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Nature at Night: Native Plants for Your Landscape

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What if you treated your backyard as a piece of the larger mosaic of a habitat and added native plants to your landscape? The Trust’s Preserve Manager, Mike Cranney, for an overview of native plants and why they’re important to birds and other wildlife.  Mike will be joined by Julie Snell and Lisa McDonald Hanes of Redbud Native Plant Nursery, located in Media, PA. Julie and Lisa will share their growing and sourcing practices, selecting the right plants for your space, and how to develop a thriving native plant landscape!

REDBUD NATIVE PLANT NURSERY

The mission of Redbud Native Plant Nursery is to be the primary source of sustainably raised native plants for retail buyers in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Building on the base established over the past seventeen years, the nursery will continue to provide unique stock at a location where customers can see, touch and smell native plants in person and interact with knowledgeable staff. 

To learn more about Julie and Lisa’s nursery, please visit Redbud Native Plant Nursery’s website: www.redbudnative.com

The Bees of Rushton Farm: A Pollinator Perspective on Willistown Conservation Trust & Environmental Education

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One Sunny midsummer day in 2012 on Rushton Farm, the bees decided to swarm. Noah, a certified apiarist–and the sustainable gardening manager teaching our cohort agro-ecology best practices–knew exactly what to do, and quickly sprang into action. He was able to quickly and safely locate the queen bee and remove the correct branch the swarm had formed on. It was a quick and mesmerizing event that created a lasting memory for all us interns and students who were there for the swarm…and then it was back to tending the row crops we were growing for the community supported agriculture (CSA) and food donations. It was a unique and fun way to work and learn, and an experience that would only have been possible due to the efforts of the Trust to not only create and restore the 6-acre sustainable farm but to make it accessible to us city dwellers and students that would have otherwise never known what existed beyond the hedgerows.

This experience reminded me of a time growing up in the Midwest. While playing outside in my backyard on a south facing slope, I discovered bees entering and exiting a nickel sized hole in the ground. Curious to see what they were doing, I went inside and got a jar. Then I put the jar over the hole, and for about 5 stings worth of time, or 20 minutes or so, I could study the bees. This event, like the swarm at Rushton, created an indelible and memorable window of observation that I would forever remember. As the interns and I worked with the staff and hosted student groups at the farm, I could not help but be reminded how such events can make a lasting and meaningful impact on young people as they begin to explore their natural world and make ecological connections. 

As my internship progressed as part of the Penn MES program, the opportunity to study bees, and specifically native pollinators, arose. Working with Lisa Kiziuk and Fred de Long, I was able to reach out to bee expert Sam Droege from the Beltsville, MD bee lab. He assisted me with designing a baseline pollinator survey, told me where to get the glycol for the pan traps (painted yellow, blue and white solo cups with PVC holders) I would hand make and deploy in three areas around the farm, and even where to get the specimen collection bags and how to store the specimens for later ID (which Sam’s lab and interns there performed). 

I would soon conclude my field research at Rushton after collecting the specimens from the pan traps throughout the summer and sending them to the Bee lab for ID. Thanks to the sustainable farming practices, focus on native plantings and abundant open space, we were able to identify 49 unique species of bees at Rushton Farm.

My capstone project at Penn would focus on deadly and pervasive insecticides and crop protection products called Neonicotinoids–which are used as seed treatments on over 95% of corn and soy planted in the U.S–and which were not used anywhere on Rushton Farm. At the end of 2012, after all the Rushton farm crops had been sustainably grown and harvested, I published “The Producer Pollinator Dilemma: Neonicotinoids and Honeybee Colony Collapse.” This project was the most in-depth project I’d taken on to date, and it began with “The Bees of Rushton Farm, A Pollinator Perspective on Sustainable Agriculture,” which was the independent project preceding the capstone, and where we published our baseline pollinator survey with the native pollinators we observed and collected in and around the farm that summer.

What began as a summer internship spurred a lifelong academic and ecological interest in native bees, agro-ecology, and how we can all work together to restore our land with an optimal mix of wildflowers, native grasses, and sedges. This is how the PollinatorPatch nonprofit campaign to restore One Million Acres, One Backyard Patch at a time, soon evolved from my new job with Applied Ecological Services as part of the large scale Restoration Field Crew in the Midwest, and then Project Manager for the Wetland Reserve Program in Iowa, in conjunction with the NRCS and State DNR.

It was during these projects and assignments that I realized a pollinator optimized seed mix was needed, by eco-region, and bloom period, and with more than the CP42 standard of 9 forbs (3 in each bloom period). On Earth Day in 2015 PollinatorPatch.com was launched to offer folks the best available 30+ species seed mix for their backyard and to show them why it’s important to help the bees, just like Noah did that one sunny midsummer day on Rushton Farm when the bees swarmed. 

