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Healing the earth, one yard at a time
May 2017 Newsletter
In this edition:
UPCOMING WILD ONES PROGRAMS
Greenways Make Blueways - May 8
Plant Tracking & Labeling - May 15
Prairie Restoration - June 12
Pickett State Park Field Trip - June 17
PLEASE VOLUNTEER TO HELP!
CERTIFICATE IN NATIVE PLANTS CLASSES
Native Edible & Medicinal Plants - May 13
Native Summer Flora of Forest & Fields - June 10
Bird & Butterfly Gardens - July 15
Plant Form & Function I - September 9
Native Plant Communities - September 16
NEWS FROM THE CHAPTER
Scholarships to Cullowhee Native Plant Conference
Seeds for Education Grants for Schools & Educators
NEW "Member Info" Webpage
... and more...
INTERESTING INFORMATION
PHOTOS FROM THE FIELD
CONNECT WITH US
Photo above is Rhododendron catawbiense
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UPCOMING WILD ONES PROGRAMS
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Greenways Make Blueways:
Restoring Wetlands in the Tennessee Valley
with Dr. Bill Phillips
Monday, May 8, 2017
6:00 pm, green|spaces
63 E. Main St., Chattanooga
FREE and open to the public
Dr. Bill Phillips will discuss how he and his colleagues have restored nearly 45,000 feet of impaired stream banks and restored local wetlands in preparation of industrial sites like Volkswagen, Whirlpool, and Amazon. He will also describe how nature trails based on high-quality aquatic assets are outstanding additions to residential developments.
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Plant Tracking & Labeling
Round Table Discussion
for Wild Ones Members
Monday, May 15, 2017
6:00 pm, green|spaces
63 E. Main St., Chattanooga
Kristina Shaneyfelt and Bill Moll will host the first informal discussion on topics of landscape interest. Kristina and Bill will share how they attempt to track and label their plants. It is hoped that others will also contribute their methods and techniques. It seems simple, but dogs, weather and weeding take a real toll on signage. Labeling in a way that doesn't detract from the landscape is also a problem. Please come by.
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Prairie Restoration
Panel Discussion
Monday, June 12, 2017
6:00 pm, green|spaces
63 E. Main St., Chattanooga
FREE and open to the public
Save the date!
Our public programs are always on the second Monday of each month.
Look for more details in the next newsletter.
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Pickett State Park Field Trip
Saturday, June 17
Wild Ones Members Only
Join other members of the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones for a trip to see some rare and unusual native plants of Tennessee. The hike will be led by Park Ranger Travis Bow.
Pickett CCC Memorial State Park lies within the 19,200-acre Pickett State Forest, and is adjacent to the massive 120,000 acre Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.
Dramatic sandstone cliffs, stone arches, rock shelters and rushing mountain streams make Pickett State Park on the Cumberland Plateau a scenic wonderland. Unique microclimates form around these geologic formations, creating havens where diverse flora and fauna thrive.
In Tennessee, Pickett is second only to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in biodiversity. Rare plants, such as Cumberland sandwort, Lucy Braun's snakeroot, and rockhouse featherbells grow along trails.
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We Need Your Help!
The Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones is led by a 100% volunteer board, and all of our programs and activities are implemented 100% by volunteers (only our instructors and presenters are compensated in any way).
We invite ALL Wild Ones members, as well as those considering becoming a member, to become involved. Volunteering is the best way to meet others who are passionate about biodiversity and determined to garden and live responsibly. Members are an unrivaled source of knowledge on regional conditions and plants, and are willing to share both. Volunteering helps expand the chapter's work in our community and increase our impact as we work to save the world, one yard at a time!
May 13 - Butterfly Garden Planting
Volunteers are needed for a "plant the garden morning" for the Butterfly Garden at Reflection Riding so that it will be full and beautiful for the Pollinator Rally in June. We will need at least 5-6 volunteers. Reflection Riding will provide the plants.
Join the Program Planning Committee
The Program Committee is responsible for selecting speakers and deciding topics for our monthly public programs. Committee members contact prospective speakers and help confirm arrangements for their presentations. Most of the planning work is done beginning in the summer.
