nutrients from moving up the bark from the ground to the leaves and eventually kills the tree. A standing dead tree can remain in place for many years. Smaller trees come down sooner than large ones, but even they can last for several decades. This should be borne in mind by anyone considering the safety aspects of snags. Beware of termites that can be brought into your house when you bring decaying logs into your yard. Keep decaying logs far away from your house and exclude them altogether from small yards. Check with your community association or local government about the legalities of having decaying logs in your backyard. Not everyone views dead trees the same way and if your neighbors complain about your snag, tell them what you are doing and why; you might change their way of looking at standing dead trees. It is only by changing how we view the land around us that we can begin to help restore and nourish both it and its wildlife. 0000 Eric Zuelke, Editor o o o o o o Gardening With Native Plants Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) NATURAL HISTORY The long hot muggy days of summer are now upon us and all along the roadways and uncultivated fields of Delaware it’s time to look for the bright orange and yellow flowers of Ascle- pias tuberosa, more commonly know as butterfly weed. These beautiful flowered members of the milkweed family are com- mon throughout most of the eastern United States and Canada, and occasionally west to Colorado and Minnesota. The Butter- fly weed is the only ‘milkless milkweed' and exudes a watery sap, not the sticky, milky juice characteristic of most Asclepias species. It is an important nectar plant to numerous bees and a myriad of butterflies including swallowtails, sulphurs, hair- streaks, fritillaries, and skippers that flock in great numbers to the showy 2 to 4 inch clusters of flowers. Perhaps most im- portantly, the butterfly weed and other members of the milk- weed family are a host plant to the Monarch Butterfly. Not only do the Monarchs frequent the flowers for their rich nectar, they also lay their eggs on the underside of the leaves, where once hatched, the emergent caterpillars gorge themselves on the leaves, ingesting a poison that makes them and the resulting butterflies unattractive to potential predators. This strategy is so effective, that several other butterflies mimic the colors of the Monarch to help avoid predators. The butterfly weed is a peren- nial attaining a height of 1 to 2 feet. Mature plants will boast numerous stalks terminating in flower clusters that open some- what sequentially, making for a prolonged summer blooming season, WHERE TO GROW The butterfly weed grows naturally in a wide variety of soils and light conditions. It will tolerate partial shade and moderate- ly moist soils, but for best results full sun and a light sandy loam are recommended. It has a long fibrous taproot that act as a water storage tank, providing drought resistance and making it well suited for naturalizing in wildflower gardens, un-mowed Page 5 The Turk's Csp, Volume 8, Number 2 fields, bright woodland borders and other undisturbed areas. For planting in the perennial flower garden, plants should be clustered approximately one foot apart providing a blanket of mid-summer color. PROPAGATION AND CARE Propagation of butterfly weed is by seed and is quite easy to accomplish. In a natural environment the seedpods split in the fall. Each seed is attached to a number of feathery silk-like hairs that carry the seed long distances on the wind. When collecting seeds, wait until the pod is ripe and just beginning to open. Pry open the pod until you can grasp the feathery silk-like hairs, then gently remove a cluster of seeds and hairs from the pod and scrape the seeds into an porous envelope for storage. Store the seeds in cool dry place over the winter until ready to plant. In early spring, plant the seeds V 4 inch deep in a mixture of equal parts of sand, sphagnum peat moss, and well-rotted compost - keep evenly moist but not soggy. After the young seedlings emerge and develop 2 sets of true leaves, transplant into individual pots and grow them until fall before setting out into the garden. Your plants should flower in their second year and be fully mature after 4 years. Once the plant is fully mature, you may prolong blooming by cutting off the inflorescence to keep seed pods from forming. This will prompt a second blooming and provide you with flowers for up to two months of summer beauty. Never try to dig up a plant that is living in the wild. Its long taproot is easily broken making transplanting seldom successful. And remember, when you see those pesky caterpillars munching