It's a dog's life

After enjoying a treat in the Visitor's Center,
Lewis prepares to lead his owner on a
sunny February walk.

By now, you know that the Arboretum is a great destination for learning about native plants and land stewardship, shopping for plants, books, and unique gifts, engaging in outdoor play, viewing art exhibits, visiting with friendly goats, walking in the woods, and attending events that celebrate the seasons. But do you know that it's also a wonderful place to walk your dog?

Mike and Ruth Parks of Ridgely walk their dog,
Dodger, almost daily at the Arboretum
(and sometimes twice a day).

Leashed dogs are always welcome! Stop by the Visitor's Center for a map of the Arboretum's paths and a biscuit for your four-legged friend, and set off on a grand adventure. With five miles of paths to explore, your dog will never want the visit to end.

When you return to the Visitor's Center, be sure to check out the new Adkins Arboretum dog bandannas in the gift shop. Attire your pooch in style while showing your support for the Arboretum.

This week promises several days of gorgeous sunny weather. Come on out, bring your favorite friend, and discover why it's a dog's life at Adkins Arboretum!

Educating the educator

February is not my favorite time to go to the beach. Nevertheless, I found myself making the two-hour drive to Ocean City last weekend to attend the annual Maryland Association of Environmental and Outdoor Educator conference. High winds and cold, driving rain didn’t make for good beach weather, but the conference was so engaging that I barely had time to glance at the roiling surf.

MAEOE conferences provide an opportunity for classroom and non-formal environmental educators to participate in advanced training, further their understanding of environmental initiatives, and network with colleagues. I started my morning with a cup of coffee sipped over a table of skulls. I had chosen the “Talking Bones” workshop and, despite feeling a frequent urge to wash my hands, was fascinated by the presenter’s ability to piece together an animal’s life history from bone fragments. From this workshop, I preceded to another on bio-indicator species.

Lunch at the Clarion overlooked the previously mentioned roiling surf. I was seated at a table with a Montessori teacher, a MAEOE intern, a CSA farmer, and a science teacher. My tablemates exemplified the diversity of MAEOE conference participants, and conversation ranged from fungal threats to bananas, gluten-free diets, event planning, seed experiments, and the next day’s canoeing outing (brrr). In keeping with MAEOE’s green mission, all meals served at the conference were vegetarian, and no plastic or paper ware was used.

This year’s plenary speakers focused on wind power, climate change, and the toxicity of synthetic material (which confirmed my belief that plastic is the bane of modern existence). I reluctantly left the plenary session early in order to prepare for my own workshop, entitled “Science Gone Wild: The Scientific Method for Environmental Outdoor Educators.” Although teaching adults makes me much more anxious than teaching children, I was lucky to have a great audience of fellow educators.
Thanks to their enthusiasm, I now look forward to the possibility of presenting at future conferences.

After a final workshop on ecosystem engineers led by the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, it was time to pack up my conference loot (“Save the Bay” bumper stickers, a complimentary World Wildlife Federation T-shirt for my toddler, seed packets, lesson plans, a map of the Chesapeake Bay, etc.) and follow the setting sun to Centreville. Just outside of Salisbury, light snow began to fall. I thought again of what an amazing day I’d had…and of how fortunate I was not to be taking part in tomorrow’s canoeing expedition.

by Jenny Houghton

Youth Program Coordinator

Searching for winter green: February's Soup 'n Walk

Winter at Adkins Arboretum brought many guests (25) to today’s  Soup ’n Walk. The temperature in the 50s and lots of sun helped. We were  searching for the green in nature and found it everywhere. Starting at the  wetland, guests pointed out green leaves on the sweetbay magnolia, holly trees, inkberry bushes, wax myrtle, red cedar, loblolly, and Virginia pine.

