Lockerly Newsletter June 2017

From the Director
The Japanese have a practice called Shinrin-yoku, which roughly translates to "forest bathing," in which people immerse themselves in a forest as a preventative health measure.
Studies have shown tremendous benefits of this practice, including lower blood pressure, reduced stress and improved sleep, which in turn promote better focus, a stronger immune system and higher energy levels.
I can think of no better oasis to practice forest bathing than here at Lockerly. The simple beauty and the opportunity to reconnect with nature cannot be overstated. A short walk on our grounds offers a break to clear the mind and get exercise - to take care of ourselves physically and mentally.
I invite all of you to come take a walk in our woods.  Unwind. Recharge.  Reconnect. 

Hope to see you soon,
    
Jennifer Pollard
Executive Director
Thank you to our members!


Members who joined for the first time or renewed memberships during May include:

Mr. and Mrs. Jim Abbott
Mrs. Jo Ann Burns
Mrs. Betty Jo Dunn
Dr. and Mrs. George Echols
Dr. and Mrs. Frank Evans
Mrs. Vicki Folendore
Ms. Barbara Joan Geyer
Mrs. Laura Hollie-Mock (Imerys Performance Minerals)
Ms. Susan Karr
Drs. Steven and Heidi Niergarth
Mrs. Alicia Dallago (Scenic Mountain RV Park and Campground)
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Stansfield
Mr. and Mrs. Mike Tenold
Mrs. Ouida Williamson
Mr. and Mrs. Derek Williams
 
 
Lockerly is a member of the American Public Gardens Association which means a Lockerly membership entitles YOU to discounts at other public gardens, including FREE admission to the Atlanta Botanical Garden if you live more than 90 miles away.Go to http://www.ahs.org/gardening-programs/rap/find/statebystate to find a listing of participating gardens. 
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
    
SAVE THE DATE
   
June 12-16: Camp Oliver Worley for rising 3rd - 5th graders

 

June 26-30: Camp Discovery for rising 1st & 2nd graders

 

July 10-14:  Camp Discovery for rising 3rd - 5th graders

 

September 9:  Family Fun Day & Lockerly Under the Stars

 

December 7:  Rose Hill Holiday Reception

 

December 9:  Rose Hill Holiday Open House

 

January 28, 2018:  Bridal Show.  Details coming soon! 

 

Did You Know???

The first house known as Rose Hill was built by Richard J. Nichols, one of the founding members of Milledgeville's First Presbyterian Church and was an early supporter of Oglethorpe University. When the university experienced financial difficulties in 1840, Nichols gave a personal loan of $30,000 to the school, most of which he ultimately forgave. Nichols owned a steamboat, The Wave, which provided Milledgeville and the surrounding area its first regular service to the coast.
   