away on the leaves of your prized butter- fly weed, let them be - they will reward you with glorious but- terflies and the plant will die back in the fall no worse for the wear! LORE The butterfly weed should be enjoyed for it’s beauty and for it’s significant contribution to butterflies, bees and other insects that thrive on its nectar and foliage. To humans and other mam- mals the butterfly weed contains toxic cardiac glycosides ren- dering it poisonous, and it should never be ingested. In the past, native americans and pioneers used butterfly weed by creating a paste from the roots to spread on sores. Both settlers and native americans brewed a tea from the roots to induce perspiration and expectoration in severe respiratory ailments including pleu- risy, whooping cough and pneumonia, hence another common name, pleurisy root, 0000 B 0 b Edelen, DNPS Member Native Plant Highlight Ferns of Delaware There are 65 species and varieties of ferns known to occur in the state of Delaware. Many species are quite common and oc- cur in all three counties of the state in both the Piedmont and Coastal Plain physiographic provinces. Some species are very rare and are known from only a single, or a few localities in the state. Furthermore, one species is historical (not seen or collected for 15 or more years) in Delaware, and 6 species are thought to be extirpated (know longer exists) in the state. Ferns are found growing in a variety of different habi- tat types, from upland forests, to marshes and swamps, on rocks, and attached to trees, but ferns are primarily forest dwell- ers preferring the shady moist soils of the forest floor. Ferns are non-flowering plants and reproduce by spores and have a very different life cycle compared to the flowering plants that repro- duce by seed. The following are some of the more common species of ferns and fern allies that are found in Delaware. Asplenium platyneuron Athyrium fi lix-femina Botrychium dissectum Botrychium virginianum Dennstaedtia punctdobula Deparia acrostichoides Diphasiastrum digitatum Dryopteris carthusiana Dryopteris cristata Dryopteris intermedia Dryopteris marginalis Equisetum arvense Huperzia lucidula Isoetes engelmannii Lycopodium obscurum Onoclea sensibilis Osmunda cinnamomea Osmunda regalis Phegopteris hexagonoptera Polystichum acrostichoides Pteridium aquilinum Thelypteris noveboracensis Thelypteris palustris Woodwardia areolata Woodwardia virginica ebony spleenwort lady fern dissected grapefern rattlesnake fern hay-scented fern silvery spleenwort Southern running pine spinulose woodfern crested woodfern evergreen woodfern marginal woodfern common horsetail shining clubmoss Engelmann's quillwort flat-branched clubmoss sensitive fern cinnamon fern royal fern broad beechfern Christmas fern bracken fern New York fern marsh fern netted-chain fern Virginia-chain fern 0000 \YHn am McAvoy, President O ID The Turk's Qp, Volume 8, Number 2 Event Highlight Continued from page 2 Annual meeting Our seventh annual meeting was held on 7 May 2005 and was a great time. It was held at the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge. Our keynote presenter was Judy Denver from the USGS and talked about the hydrogeology of the Delaware Coastal Plain. It was a very interesting lecture and we learned quite a bit about the how the geology of the coastal plain affects runoff and the destiny of pollutants. Next, we had a great slide show presentation from Society member Bob Edelen on native plants and their wildlife values to birds and butterflies. Lunch was catered by a friend of member Quentin Schlieder and was sandwiches, chips, and fruit. After lunch we had a presentation by the Bombay Hook Garden Keepers and a tour of the native plant garden near the refuge office. Finally, we had two option- al tours. One was an auto tour of the refuge and the other was a field trip to the "Woodland Beach Rich Wood," 10 minutes north of the Refuge. The auto tour is a self guided tour by car through the refuge on it’s gravel road system. It passes by most of the aquatic habitats of the refuge and offers great opportuni- ties for birdwatching. The Woodland Beach Rich Woods is a unique coastal plain habitat supporting a diverse flora, includ- ing many spring wildflowers that are typically found in the piedmont region of DE. Some of the highlights were golden ragwort ( Senecio aureus ), Canada lily (L ilium canadense), waxleaf meadow-rue ( Thalictrum revolution ), pennywort ( Obolaria virginica ), downy yellow violet ( Viola pubescens), and broad beech fern ( Phegopteris hexagonoptera) . Our annual meeting was quite fun and educational and we hope everyone can make it out next year. o o o o o o Thoughts From The