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Healing the earth, one yard at a time
February 2016 Newsletter
In this edition:
Upcoming Events:
Save the Pollinators. Save the World - Monday, February 15
Members' Dinner with the Symposium Speakers - Friday, March 4
Native Plant Symposium - EARLY REGISTRATION DISCOUNT - Saturday, March 5
Spring Wildflower Hike - Saturday, April 2
Plant Conservation in Tennessee - Monday, April 11
Pollinator Rally - Saturday, June 11
NEW Facebook Page
NEW FEATURE: Photo Thoughts
In the News:
EPA Releases First of Four Neonicotinoid Reports
An Intro to the 4,000 Kinds of Bees in the U.S. and Canada
Become a Wild Ones Member
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Save the Pollinators, Save the World
Monday, February 15, 2016
6:00 pm
green|spaces
63 East Main Street, Chattanooga TN
FREE and Open to the Public
Join Ann Brown (Wild Ones member and Chair
of the Save the Pol
linators Committee) and Craig Walker (Th
e Barn Nursery "Plant Doctor") for "Save the Pollin
ators, Save the World," a presentation on the decline of honeybees and native pollinator groups around the world.
The program addresses the causes of this alarming decline and suggests what we can do as suburban gardeners to reverse this trend. It encourages our members and local gardeners to become advocates for saving the pollinators.
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Celebrating the Bounty of Southeastern Gardens
March 5, 2016
Early Registration Discounts Now Available
The fifth annual native plant symposium is scheduled for Saturday, March 5, 2016 at the UTC University Center Auditorium.
Join us for an engaging and informative lineup of talks:
Best Southeastern Natives for the Home Landscape,
with Dr. Larry Mellichamp
Bizarre Natives, with Dr. Larry Mellichamp
Identification of Tennessee Oaks and Hickories,
with Ron Lance
Native Fruits of the Southeast, with Tony Glover
The keynote speaker will be Dr. Larry Mellichamp, retired Professor of Botany and Horticulture at the University of North Carolina. Larry is an expert on native trees and shrubs, and he is the author of several books, including The Winter Garden, Bizarre Botanicals, and Native Plants of the Southeast. He is a most engaging speaker and will be giving two talks at the Symposium -- "Best Southeastern Natives for the Home Landscape" and "Bizarre Natives."
This year, we will have a variety of vendors and exhibitors, including native plant nurseries. Speakers will have their books on hand, and you can have them signed at the Symposium.
Register early to get the member discount and the early registration discount.
For more info about the symposium, additional speakers and talks...
and to register,
click the buttons below.
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Members' Dinner with the Symposium Speakers
All current Wild Ones Members are invited to a Pre-Symposium Dinner
with the Symposium Speakers - Tony Glover, Ron Lance and Larry Mellichamp.
Friday, March 4, 2016 at 5:30pm
212 Market Restaurant, 212 Market Street, Chattanooga TN
The 3-course dinner, including drinks, is available for Wild Ones Members
and one partner/spouse/guest. There will be plenty of time to visit with the speakers and
other Wild Ones members and to have books signed by the Symposium speakers.
Limited seating. $50 per person. Reservations required.
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Spring Wildflower Hike
with Leon Bates
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Spring Wildflower Hike
with Leon Bates
Saturday, April 2, 2016
Depart Chattanooga at 9:15 am
Wild Ones MEMBERS ONLY
Limited number of spaces available
Leon Bates will lead Wild Ones members on the 2016 Spring Wildflower Hike to Shakerag Hollow near Sewanee, TN. The wildflower display should be spectacular, with trillium, larkspur, phlox and much more. The Shakerag trail, constructed by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corp) in the 1930s, has diverse native flora with huge trees and abundant streams and waterfalls.
This hike location is so unique that it merits designation as a personal "bucket list" hike for Wild Ones members.
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Plant Conservation in Tennessee
with David Lincicome
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Plant Conservation in Tennessee
with David Lincicome
Monday, April 11, 2016
6:00 pm
FREE and open to the public
David Lincicome will provide a brief overview of the State Natural Areas Program, highlight
a few of the rare plant recovery projects in progress, and discuss the idea of starting a Plant Conservation Alliance in Tennessee, modeled after efforts in Georgia.
David Lincicome is the Natural Heritage Manager with the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation, Division of Natural Areas. He is based in Nashville.