This past summer the entire experience came full circle when Monarch Joint Venture conducted a vegetation survey to see what native plants and wildflowers particularly were in bloom from a pollinator-optimized seed mix in the 3rd year of maturation.

“Everything is everything,” and we are all connected on our planet and by our collective actions. Small events can lead to bigger learning experiences and the unique and memorable outdoor education offered at Rushton is invaluable and makes bigger impacts in time thanks to the work of the Willistown Conservation Trust and its dedicated team.

Ben Reynard | was an Intern at Willistown Conservation Trust’s Rushton Farm in 2012. After earning a Masters’s degree in Environmental Studies at Penn, Ben went on to work for Applied Ecological Services as an Ecosystem Restoration Supervisor. Additionally, he has launched the nonprofit, Pollinator Patch to restore backyard habitat. Ben is father to a three year old son and is restoring a 3-acre goat prairie and an 1850’s pioneer cabin he hopes to make into an eco-home for his son to learn eco-homesteading and ecological restoration. To learn more about Ben and his path visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-reynard-03a4b358/ or https://www.lps.upenn.edu/degree-programs/mes/community/0514.

Planting in Fall

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A volunteer gardener at Rushton Farm this August. Photo by Jennifer Mathes

              Although fall is when most things begin to die back, there is no better time to put new life into the ground! It is obviously a beautiful season to get outside, but it also presents the perfect conditions for a young plant to thrive. Getting your planting done now will make both your and your plants’ lives a whole lot easier come next spring.

The most significant benefit of planting in the fall is the jump-start it gives plants to get their roots established. Because they are not battling the heat and drought of the summer, the plants are able to focus their energy on growing a strong root system. This gives them more time to gain strength before they emerge in the spring and take on the summer heat. In addition, the cooler autumn weather means less watering, and fewer hungry pests. There are also practical reasons to plant in the fall. Having just gone through the spring and summer, you know exactly what additions your garden may need, and when everything is busy next spring, you’ll be thrilled with the time you have saved.

Fall is a great time to add herbaceous perennials to your garden so that they are ready to emerge come spring, but it is an especially ideal time to plant trees and shrubs. These woody species depend on a strong root base, and require more time to get established, so getting them started now puts them at an advantage. Maples and oaks fare particularly well planted this time of year. Fall is also the time to plant spring blooming bulbs, as they need to go through winter in the ground in order to break their dormancy.

As always, we recommend using native plants in your yard for the benefit of our birds, pollinators, and other wildlife. Luckily, there are wonderful local nurseries nearby where you can find natives, such as Redbud, Mostardi, and Octararo. We also have a variety of resources on our website that explain the benefits of native plants and offer suggestions for which ones to use, including our recent virtual presentation on native plants in your landscape, and our Homeowner Resource Guide. And of course, you can always come out to visit our office and preserves for inspiration. Happy planting and enjoy the fall!

Bumble bee on Culver’s Root. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff

Fall Planting Tips:

  • It is best to plant once the weather is somewhat cooler, but plants will still need 4-6 weeks to get established before the ground freezes. Mid-September through the end of October is generally the best time to do your planting.
  • Dig your holes only as deep as the container the plant is in, and twice as wide. Loosen any tangled or circling roots by hand before placing the plant in the ground.
  • Bury your plants so that the root flare (where the roots start to spread from the trunk/stem) is just above ground level, and tamp the soil in firmly.
  • Adding mulch will help the soil hold moisture, and provide insulation for the roots over the winter (be sure not to pile mulch over the root flare).
  • With cooler fall temperatures, new plants won’t need quite as much water as they would in the summer, but it is still important for their establishment to keep them hydrated. Always thoroughly water in after planting, and as needed depending on the weather and soil moisture.
Native bee and Virginia cup plant. Photo by Jennifer Mathes

Native Plants for Your Landscape

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Learn what native plants will thrive in your garden. Whether it’s a meadow, a rain garden, a woodland shade garden or anything in between, you’ll learn what plants need to succeed and which ones will help support the most wildlife, like birds and pollinating insects. Presenters Blake Goll, Education Programs Manager and Mike Cranney, Preserve Manager.

Our Native Wildflower Meadow: An Example of How to Heal Nature from Home

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The Willistown Conservation Trust’s “front yard.” Photo by Blake Goll/Staff

In the heart of Willistown lies a Garden of Eden: over an acre of native wildflowers blankets a gentle slope in front of the Trust’s office on Providence Road. It provides a living example of how homeowners can help support nature in their yards. 

The first seeds for our wildflower meadow were planted in 2008, and since then around 800 flower plugs were carefully tucked into the soil each spring by elementary school children who learned about the myriad benefits of these native plants— from supporting the insects that drive food webs to minimizing water usage.  Year after year we watch the cradle of green grass morph into a field of countless perennials awaiting their turn for inflorescence throughout the summer. 

