Spring, 2010 Update

Among the many spring festivals in the city, the Garden itself, as it matures, has become a mini-festival of spring blooms. The participants, in order of appearance, have been Celandine Poppy (April 3), Piedmont Azalea, Virginia Bluebell, Mohawk Viburnum, and Fringed Bleeding Heart (April 6), Thrift and Cross vine (April 16) Amsonia, Cumberland Rosemary and Hawkweed (April 23) and Larkspur and Virginia Sweetspire (May 8).

Highlighted plant for this update is the Celandine Poppy, that small golden miracle for shady garden spots(see photo above left). Its bright yellow flowers appear in early spring and continue intermittently through fall. It grows up to 18 inches tall and 24 inches wide and does best in partial to full shade, where it will tend to naturalize. It is propagated by root ball division and seed. It is attractive to bees and can serve as cover to ground foraging birds. Chipmunks enjoy the seed pods. Its seeds are distributed by ants. It is deer and rabbit resistant. The stems have yellow sap that was commonly used as a dye by Native Americans. Europeans used the plant as a laxative and to remove warts. It native habitat is moist woodlands and along stream banks.

Our featured butterfly is the Spring Azure, an early season species and Georgia resident. Its larval host plants include blueberry and viburnum, as well as clover and vetch.. Larvae secret a liquid “honeydew” which ants savor. Ants protect the larvae so they can continue to feed on the liquid. New Jersey Tea (we have two) serves as a caterpillar host and provides nectar for adult butterflies. Nectar is also obtained from dogwood and milkweed (both in the garden). The earlier an Azure emerges, the darker its colors, The Spring Azure’s natural habitat is open woods and woodland edges. Its also found in swampy areas. For a picture of the Spring Azure see http://rlephoto.com/blue/azure_spring01

The Spring Azure belongs to the family of Gossamer-wing Butterflies. The word Gossamer, by the way, is included in the book The 100 Most Beautiful Words in English, according to the website http://www.alphaDictionary. The word “refers to lightness and sheerness at the very edge of visibility…. as Cole Porter put it in his 1935 song, Just One of those Things: "[It was] Just one of those fabulous flights; A trip to the moon on gossamer wings; Just one of those things." We can assume that sprites and fairies, [as well as the Spring Azure], are equipped with gossamer wings” too.


Two birds become FATG (first at the garden) this spring: a Palm Warbler, seen foraging, and a Pine Warbler, heard by Diane Shellack. The Palm Warbler is a migratory species here. Some winter in GA. It is one of few warbler species to forage on ground. It can be recognized by its rusty crown, yellow throat, and belly with some striping as well as the fact that it bobs its tail while foraging. According to Birds of Georgia by Stan Keliela, this little bird recognizes and destroys cowbird eggs by burying them in bottom of its nest. (Cowbirds are those deadbeat parents who lay their eggs in other birds nests, often leading the other bird to neglect their own children to feed the large and demanding cowbird chick) The Palm Warbler apparently got its name because wintering birds in Florida and the Caribbean spent a lot of time in Palm trees.

Pine Warblers are year round residents in Georgia Their population swells when northern birds come south in winter. The Pine looks a lot like the Palm Warbler but without the rusty crown and with more visible white wingbars. Birds of Georgia notes that it builds nest only in pine forests. It often builds the nest far out on a limb concealed from below by leaves and lined with feathers according to The Birders Handbook.

To view these two birds and hear their calls go to http://allaboutbirds.org

Another first near the garden was reported by Meta Larson who sent us news about two Barred Owl chicks. They were near her home which is off Freedom park about ½ mile from the garden-she also sent her photo of them(see photo above right). Beautiful, huh?

Final birds news: the Eastern Bluebirds have claimed the garden box again. They don’t give up easily. The box had fallen to the ground one day. Phil Edwards was in the process of putting it back up when he found he needed one more screw. He left the bird box hanging upside down while he rushed home to get what he needed. While he was gone one of the bluebirds came and sat on the upside down box, peering into the hole. Phil came back in a short time and finished the job-the next day the birds were bringing nesting material in.