For info on Tennessee Natural Areas, click HERE.
Click HERE for info on plant conservation efforts in Georgia.
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Save the Date!
Saturday, June 11, 2016
Pollinator Rally
In partnership with other local organizations, the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones will present its first "Pollinator Rally" at Grace Episcopal Church (20 Belvoir Ave., Chattanooga TN). There will be presentations, exhibits, plants for sale and activities for the entire family. You'll be able to learn about steps you can take to help save our pollinators.
More information will be coming soon!
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New Chapter Facebook Page
This is our NEW Facebook site that provides the most up-to-date information on our chapter programs and events. It is a public page. LIKE US!
Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones
The Facebook group site for our chapter is a great place to learn about native plants in our region. Questions, comments, news articles and events of interest are all a part of the page. Looking to identify a plant you've spotted? Post a photo here and other members will help you.
This page is a closed group for those interested in native plants and the activities of the chapter. Members need to have a Facebook account. Visit the site, click join, and an administrator will verify membership.
To visit these Facebook pages, click on the page titles above.
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PhotoThoughts
for Better Photos
Mike O'Brien, a member of the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones, is a fabulous photographer! He's been sharing his photos for our newsletter for some time, and now, he's generously volunteered to pass along a few photography suggestions each month. This month is the first of our
PhotoThoughts from Mike O'Brien,
to help all of us get better nature photos. We'll also continue to share some of Mike's recent photos, so we can more fully appreciate nature's bounty... and see how Mike uses his PhotoThoughts in the field. Enjoy!
PhotoThought 1.
Get Closer to your Subject
When we take photos, our mind and eyes play a trick on us, making us think our subject is larger than it will actually be when seen in the photos as viewed later on a computer or when printed. So move in much closer, to "crop with your feet," as I say. It is far better to remove unwanted background and features when composing your photo, and thus accentuate your subject, than to try to do it with photo processing later with your computer. The resolution and clarity of your subject will also be greatly improved.
PhotoThought 2.
Composition and Background Awareness
It is very common to focus (pun intended) on our subject so intently, that we neglect to see what is happening in the rest of our photo, only to find out later that there is some ugly feature in it that we wish was absent; and this photo blight cannot be erased without an advanced degree in PhotoShop. So look not only at your subject, but also at the background and foreground. Don't be static, move yourself forward/backward/up/down and recompose, or possibly use the camera's telephoto lens to rid your photo of unwanted objects. Be especially aware of foreground objects that are directly between the camera's lens and your subject, as well as other unwanted objects (tree limb, fence post, lawn chair, etc.) distractingly poking out from behind the subject (plant, flower, bird, butterfly, etc.). Your photos will look much cleaner, and your subjects will stand out.
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| Cloudless Sulphur on Pineapple Sage, late fall 2015, nectar sipping |
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| Maple Leaf Viburnum, late fall 2015 colors |
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IN THE NEWS
EPA Releases First of Four
Preliminary Neonicotinoid Reports
WASHINGTON (1/6/16) -- The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA)
announced
a preliminary pollinator risk assessment for the neonicotinoid insecticide, imidacloprid, which shows a threat to some pollinators. EPA's assessment, prepared in collaboration with California's Department of Pesticide Regulation, indicates that imidacloprid potentially poses risk to hives when the pesticide comes in contact with certain crops that attract pollinators. [read more]
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An Introduction to the 4,000 Kinds of Bees
in the U.S. and Canada
By Adrian Higgins
Washington Post,
1/6/16
At social gatherings, when folks learn that Joseph Wilson is an expert on bees, they sometimes parade their knowledge of these insects: Bees live in large colonies with their mother queen, they make great stores of honey and if they sting, the stinger stays attached to your skin.
This is all true for the honeybee, but not for the 4,000 other species of bee found in the United States and Canada. [read more]
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Become a Wild Ones Member!
Join the Tennessee Valley Chapter
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See what's happening on our social media sites:
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Wild Ones: Native Plants. Natural Landscapes is a national non-profit organization with over 50 chapters in 13 states that promotes environmentally sound landscaping practices to preserve biodiversity through the preservation, restoration and establishment of native plant communities. Please read more information about Wild Ones at www.wildones.org.
The Tennessee Valley Chapter presents guest speakers, field trips and other special events throughout the year, as well as an annual native plant and natural landscaping symposium in early spring.
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