Blockston Branch was lined with soft fuzzy pretty green moss,  and green leaves of the golden groundsel and skunk cabbage were visible. The  skunk cabbage had many purple-striped blooms along the banks. The absence of leaves on the winter trees allows these plants to soak up valuable sunshine in winter. The skunk cabbage with its long roots helps hold soil and is part of  our riparian buffer to help the Bay. The cranefly orchid takes advantage of  this winter sun as well. The purple underleaf of the cranefly orchid and the  purple-striped flower of the skunk cabbage made a pretty palette.

Our group elected to do a more strenuous walk, still an hour  long, but we hiked along the Tuckahoe Trail and out through the meadow so we  could greet Lily the goat. We saw the evergreen Christmas fern and lycopodium  along the Tuckahoe trail.  Along the way  in the woods, we discovered trees that had been uprooted by hurricane Irene with  the wind and flooding that had occurred. Much sand was also evident along the floodplain. How will this affect our ephemerals this spring? We will see. We  enjoyed Lily’s and her two sisters’ delight at seeing us and coming to the fence.  The goat story was related to the guests, and we hope to have them help in our  challenge to get rid of the invasives.

Bev G. took one group on a leisurely walk to visit the various  moss patches along the Upland Walk and Blockston Branch. She shared some moss information  with them and with the whole group at the luncheon. Mosses have unique methods of collecting water and surviving drought, and they even harbor water bears! Nancy  B. had centerpieces of native plants with moss underneath and talked about  these at the luncheon. All enjoyed the chicken soup with kale and the salad  with broccoli buds to celebrate the skunk cabbage and the green in the woods.  We had green jelly on the pumpernickel bread. The spicy green pepper was more  popular than the mint, and we finished with coffee, tea, and gingerbread carrot  cake with lemon sauce.

Arboretum docent naturalists Nancy Beatty (left) 

and Beverly Gemmill

Our volunteers were Bev G., Nancy B., Shirley B., Pat B., and  Zaida W. We had some last-minute emergencies with volunteers who couldn’t make  it, but everyone pitched in and did a yeoman’s share of the work. Thanks to all  who helped, including the staff that helped set up for the event. In March and  April, we will try some two-hour walks and will still have a one-hour walk. 

by Julianna Pax
Arboretum docent naturalist

February 18, 2012

Don't miss the March 17 and April 21 Soup 'n Walk programs! 

For the landscape you've always wanted...

Do you dream of fabulous outdoor parties held against a lush backdrop of plants? If you have a vision for your property but aren't sure where to start, then the Arboretum's Landscape Design Workshop is for you! 

This full-day workshop on Saturday, March 3 will address the typical challenges of homeowners in the Chesapeake Bay region. Join three experienced landscape designers and avid gardeners in an intensive design session. Come with your challenges and goals, and leave with ideas, a plan, and the confidence to transform your home landscape.

Workshop leaders are Arboretum Executive Director Ellie Altman; landscape architect Barbara McClinton, formerly of the Baltimore landscape architecture and land planning firm Daft, McCune, Walker; and landscape designer and native plant enthusiast Chris Pax, a graduate of the George Washington University sustainable landscape design master's program.

Space is limited in this invaluable program. Register today and get started on creating the landscape of your dreams!

Of Meadows and Maternity

A few years ago, I enrolled in a labor and delivery course  in preparation for the birth of my son. The relentlessly optimistic instructor urged each of us expectant moms to visualize a peaceful, inspiring image. This visualization  would be used during labor “to alleviate any discomfort” we might experience.

Though skeptical, I allowed my mind to flit through numerous  images: a favorite family dog (the three-legged one named “Lucky”), a starry riverside camp site, the attic of a childhood friend. Finally, I settled on one of Nancy’s Meadow in the fall, blue sky arching overhead, hawks circling just beneath a thin line of cloud, trees edged in red and gold. While the other images I’d recalled had flickered like birthday candles, the image of Nancy’s Meadow burned strong and steady.