Georgia Thumpers
by Deborah Foster

Being a Virginia native, my first encounter with a Georgia Thumper didn't occur until I moved to Milledgeville and took a job at Lockerly Arboretum. Some visitors are intrigued while others are startled by this large, odd looking grasshopper commonly called the Eastern lubber (Romalea microptera).
The Eastern lubber grasshopper is limited to the southeastern region of the United States. It is found from North Carolina south through South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, and west through Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana to central Texas.
Lubbers are defoliators, consuming the leaf tissue of plants. They climb readily, and because they are gregarious they can completely strip foliage from citrus trees, vegetable crops and landscape ornamentals. Last summer lubbers got into the greenhouse at Lockerly and helped themselves to some of the orchids. Young lubbers usually travel in large numbers, swarming and devouring plant material as they go.
Unlike other grasshoppers who can jump and fly, the Eastern lubber is quite clumsy and slow in movement and mostly travels by walking and crawling feebly over plants. "Lubber" may seem like a strange name for a grasshopper but it actually is a good fit. "Lubber" is derived from an old English word "lobre" which means lazy or clumsy. Seafarers often use the word "landlubber" to describe a person unfamiliar with the sea or sailing.
Adult lubbers are usually 2.5 to 3 inches long. Adults are usually a dull mustard yellow with
various black spots and markings, but their coloration varies widely and darker forms also exist. The immature Eastern lubber differs dramatically in appearance from the adults. They are almost completely black, with a bright yellow, orange, or red stripe down the back.
The bright colors and patterns on a lubber's shell is a warning to predators that they are unpalatable and maybe even poisonous. Lubbers ingest substances in the plants they consume that are toxic to many predators. These chemicals can kill smaller creatures like birds and lizards or leave larger animals quite ill after ingesting a lubber. Because of their poisonous nature, the Eastern lubber has very few predators to fear. There are however, a few clever creatures in nature that have found ways to conquer the lubber. The Tachinid fly is a large family of parasitoid flies that lay their eggs in other insects. The fly eggs hatch and feed on the host insect, eventually killing it. Tomato hornworms can suffer a similar fate from the activity of a braconid wasp. You may have seen hornworms in your garden with white wasp eggs on their backs.
Another predator that helps control lubber populations is a small bird called a loggerhead shrike. Loggerhead shrikes (Lanius ludovicianus) are predatory songbirds that prey on insects, lizards, and small mammals. They are gray with a black mask and black and white wings. Shrikes are famous for impaling larger prey on thorns or barbed wire fences to be eaten later, which is perfect for preparing lubbers. After 1 or 2 days, the toxins degrade and the dead lubbers become edible.
When only a few of these pests are present, they are easily controlled by hand removal. They are easy to catch because they move so slowly. How you dispose of them is a matter of personal preference. Smashing them can get a little messy so I prefer to toss them into a bucket of soapy water. This method also works well with Japanese beetles. Just place the bucket of soapy water under the leaf or stem where the beetles have congregated and give the plant a good smack. The beetles will drop off into the bucket and stay there. I usually let the bucket set for a few hours to ensure their demise, returning later to pour them out.
If hand-picking isn't an option, insecticides can be applied to either the foliage or directly to the grasshopper. Insecticide treatment is most effective for young grasshoppers. Insecticides that will kill lubbers include carbaryl, bifenthrin, permethrin and spinosad. Baits with insecticide are sometimes formulated for grasshopper control and are sprinkled on the soil surface near the plants being protected.
Lubbers over-winter in the egg stage. The female deposits a large number of eggs in the soil at a depth of 1 to 2 inches and closes the hole with a frothy secretion. The eggs will remain in the soil through late fall and winter and then begin hatching in the spring.   The young grasshoppers crawl up out of the soil upon hatching and congregate near suitable food sources. Lubbers may be found from March to about November.
If you have never seen an Eastern lubber, come on out to Lockerly and we will be happy to show you. Lockerly is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 to 4:30 and on Saturday from 9:00 to 1:00.
 

Invest in Rose Hill's Heritage & Future NOW
 
Progress on our Invest in Rose Hill's Heritage & Future project continues. Come see the beautifully
Game table with newly upholstered chairs. 
restored ca. 1840 game table with its reupholstered chairs in the back parlor. Mr. Marvin Medders did an outstanding job restoring the game table and Mr. ShaRon Hurt has done an equally nice job of recovering the chair seats and reupholstering four host chairs for the dining room. Funding has been secured for completing work in the parlors, hallways and two bedrooms; however, we still need support for the four remaining rooms and exterior painting.
 
Please join us in preserving Lockerly's beautiful 1852 treasure for future generations.
 
To learn more about this project go to  http://lockerly.org/invest-in-rose-hill/ . Donations may be made online or checks, made payable to Lockerly Arboretum & marked for Rose Hill's Heritage, may be sent to:
 
Dining Room Host Chair. 
Lockerly Arboretum                                                  
P.O. Box 310
Millegeville, GA  31059
 
YOUR support is needed and appreciated!
 
A Special THANK YOU to our CURRENT DONORS:
 
Anela Kolone Foundation (Suzanne Engel)
Community Foundation of Central Georgia
Gerald Grimes Plumbing
Ed Hall
William R. Harper
Joe & Nancy Hodge
Alan & Sherrill Jones
Sandy & Judy Mercer
Milledgeville Garden Club
Milledgeville Garden Club Council
Milledgeville Town Committee of Colonial Dames
Gail Tucker Murphy
Bill & Dede Reoch
Douglas & Kyle Rick
William Sherrill Chapter, Colonial Dames 17th Century
Frank & Ann Vinson
Russ & Anne Walden
Watson-Brown Foundation
Fielding & Harriett Whipple
Ed Wolpert
Robert Wood

 
 
 

IN THE GREENHOUSE
In addition to orchids, exotic begonias and curcuma in our tropical green house, we now have a pineapple that is setting fruit.  If you've never seen a pineapple being formed, come check it out!   
 
 


We appreciate our sponsors and supporters.




Lockerly Arboretum  1534 Irwinton Road, Milledgeville, GA   478.452.2112  
visit us online lockerly.org   email: info@lockerly.org
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