Edge Of The Garden DNPS NURSERY UPDATE The nursery is looking fantastic right now and here’s a summary of what has gone on in the nursery for the last year. During the summer and fall of 2004, volunteers and the nursery manager worked on activities that included water- ing plants, weeding inside the pots, mowing the lawn, trans- planting seedlings from what we are calling community pots and flats to individual pots. Additionally, several members un- dertook related activities on their own properties, such as pot- ting up native plants from their properties, or transplanting plants grown from seed in community flats to larger individual pots. All these plants were donated to the native plant nursery. One technique of weed control that we began using was to put hardwood mulch inside of the pots. We finally real- ized that we all spent a great deal of time and effort weeding inside the pots, and we began to talk about how to minimize this problem. We purchased some bags of shredded hardwood mulch and came up with a protocol that included making sure the mulch was pulled away from the base of the plant, only putting mulch in pots that had plants taller than 4-5 inches, and only depositing approximately 0.5 to 1.0 inches of mulch de- pending on plant and pot size. We were pleasantly surprised with this technique as we quickly found the amount of weeding had been significantly reduced. Psge 6 We purchased a large 50 gallon plastic barrel that we intended to use as a rain barrel for water storage. We bought some hardware (a spigot, screws, O-rings, marine quality seal- ant, and screening to cover the top). The barrel was not designed to be used as rain barrel, so it had to be retrofitted. We first drilled a hole near the lower edge for a spigot, screwed it in place, and sealed it with sealant. Then the top was reworked with large openings for water to be poured into the top of the barrel through a fine mesh screen to filter out particulates (the rain water is initially collected in large pots then poured out of those into the rain barrel). Once completed, the barrel held enough water for the entire inventory to be watered for two weeks. Even though we had this rain barrel, it was still not enough to meet our watering demands and we still needed to pull our long length of garden hose up to the mam building, so to make life easier for all of us we purchased a hose wagon (Ames Estate Hose Wagon) from the online vendor garden- andpool.com. The wagon is green, has large pneumatic wheels, rolls very easily with a large handle for gripping, and holds 400 feet of hose. We can now wheel the hose to the edge of the nursery fence and roll out the entire length and roll it back up again much more easily. The wagon also solved the unsightly problem of having loops of hose lying on the ground. A tremendous amount of work was dedicated to pre- paring for the annual sale. The hard work that members per- formed resulted in a very successful sale that was highlighted in the winter 2004 newsletter. During the first half of 2005 we streamlined and mod- ernized activities in the nursery, by purchasing a used laptop computer to use in the nursery for inventory and label printing. We are also very happy with the labels we use from Garden- ware.com. They handle extreme weather conditions quite well and by the printing of this newsletter, the labels printed in September 2004 were still in great shape. In the spring we installed !4” x 36” hardware cloth around the perimeter fence of the nursery to keep rabbits and mice out of the plants. We also uncovered the plants from the frost blankets that we used after the sale in November. We were pleasantly surprised by how well the frost blankets worked. Many of the pots were still moist and many of the plants were still green and appeared to be in good shape. We continued the process of making watering in the nursery easier. The plan was to have an irrigation/misting sys- tem in each bed that we could hook the garden hose off the hose wagon up to and let it water for 20 minutes or so while we multi -tasked on other projects. Each bed has a different system; some have sprinklers hooked up to regular garden hose, some are a mix of poly vinyl rubber tubing with sprinkler heads, microsprinklers, jet sprayers, and 360° spinners, and one bed has an oscillating lawn sprinkler. Though each bed has a differ- ent system, they all have a uniquely designed attachment system which consists of a stake in the ground with various components to make it snap connect to the primary length of garden hose that is moved from bed to bed. These systems have worked great so far. We have also gotten rid of some lawn by creating mulched walkways