Become a Hospitality Volunteer
Help plan and coordinate member social events, including the annual meeting and holiday social. Serve as a greeter and welcome attendees to monthly public meetings.
Join the Planning Team for a Native Plant Garden Tour
The Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones is starting to make plans for a local Garden Tour to showcase native plant gardens. Join in this effort at the ground level.
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| Certificate in Native Plants Classes |
New Programs Now Open for Registration
The
Certificate in Native Plants program is designed to expand students' knowledge of botany, ecology, conservation, and uses of native flora in the southeastern United States. Students will get both classroom education and hands-on application to increase knowledge and skills that can be applied at home, in the community, and at work. The course setting will provide a common ground for native plant enthusiasts to meet and connect with others who share their interests.
The CNP is designed to benefit both home gardeners and landscaping professionals alike. You do NOT need to be working toward the Certificate in order to register for classes.
CNP classes are limited to 25 participants. They fill up quickly, so register now to ensure your place.
Several classes are almost full, so register quickly!
Click the buttons below for program details and registration.
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Native Edible & Medicinal Plants
Instructor: Holli Richey
Saturday, May 13, 2017
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m
Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center
ELECTIVE Class (4 credits)
Only 2 spaces left!
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Native Summer Flora of Forest and Fields
Instructor: John Manion
Saturday, June 10, 2017
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m
Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center
ELECTIVE Class (4 credits)
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Bird and Butterfly Gardens for Homes and Communities
Instructor: Christine Bock Hunt
Saturday, July 15, 2017
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m
Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center
ELECTIVE Class (4 credits)
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Plant Form & Function - Part 1
Instructors: Richard Clements, Mary Priestley
Saturday, September 9, 2017
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center
CORE Class (6 credits)
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Native Plant Communities
Instructor: Jonathan Evans
Saturday, September 16, 2017
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m Central Time
University of the South, Sewanee, TN
CORE Class (6 credits)
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Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones Announces
Award: up to $500 (may be divided among several candidates or given to one)
Expectation: Awardee(s) will exhibit potential for leadership in native plant community restoration and sustainable landscaping efforts, to include active engagement in Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones mission and activities.
Eligibility: Anyone demonstrating interest in native plants and their landscape use-- through horticulture, botany, ecology, landscape architecture/design, education, community volunteering, or a related field -- is encouraged to apply. We hope to support students, interns in the field, teachers, government workers, environmental activists and native plant advocates, and students.
A
judicated by
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Executive Committee, Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones
Deadline: A
pplication/request, including personal statement and description of eligibility, must be submitted to Bill Moll at
[email protected] by 6/1/17.
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Tennessee Valley Chapter Launches
Chattanooga Area Pollinator Partnership
and Seed for Education Grants
To improve pollinator habitat in the Chattanooga area for butterflies, bees, moths, bats, hummingbirds and other beneficial insects/animals, the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones is launching the Chattanooga Area Pollinator Partnership (CHAPP), modeled after the Greater Atlanta Pollinator Partnership. Visit the CHAPP website for a preview --
chapollinator.org
More news about CHAPP will be coming soon, but in the meantime, we are pleased to announce the opportunity for local schools and educators to apply for a
Seeds for Education (SFE) Grant.
Teachers and students across the United States are expanding learning opportunities by
enhancing their schoolyards with butterfly gardens and other pollinator habitats. These projects enrich the learning environment and provide aesthetic and environmental benefits.
By planning, establishing and maintaining such projects, students learn valuable life skills, including patience and teamwork. They can engage parents and the wider community in a project they can point to with pride for years to come.
The Seeds for Education program provides assistance for all aspects of such projects.
Cash grants under $500 are available for plants and seeds, and in-kind donations from
Nursery Partners can help stretch these dollars. We can help you locate experts and information in the Chattanooga.
Click
HERE for additional information about SFE grants. Applications for awards for this year are due July 1, 2017.
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NEW "Member Info" Website Page
The website for the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones
-- tennesseevalley.wildones.org -- has a NEW resource for its members!