At this point, you might be asking yourself whether I was actually able to visualize myself into a tranquil delivery. The honest answer would have to be absolutely not. In those best-forgotten hours just prior to my son’s squalling entrance into the world, serene nature scenes were far from my mind. In retrospect, though, I find it pretty amazing that the image I chose to visualize was straight out of my workplace. How many people can say that? Does the president visualize the Oval Office in times of stress, or Bill Gates his computer monitor? I doubt it.

My son is four now, and what interests him most about the Arboretum are Miss Allison’s pickup truck, Miss Joanne’s trailer, and the trees that fell in last year's hurricane. The word "serene" has yet to enter his vocabulary. That’s okay with me. Because whenever life gets a little too crazy in my house, I can always close my eyes, take a deep breath, and visualize Nancy’s Meadow.

by Jenny Houghton
Youth Program Coordinator

              

Nature, Nurture, Nutrition

A single red berry clings tenuously to a slender twig, providing a bright shot of color in the winter landscape. Bare branches reach toward the sky, and evergreen leaves and needles take center stage without deciduous leaves to steal their thunder. The distinctive honk of the Canada goose flies crisply through the air. Walking in the winter forest is truly a treat for the senses.

Jump at the chance to feed ALL your senses when the Arboretum hosts the year's first Soup 'n Walk program on Saturday, February 18. Led by a docent naturalist, you'll venture into the forest in search of plants that seek the warmth of the winter sun. While searching for mosses, magnolia and holly leaves, cranefly orchids, and other green plants, you'll work up an appetite for the delicious lunch and brief nutrition lesson that follow.

Do you know that you can arrange for a Soup 'n Walk program for your group of 15 or more? Contact Ginna Tiernan at gtiernan@adkinsarboretum.org or 410.634.2847, ext. 27.

The Soup 'n Walk program is an Arboretum favorite, so register now for this weekend to guarantee a spot. It's the perfect opportunity to feed yourself, body and soul.

by Jodie Littleton
Communications Consultant

The Winter Turtle

Last week, I was leading a group on a nature walk around Nancy’s Meadow when one of my students spotted an Eastern box turtle. With its high, domed carapace marked in a pattern of golden lines and spots, the box turtle is easily identifiable and quite common. But spotting one in January? Not so common.

Turtles are true hibernators. During the winter months, these charming members of the reptile family are in a deep sleep, burrowing under leaves and dirt until the arrival of spring. They don’t eat during hibernation, and their heart rate and respiration slow significantly. It’s true that box turtles will occasionally wake on warmer days, but January temperatures usually assure the turtle plenty of beauty sleep.

Despite my fears that a midwinter turtle sighting is yet another indication of global climate change, I’m not one to let a teachable moment pass. My students and I examined the turtle’s scutes, or scales, and gently lifted the turtle to take a look at the lower shell that makes up the plastron. By the plastron’s concave shape, we could tell that this turtle was undoubtedly a boy. After christening him Gilbert, we tucked the turtle back where we found him and continued on our walk. 

Weather forecasters predict more unseasonably warm weather for the upcoming week.  How changing climate patterns will ultimately affect Gilbert’s health and well-being is harder to predict.

by Jenny Houghton
Youth Program Coordinator
Photo by Matt Reinboldhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/furryscalyman/294137530/

Thoughts on Winter

in january
dry leaves like paper windchimes
sing from silver trees.


Photo by Ginna Tiernan
Haiku by Jenny Houghton

Nature as Muse—Musings on Skunk Cabbage

As I came to a stop on the bridge over Blockston Branch, a place I have stopped many times before, I knew what I should be seeing. I also knew I wouldn't see it until my eyes were ready to see it. But let me walk us back to the beginning.

I came to the Arboretum that morning to be a member of the Adkins Arboretum Nature as Muse group. I had been a part of a similar group several years ago at the Arboretum and have pages upon pages of journals, treasured arts and crafts pieces (beautiful only to me, I am sure), and many memories of the explorations and musings we had created. I was looking forward to the new group, but steeling myself not to expect what had been. I was delighted to find a welcome, and excitement, that was engaging and new, yet comfortable and known.