And finally thanks to all our volunteers who helped with weeding the garden recently, Donna Latham, Lauren Sandoval, Diane Shellack and Dorothy Dabbs. Also to Tom Painter for keeping the bird bath full in February and for Robert McLeod for keeping an eye on things. And to the City of Atlanta for carrying away our many yard waste bags!

If you want to volunteer please email cvanderschaaf@bellsouth.net

Freedom Park Bird and Butterfly Garden Summer/Fall, Almost Winter Update 12-01-09

　
The garden stands alone! The garden made it through this summer and fall without much help from me. I’ll explain but first, apologies for this late and abbreviated update. Please accept my cupful of excuses and my explanation: on June 18, the day after the last update, I tripped while out walking and broke my kneecap. My own fault, I confess. I was busy looking towards a beautiful St. John’s Wort hoping to see some wildlife fluttering among the yellow blooms when an uneven pavement got me. Since that time I’ve been pretty such in recovery mode and was not able to get over to the garden myself until recently.

Thanks! In the meantime MANY THANKS to the volunteers who helped the garden get by: Tom Painter, who kept the birdbath full, Dorothy Dabbs, who watered the garden in its time of need, Lauren Sandoval, who watered our drooping new trees, Cecilia Marrero, who took photo’s of a still unidentified plant (we know its native since Meta Larson, who donated the plant, bought it at the Native Plant Garden at Georgia Perimeter College), and to Tom Painter, again, Martha Treadwell Justice and Diana Shellack who helped clean up the garden on a recent work day.

December 1 at the garden: The garden is looking pretty good! Even at this time of year. Zinnias are still in bloom The seed pods on the Wild Sienna are almost ready to be picked. The Stokes’ Asters, Blueberry plants, Florida Anise, Waxmyrtle, Crossvine, Celandine Poppy, Cumberland Rosemary, Passionflower, Thrift and Hawkweed continue to sport their greenery. The Eastern Red Cedar has grown about a foot. The bird bath is brimming with water thanks to all the recent rain-and Tom Painter. There are no more berries on the American Beautyberry nor any seed heads on the Purple Coneflowers-hopefully the birds made a meal of these.

So, all in all, the garden made it through the season without much help, as it is meant to do. For this, thanks to Phil Edwards, garden co-coordinator, and the DeKalb Master Gardeners’ Association who planned and planted the garden and, without whom, the garden would have never come to be.

Things on hold: Many things have been on hold for the last few months and for this I point the finger of blame at my knee-ouch! Still to be accomplished: a Power Point presentation, a pathway through the garden, a grant application and completion of markers for all the plants. Also we weren't able to connect with Mary Lin School students this year, very disappointing, but wait til next year! Again, I wasn't able to coordinate things in time.

Help re email addresses: To add insult to knee injury, my computer crashed in early September so I’ve lost some of the Update email addresses. So if you know anybody who might be interested in receiving the Update please send me their email address. Anyone not wishing to receive Updates, please hit reply/send.

Soapbox: Yes, even with a broken knee cap I can perch upon it! Just want to add a link to the "Save Jekyll Island" site - www.savejekyllisland.org - there's a "Keep Jekyll Affordable" petition there if you'd like to sign it. The possible commercial development of Jekyll is scary and, as far as I'm concerned, just a foot in the door for developers to move on to other parts of the lovely Georgia coast. And if they do, we'll lose all that beauty and all those birds and become a replica of my home state, New Jersey (much as I love it). So here’s a chance to keep an established native plant wildlife habitat in place.

Well, I'm stepping off my soapbox-cautiously.

Thanks for listening and

HAPPY HOLIDAYS
　
Carol Vanderschaaf
Co-coordinator
Cvanderschaaf@bellsouth.net

Easy-to-grow natives

Native plants for birds and/or butterflies:
Black-eyed Susan
Purple Coneflower
Lantana
Golden Fleece Goldenrod
Autumn Sage
Virginia Creeper
Cardinal Flower
Crossvine

Native plants for birds:
American Beautyberry
Pokeweed
Blueberry
Yellow root

Native plants for butterflies:
Butterfly Weed (not Bush), Fennel
Joe Pye Weed
St. John’s Wort
Milkweed
Passionflower