Fall Family Festival-November 8 by Jennifer Houghton

This year's Fall Family Festival, held on Saturday, November 8, was a success despite a rainy start. Children enjoyed making a variety of crafts, including 3-D butterflies, egg carton creepy crawlies, tree cookie necklaces, and plant ‘n paint pansy pumpkins.

Storyteller John Grega captivated audiences with nature tales, Native American Educator John Fishback wowed families with his hands-on Native American lore, and the band Home Town Roots blended classic folk and rock throughout the day.

Adkins Arboretum volunteer Julianna Pax, along with her granddaughter, debuted a creative wetland-themed puppet show to an appreciative audience.

The Fall Family Festival also boasted pony rides, hayrides, a corn maze, bubbles, and dried flower arranging.

The All American Grill of Centreville and Cindy Ball of Ridgely provided a variety of refreshments. Some 200 people attended this year’s event, and 18 dedicated volunteers, along with staff, helped the day go off without a hitch.

Soup & Walk-November 15, 2008 by Julianna Pax

This was our last soup & walk for the year and Mother Nature cooperated with sunny weather and a south breeze by 11 AM. We had thunderstorms around 3 in the morning and the forecast was for rainstorms all day. At 9:30, it still looked like we would need an indoor program. But by 10:30 the skies cleared and the 70 degree day was absolutely lovely!!

We headed to the woods in search of winter food for the wildlife. Nuts, acorns, berries and seeds were on our list. Before we even got to the woods, we looked up at a very tall tulip tree and saw glints of gold in the sunlight from a few late leaves and some seed clusters showing against a very blue sky with fluffy white clouds. Just before entering the woods, a dogwood sported a few red berries and lots of buds for next spring. On the first bridge we saw an arrowwood viburnum still attached to some of its pinkish red leaves. Next to it was an ironwood and again looking way up, there were a few seed clusters showing. On we trudged and saw some of the red and white oak families and identified them from the leaves. The white oak acorns with less tannic acid were very scarce. I think we finally found a few. The red oak acorns and hickory nuts also were not plentiful but again we did find a few. Even the hearts a bursting which had some of the purple caps did not have berries except for one lonely berry attached to a cap. The pines yielded some Virginia pine cones but we saw no loblolly pine cones. We surmised that the birds and other wildlife did have more options for food in the meadow.

Even though the day was warm, the Turkey Chili soup, Waldorf salad, Flaxseed bread and Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce were just what we needed after the hour walk. Many went back for seconds and maybe more. I brought out some samples of oak leaves, acorns, hickory nuts, hicans (hickory crossed with a pecan), black walnuts and pecans that I had brought for display. We discussed the value of nuts, seeds and berries in our diets. Recipes were handed out and discussed. Suzie squirrel came by and thanked us for sharing the arboretum and its food.

Thanks to all the volunteers, this was a very successful soup and walk for our 26 guests. The volunteers were Mickey B, Mary Jo K, Michele W, Lynn L, Yvonne O, and Suzie N. Did I miss anybody? Mickey’s decorations were beautiful and used for the flying farmers group the next day. All of the volunteers seem to anticipate what needs to be done so there is a great deal of teamwork and camaraderie. Thank you, you make this event very special for me. Jenny was great at the front desk. Jenny mentioned that many guests had good comments as they left. Erica was the staff person who was very helpful. Heidi, Paul, Buck and Kathy all helped get the event ready. Thanks to all.

I asked the guests if they were interested in a possible 2 hour walk in March and 19 signed up! I think we will try to do 2 tours, a longer one starting at 10 AM and a shorter one starting at 11 AM. The longer one will be able to do more of the Tuckahoe Valley trail since it has great spring ephemerals.

Anyone who wants to order a green soup & walk polo shirt and/or help with the soup & walks next year, please let me know. We start in February.

Thanks, Julianna

The Arboretum in the Fall

Hope House, Talbot County, Maryland by Ellie Altman, Executive Director

On Saturday, November 1, the Arboretum's Leon Andrus Society held its annual fall gathering at Board President Peter Stifel's home, Hope House, on the Miles River, a stunning, clear fall day--sweater weather. Guests gathered in the circular drive until all 30+ had arrived and then took an hour ride around the perimeter of the property on a hay wagon. The event was the first "Tree Walk and Cocktails." The highlight of the tour was Peter's own 'Champion Trees,' a lob lolly pine and a scarlet oak, the former a Talbot County 'Champion,' and the latter a state 'Champion.' Upon returning to the house, the tour continued around the gardens and sheep pasture to the shores of the Miles. Our gracious host served food and cocktails on the porch of Hope House until dark fell. An afternoon spent enjoying nature's wonders gave the crowd a hearty appetite. The shrimp with Peter's mother's recipe for Ft. Henry sauce quickly disappeared.

The Arboretum was established in 1980 with the generous donation from its founding benefactor, Leon Asa 'Andy' Andrus. Born in Horsehead, New York, in 1887, Mr. Andrus led a full life, including a successful career on Wall Street, and eventually settled on the shores of the Wye River. His adventuresome spirit opened many doors. He took flying lessons with Charles Lindbergh; considered J. Ogden Armour, Andrew Mellon, and J.B. Duke his friends; presented a wedding gift to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip on behalf of Corning Glass; purchased the Queen Anne's Record-Observer; promoted the construction of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge; and tended five 'Champion Trees' on his Wye River farm. After his death in 1989 at the age of 101, a portion of Mr. Andrus's estate was bequeathed to establish the Andrus Endowment for Adkins Arboretum.

The Leon Andrus Society was founded to celebrate the Arboretum's first benefactor. The Society confers recognition to its members for generosity and commitment to supporting the Arboretum's annual operating fund. Membership in the Leon Andrus Society is open to all with an annual gift of $1,000 or more, and benefits, for one year, two adults. Benefits include: free admission, subscription to the Arboretum's newsletter, Native Seed, and all the benefits of a basic membership, as well as an invitation to the annual Leon Andrus Society Event and special recognition in the Arboretum's publications and other media.

To become a Leon Andrus Society member, visit http://www.adkinsarboretum.org/members.html

It is the generosity of The Leon Andrus Society that helps sustain the Arboretum's education programs. We are pleased to pay tribute to The Society members:

Ms. Lea Brooks
Mr. and Mrs. David Bryan
Mr. and Mrs. James Campbell
Mr. and Mrs. B. Vance Carmean
Ms. Jane De Briyn
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Duffey, III
Mr. and Mrs. John Fischer
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Granville
Mr. and Mrs. Alan Griffin
Mr. John Harper, III and Mrs. Karen Roth
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas E. Hill
Mr. and Mrs. Allan Housley
Mrs. Hilda Latta
Ms. Virginia Paca
Dr. Robert Paca
Dr. Barbara Paca and Mr. Phillip Logan
Mr. and Mrs. John Root
Mr. and Mrs. Edmund Stanley
Dr. Peter Stifel
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Van Dyke
Ms. JoAnne Welsh

The event was recorded through the lens of Board Trustee Alicia Siegrist's camera.

Board President, Peter Stifel entertains from the stump of an Osage orage tree where he explains the attributes of the wood of ginkgos and Osage oranges.