Michele Wade, our lead Muser for the day, had been saving a theme for just the right confluence of season and attendees. She introduced us to the wonders and many layers of a plant known as Skunk Cabbage. Depending on how willing you are to muck about stream beds and floodplains in January and February, you may have only known skunk cabbage as the big, bright green leaves of late spring that carpet the banks of streams. If you are willing to come out and look—now—you will have to let your eyes see, but once you do...

...well, mainly you will say, ‘what IS that?’ Because, really, it looks quite alien. Well ‘that’ is the bloom of a skunk cabbage. Poking its way up through leaf litter, detritus from floods, and, even in colder winters than we have had this year, melting the ice and snow around it. The multicolored gnome-like hood is known as a spathe and protects the actual bloom, or spadix, tucked inside. The spathe is open only with a narrow slot that admits access to its intended audiences, the winter hardy gnats, flies, and some bees.

In order to attract visitors, the spongy-textured spadix, actually the grouping of flowers on a fleshy sphere, gives off quite an unpleasant aroma for us but is perfectly attractive to the insects. We actually touched one and experienced the smell for ourselves. Maybe an initiation of sorts, it did take some teasing and double dog dares. Even the leaves are smelly when torn, but not as bad as the flower.

Another intriguing trait of the skunk cabbage is how well it clings and anchors itself to the ground with roots that reach down and out and branch at the end to extend even more rootlets, like fingers digging into the soil. It has to be able to withstand the floods after a rain swells the creek bed, and the turkeys that forage on their way through to the next field (deer are as sensitive to the skunk scent and chemistry of the leaves as we are and leave it be).

We can’t see that web-like anchor directly, but when you take your next walk at the Arboretum and head down to the first bridge, stop and stare awhile. Your eyes will start to learn the pattern of the gnome-like spathe and will see just how many have settled in such a small area—testament to the strength and tenacity of a plant willing to poke its head up through the blankets of winter and see what is to be seen.

The group meets again March 7 (and the first Wednesday of most months) to experience a bit of nature and let it act as muse—you are most welcome to muse along with us!

by Michelle Dolan Lawrence
Arboretum docent and Maryland Master Naturalist

When was the last time you took a walk in the woods?

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s hard to find tranquility. Except at Adkins Arboretum, that is. 

When was the last time you really heard the quiet? When you take a walk at Adkins, you are able to enjoy the quiet and let your mind and body pick their own pace. By being outside in nature, you get the opportunity to enjoy the solitude and the beauty. If you give yourself enough time, you begin to feel the sense of endurance that only being in the woods can give you. Exercise is a well-documented health benefit for both your mind and body. So give yourself a well-deserved break from today’s demands. Come to the Arboretum for a step back in time and a bit of tranquility.

Experience the tranquility that only a walk in the woods can provide. Join tomorrow's First Saturday Guided Walk, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Visitor's Center. The walk is free for members and free with admission for the general public. Or visit any day for a self-guided walk. The Arboretum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

by Diana Beall
Assistant Receptionist

Raise your mug to Adkins Arboretum!

Now you can start your day thinking of Adkins Arboretum even before you visit! Paul Aspell has created an assortment of mugs with the Adkins Arboretum signature tulip poplar leaf logo. These beautiful hand-crafted mugs will be available for purchase at the Arboretum gift store beginning tomorrow, February 3.

Beginning March 2, you can join Paul at the Arboretum for Nature-Inspired Clayworks to create your own nature-inspired ceramics using hand building techniques. 

Paul is known for his combination of hand-built forms with thrown elements. He incorporates elements of the Eastern Shore into his pottery, as demonstrated by his washes and glazes and his use of shells and old bricks to leave imprints in the clay. He holds a master’s degree in ceramics and has taught art in public and private high schools in New Jersey. His work is featured in the Arboretum gift shop.

by Ginna Tiernan
Adult Program Coordinator