Variegated fritillaries on asters in late September. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff

Last year I kept a photo journal of the spellbinding symphony of life the meadow supports during its prime flowering months of July and August. 

In July, the red milkweed beetles wiggled their black antennae against the common milkweed as a few tiger-striped monarch caterpillars happily munched away at the toxic leaves.  Honeybees and nectar-loving wasps buzzed peacefully around the velvety mountain mint in such masses as to make the plant seem like it had a pulse.  Hummingbird clearwing moths probed the charming purple sprays of the wild bergamot, and clumsy bumblebees clung to the elegant ivory candelabras of Culver’s root.  Swallowtail butterflies became fluttering fixtures on the delicate clusters of lilac blooms produced by the garden phlox—seemingly every pollinator’s most cherished cocktail. On a lucky day even a battered monarch butterfly danced with hope among the Joe-Pye weed, its torn wings a symbol of the trials that this threatened species can overcome if we only provide it with more sanctuaries like this.

Culver’s root. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff
Hummingbird moth on wild bergamot. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff
Meadow fritillary on mountain mint. Photo by Celeste Sheehan

In August the meadow takes on a golden hue as the brilliant yellow of the native sunflowers is augmented by goldenrod species.  Contrasting splashes of deep purples from the ironweed and vervain create a blissful palette in which at least ten species of butterflies can be counted at once.  Birds also abound in this kaleidoscope of colors: kingbirds and bluebirds hunt for insects, as goldfinches bounce up and down on the long stems of the cup plant, chattering to each other while feasting on the seeds of the spent blooms.  I watched a young house wren take shelter among the stems of the pokeweed, where he made his first babbling attempts at his father’s spirited song.

Grass-leaved goldenrod. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff
Honeybee on ironweed. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff
Goldfinch on Virginia cup plant. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff

This is life at its finest.  There are few natural landscapes where you can be surrounded so closely by so much visible life that is not in any hurry to evade you.  A cathartic place like this has the power to free us of loneliness, sadness, and worry by igniting our fascination. Your eye catches sight of a butterfly and the mind follows; such involuntary attention is the opposite of what our daily tasks demand and is exactly what promotes clear-headedness, calm, focus, and happiness.

Not only are native wildflower meadows elixirs to human health, they also promote ecological health and act as unsurpassed nurseries for biodiversity.  Imagine having all these benefits right at your back door.

There are over 48 million acres of largely biologically barren lawn in the U.S, and we lose 1.5 million acres of land to development each year.  Our lawns do not have to be monocultures of grass; by choosing native plants for at least half of our properties our yards could actually begin to rebuild the ecological food webs that are breaking down as a result of loss of habitat and pesticides.  By incorporating patches of native plants in your yard you can provide habitat for countless insect and bird species, including beneficial predators that keep pest insects in check naturally.

Common milkweed in the Willistown Conservation Trust’s native meadow. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff
Rare sand wasp species (Psammaletes mexicanus) found in our wildflower meadow last summer. It is pictured here carrying a leafhopper prey. Photo by Celeste Sheehan

Studies show that native wildflowers are also an answer to feeding the world’s growing population; the diversity of birds and insects in strips of wildflowers next to agricultural fields reduces or eliminates the need for pesticides and significantly increases crop yields, thanks to pollinating services.  Even in the dormancy of winter, unmown native wildflowers and grasses provide essential seed sources and shelter for birds.

There is a wonderful quote, “Leave room in your garden for fairies to dance.”  I remember reflecting in the wildflower meadow that summer and marveling at two monarch butterflies that seemed to be curious about me as they glided past and fluttered back to me in a teasing manner.  With iconic species like this on the brink of becoming like fabled garden sprites to our children, it is hard to justify not doing everything we can to heal nature.  What a gift it is to learn that your yard actually has the power to make a big difference.

White M Hairstreak. This rare butterfly species was found in our native wildflower meadow last summer, highlighting the importance of native plants. Photo by Celeste Sheehan

The Trust invites you to check out our website or call for information on creating your own wildflower paradise. You are welcome to visit our wildflower meadow at the office (925 Providence Road, Newtown Square).  Its peak months are July and August, but you’ll be rewarded with new joys any month you go.  Wildflower strips are also incorporated along the farm fields at Rushton Farm.  Common Milkweed is spectacular at all of our preserves for a brief window in mid-June.

Ready to join the movement?

Here is our curated list of great sources to get you started learning about, buying, and planting natives:

Which Native Plants to Buy for What Purpose

Where to Buy Native Plants Locally

Online Native Plant Marketplaces

 Summer Reading List

  • Bringing Nature Home by Doug Tallamy
  • The Living Landscape by Doug Tallamy and Rick Darke
  • Nature’s Best Hope by Doug Tallamy
  • Noah’s Garden by Sara Stein
  • The Backyard Parables by Margaret Roach
Monarch on echinacea. Photo by Celeste Sheehan