Resolutions simplified

New Year's, New Year's. Tired of making resolutions that don't stick? To save you time and trouble, I've compiled an easy list of resolutions for 2013. Enjoy!

1. Get outside.
2. Hug a tree (or two, or three).
3. Never waste a drop of sunlight.
4. Appreciate the clouds: there are pictures in them.
5. Stars, what stars? Sky-gaze at night.
6. When rain and sun collide, look up.
7. Dress for the weather—it opens doors.
8. If your children (or someone else's) act like little animals, remember that they are.
9. Take a walk. Small steps are better than no steps.
10. Live for today, plant seeds for tomorrow. Literally.

Wishing you and yours the best for 2013—

Jenny Houghton

Youth Program Coordinator

Make plans now for masses of grasses

Building upon a recent blog edited by Carole Brown (www.nativeplantwildlifegarden.com) and my growing appreciation for the grasses in the garden I inherited this summer when I moved to a house in town, here is my lucky 13 list of the use and value of native grasses:

Grasses are:

1. Drought tolerant
2. Wet tolerant
3. Hardy
4. Long-lived
5. Visually interesting
6. Fast growing
7. Great in every type of garden
8. Deer resistant
9. Part of almost every plant community and ecosystem
10. Stunning in containers
11. Low maintenance (prune or burn once a year)
12. A quick screen
13. Valuable wildlife habitat

Even a novice gardener should find these facts persuasive. Plant grasses and count your good luck. It is time to make a wish list for Adkins Arboretum's Native Plant Nursery spring opening weekend. Mark your calendar for April 12-14, 2013.

Ellie Altman

Executive Director

Winter is for the birds

Today is the first day of winter, and between the gray sky and the chill in the air, it looks like it could snow. The songbirds are very active outside my window at the feeder eating their favorite black oil sunflower seed. In the garden, Ilex verticillata (winterberry) is a high energy berry that the birds eat as an emergency winter food. 

Ornamental grasses provide cover or shelter in winter for wildlife as well as a food source with seeds and insect larvae. Cut perennial grasses back at the end of the winter season. If you have some extra leaf litter in your garden, just blow it under your shrubs and the ground feeding songbirds will visit your yard to scratch around for insect larvae hiding underneath. Your garden should have these essential elements to attract birds: cover, food, water, and a place to raise their young.

Winter is a fun time to start feeding the birds and developing your eye for bird identification. For more information, check Cornell's Backyard Feeder Count or a Christmas Bird Count happening in your area.

by Robyn Affron

Visitor Services Coordinator

Certified Professional Horticulturist

Transition

Fall

changes

every thing

at the Arboretum

From underneath your feet

to what is deep in your heart.

Serenity and precious peacefulness

While the clear, clean air refreshes me

Invigorating the soul and releasing the doldrums.

Fall prepares me, and moves me toward wintertime.

by Diana Beall
Administrative Assistant

December night in the woods

Tiny candles guided us into the dark Arboretum woods. Fog hovered among the trees, and our flashlights revealed the bones of maples, pines, and poplars. As we gathered on the bridge to sing the first carol, we hard the gurgle of the stream moving beneath us. The moment settled in, and I knew it was time to start. I quickly found the tune in my mind, and then my voice uncertainly sang the first notes.

"Here we go a wassailing among the leaves so green..."

The others followed, eagerly and timidly, but the song was suddenly over.

Howard said, "second verse, same as the first?"

Gladly, we sang it again, and our voices carried into the windless forest. We turned onto Blockston Branch, drawn in by a winding path of candlelight. The air was chilly as we walked along the soft ground. I jealously watched the children run ahead to spy on the hidden creatures of the night.

As we approached the third bridge, our feet were chilly, but our hearts became tender as we sang "Silent Night" and remembered the meaning of Christmas.

A bonfire glowed through the trees and beckoned us to the top of the hill. The smell of warm cider and burning wood made everyone smile with delight, but when I saw the marshmallows on sticks, I knew I was in heaven! We sat on the well-worn stump seats around the fire and sipped the delicious cider.

Suddenly, we heard a clamor--screaming and screeching above us. We froze and looked at each other. Owls! Two, maybe three or more, were having a lively exchange.

"Perhaps they're demanding a marshmallow!" Mary said, and everyone laughed.

Another woman remarked as she held her marshmallow over the flame. "Whatever they said, it was very special."

The owls bantered a bit longer, and we sang "Let it Snow" and "The Christmas Song," replacing "chestnuts" with "marshmallows." Reluctantly, we left the warm fire and followed the path to the pine forest, where we stopped to sing "Oh, Christmas Tree."

I got the feeling that no one wanted to go back, but we were happy and left hte woods singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."

by Meg Gallagher

Advancement Assistant

The Bat Before Christmas

’Twas three weeks before Christmas, and at the Arboretum
The staff was assembled for a December meeting.
Greenery was hung ’neath the windows with care,
in a gallery spruced up with seasonal flair.

The staff members were solemn, seated in chairs
As budget discussions danced in the air.
With Ellie in charge and Kate beside,
We knew we were in for a lengthy ride.

When what to our wondering eyes did appear,
but a tiny grey critter in a window quite near.
A Christmas mouse, nestled among holly leaves?
Not a mouse but a bat, fallen from the eaves!

His eyes—how they twinkled! His fur—how it glistened!
His wings were like velvet, his ears seemed to listen!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And his beady black nose twitched to and fro.

Ginna jumped to her feet and exclaimed with vigor,

“Let’s exit the room before it comes hither!”

Robyn spoke of mosquitoes, and I of rabies

while secretly scanning the ledge for bat babies.

Then Kelli, that intern so lively and quick,
leapt to the rescue with nary a glitch.

Grabbing a dustpan and bowl lying near,
She soon showed us we had nothing to fear.

"Now swift flying mammal, now noble insectivore!

Now social cave dweller of Halloween lore!

On, master of hunting and echolocation

It’s time to curtail your Visitor’s Center vacation!”

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So out of the basket the bat finally flew,
From the entranceway bridge to a sky of clear blue.

And then, in a twinkling, we returned to our meeting
breathing sighs of relief with hearts still beating.

But we heard him exclaim ’ere he flew off to roam

“Merry Christmas from all that call Adkins their home.”

by Jenny Houghton
Youth Program Coordinator