- Membership Q&As
- Report from our President, Lisa Lemza
- Volunteer Information
- Resources for new native plant gardeners
- Membership renewal before June 1 price increase
In coming weeks, we'll be adding more resources, including photos from some of our events. Please check this new page whenever you have questions.
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Honeybee Festival
The Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones will have a booth at the
Honeybee Festival in LaFayette Square, LaFayette, Ga., Saturday, June 3rd, sharing space with ReflectionRiding Arboretum & Nature Center.
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Children's Discovery Museum Pollinator Plants
Members of our chapter recently planted the roof of the Children's Discovery Museum with plants donated from Reflection Riding. Plants included were orange coneflower, echinacea, hyssop, blazing star, New England aster, orange butterfly weed, pipevine, and honeysuckle. The Wild Ones logo will be included on the signage. The Creative Discovery Museum has asked the Wild Ones to participate in their pollinator celebration on Wednesday, June 14. More information about this event will be available in the next newsletter.
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Nursery News
Craig Walker at Barn Nursery reports that Monrovia plants are pesticide free. Hooray!!
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Alabama
Butterfly Atlas now online
The Alabama Butterfly Atlas (ABA) collects, interprets, and shares information about Alabama's butterfly populations for the purpose of education and conservation. It puts science-based information into the hands of those who need it-students and teachers, gardeners, conservationists, and green space planners across the state.
Access life history accounts, distribution maps, photographs of each life cycle stage, host plant lists, gardening tips, and flight charts-all specific to Alabama. Search for information about a particular species or look at species lists from specific counties, regions, or selected public lands. Learn more about the plants on which butterflies depend through live linkage to the Alabama Plant Atlas.
Citizen scientists of all ages are encouraged to share their sightings and observations. Visit the website.
For Prairie-Style Charm,
Plant a Beautiful Coneflower
"Coneflowers ( Echinacea spp.) are the classic prairie plant. These tough, low-trouble native perennials easily held their own in a variety of soils and weather conditions in the wild and just as easily made the transition to more confined garden beds and borders." Read more.
"Violets are in the Violaceae family... In general, the southern Appalachian area (like Cloudland Canyon) has about 40% of the US violets. Violets do hybridize, so that can make identification a little hard sometimes. Most violet species can make two types of flower..." Read more.
Life is the Network, Not the Self
"A 'maple' is not an individual made of plant cells, but a community of cells from many domains and kingdoms of life. Microbe-free plants likely do not exist in nature and, if they could be constructed, would quickly die for want of the vital connections that sustain life." Read more in this fascinating article by David Haskell.
WaxWorms Have a Voracious Appetite --
for Plastic Bags
Plastic is pretty much forever. That polyethylene plastic bag you used to bring your groceries home can last for centuries in a landfill or the ocean. Scientists have tried using bacteria and fungus to break down plastics, but a team of researchers in the England and Spain have shown that a humble larva might be a much better fit for the job. Read more.
As Rains Ease in the West,
Cactuses Shine Brighter Than Ever
"...The 20-grit charm and mulish creativity of [cacti] are always compelling, whether the plants are flowering wildly in response to rain after a sustained drought, as happened this year in California and parts of the Southwest, or simply doing what cactuses do best, which is persist in some of the world's most parched and hostile environments for decades or longer." Read more.
I spent several years listening to trees, opening my ears to them, paying attention to their voices. I found that trees were full of sound. Each sound tells a story about the tree's life and its home. Read more in another interesting story by David Haskell.
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Newly-emerged Snowberry Clearwing Moth (Hemaris diffinis)
Photo by Mike O'Brien
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American Lady butterfly leaf roll on Pussytoes
Photo by Mike O'Brien
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Inside of the leaf roll:
American Lady Caterpillar on Plantain Leaf Pussytoe
Photo by Mike O'Brien
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Eastern Blue-Eyed Grass sp.
Photo by Mike O'Brien
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Newly emerged Silvery Checkerspot - ventral view
Photo by Mike O'Brien
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Newly emerged Silvery Checkerspot - dorsal view
Photo by Mike O'Brien
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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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