between the beds and have worked hard to rid the edges of the bed of grass and weeds by using natural, organic herbicides whenever possible, dfe* The Turk's Qp, Volume 8, Number 2 ZfpeonwjTG £^V£jrrs Psge7 i Saturday, 20 August 2005 - 14th annual native plant seminar at the Irvine Nature Center. Will FEATURES SPEAKERS, 3 WORKSHOPS, AND A NATIVE PLANT SALE. CONTACT IRVINE NATURE CENTER AT 410.484.2413, OR ON THE WEB AT WWW.EXPLORENATURE.ORG FOR MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION. Saturday, 10 September 2005 - The Annual Fall Native Plant Sale at Adkins Arboretum from 9 AM to 1 PM. Adkins Arboretum holds two major plant sales each year, the second Saturday in May and the second Saturday in September. The sales feature a wide range of trees, shrubs, GRASSES, AND PERENNIAL HERBACEOUS PLANTS, MOSTLY NATIVE TO THE CHESAPEAKE BAY WATERSHED. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT THE ARBORETUM AT 410-634-2847 OR ON THE WEB AT WWW.ADKINSARBORETUM.ORG. September 2005 - Bowmans FIill Wtldflower Preserve fall plant sale. Sat. Sept. 10 & Sun. Sept. 1 1 through Sat. Sept. 17 & Sun. Sept. 18 10 AM - 4 PM each day. More than 200 species of high- quality NATIVE WILDFLOWERS, TREES, SHRUBS, VINES AND FERNS NATIVE TO PENNSYLVANIA AND THE SUR- ROUNDING REGION ARE OFFERED FOR SALE. FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 215.862.0685, OR ON THE WEB AT HTTP : //WWW.BHWP. ORG/SEED_C ATALOG/PLANTS ALE. HTM . Saturday, 17 September 2005 - 10th Annual Tree Spree Fair and Pike Creek Community Day. The New Castle County Government and DCH invite the whole family to celebrate the benefits of TREES AT THE 10TH ANNUAL TREE SPREE FAIR, HELD AT CAROUSEL PARK ON LIMESTONE ROAD IN NORTHERN New Castle County. The fair will feature hands-on tree plantings, free native tree seedlings, NATURE HIKES, LIVE DEMONSTRATIONS AND EXHIBITS, CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIES, HAYRIDES, AND A CEREMONIAL TREE PLANTING ATTENDED BY GOVERNOR RUTH ANN MlNNER. CELEBRATION WILL BE HELD RAIN OR SHINE. For more information, contact Vikram Krishnamurthy, Tree Program Manager, at 302.658.6262 , OR ON THE WEB AT HTTP:/ AVWW.DEHORT.ORG/EVENTS/TREESPREEFAIR/lNDEX. HTM September and October 2005 - Delaware Museum of Natural History presents a four-week lec- ture series. Small scale organic gardening made easy. Four Wednesday mornings this fall, 10 to 1 1:30 AM each day. Learn how to grow twice as much in half the space. Small plot? No problem! Only have containers? You're all set! If you've always wanted green fingers, this relaxed, in- formal LECTURE SERIES SHOWS YOU HOW TO GET THEM! IN FOUR, HALF-DAY SESSIONS YOU’LL DISCOVER SE- CRETS TO MAKE YOUR SMALL PLOT THE ENVY OF ALL YOUR NEIGHBORS, AND YOU’LL ENJOY EXPERT GUIDANCE FROM THE REGIONS LEADING GARDENERS. CALL 302.658.91 1 1, OR ON THE WEB AT HTTP: //WWW. DELMNH.ORG/? PAGE=256 FOR MORE INFORMATION. Saturday, 1 October 2005 - Maryland Native Plant Society 2005 Annual Conference in Balti- more County at the Oregon Ridge Nature Center, Cockeysville, Maryland. For more infor- mation OR TO VOLUNTEER, CONTACT ANN LUNDY, APLUNDY@ATTGLOBAL.NET OR 410.366.9365, OR ON THE web at http://www.mdflora.org/events/fall2005conference.html. DNPS Bi-monthly meetings for 2005 - are currently scheduled the 3rd Tuesday of every other month. Our next meetings will be: 20 September, and 15 November. Meetings will take place (UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTIFIED) AT 7 PM AT THE ST. JONES RESERVE, 818 KlTTS HUMMOCK RD. ABOUT 1 MILE EAST OF THE RT. 9/1 13/KlTTS HUMMOCK ROAD INTERCHANGE JUST AT THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF DOVER AlR Force Base. We plan to have guest speakers at each meeting (speakers and their topics will be ANNOUNCED AT LATER DATES). CHECK OUR WEBSITE FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS, OR EMAIL US AT DNPS @ DELAWARENATIVEPLANTS.ORG. The Turk's Cgp, Volume 8, Number 2 Page 8 l Membership Application I L ». ». ». ». ». _ , Member Information i Delaware native Plant Society , i Name: Business Name or Organization: Address: City and Zip Code: Telephone (home/work): E-mail address: " Full-time Student $10.00 " Individual $15.00 " Family or Household $18.00 " Contributing $50.00 " Business $100.00 " Lifetime $500.00 " Donations are also welcome $_ Membership benefits include: * The DNPS quarterly newsletter, The Turk’s Cap * Native plant gardening and landscaping information * Speakers, field trips, native plant nursery and sales Total Amount Enclosed: $ Make check payable to: DE Native Plant Society P.O. Box 369, Dover, DE 19903 Delaware Native Plant Society P.O. Box 369 Dover, Delaware 19903 Complimentary Copy