Where can I find the class schedule? Yoga class schedules can be found on the Clary Gardens website homepage. Scroll down to 'Workshops' and you should be able to click on each of our two local yoga studios' class schedules. Both studios communicate with their yoga students through their unique Facebook pages. **Classes are updated on our website monthly, but please remember to double check the studio Facebook page to confirm class schedule.

What should I wear? What do I need to bring? It is suggested to wear comfortable clothing to practice. Comfortable, but not too loose that clothing might get in the way of your movements. If you have a yoga mat, blankets, or props, you are welcome to bring those - If not, no worries. We generally have a few extras available. You are also welcome to bring a water bottle.

How do I pay? What is the cost? Unless stated otherwise where listed, the cost of Yoga at the Gardens is $10 per session. Both of our yoga studios prefer cash and payment can be made up front, upon arrival, or after class. Venmo is another suitable option, but please make sure the studio facilitating the class accepts Venmo - this will be mentioned on the class schedule. Please note that some classes, like Restorative Yoga, cost $15-20 per session. These classes are generally longer and take additional instruction or certifications to instruct. Any questions regarding costs can be addressed by messaging the individual yoga studio's Facebook page.

Where at the gardens do we practice yoga? Unless otherwise noted, Yoga at the Gardens is practiced inside the historic red Compton House. Yoga students are encouraged to walk around the house and enter through the back door (there is a sign on the entry door).

Where do I park? When you enter the gardens off 541 West, continue straight up the drive. After the gazebo on your right, you'll turn right into the small parking lot in front of the historic red Compton House. Feel free to park anywhere in this lot. The red public restroom facility is nearby as well. If this lot is full, yoga students are welcome to continue further up the drive to park in the upper-most parking lot, which veers to the left - By walking up to the front porch of the tan garden house, you will see a pathway you may take down behind the pavilion where yogis enter through the back door of the red house.

I'm here ten to fifteen minutes early, now what? Enter through the back entrance of the red house. Remove your shoes upon entering and place on the nearby rug. Turn off electronic devices that could cause a distraction. Place your personal belongings in the backroom. If you brought your own yoga mat, blankets, or props, go ahead and place them on the floor where you'd like to practice. Use the restroom if needed. Then quietly be seated at your mat until the instructor is ready to get started.

I'm a few minutes late. Can I still attend? Out of respect for the students who have already began their practice, you'll have to plan on attending another class that fits into your schedule. It is disruptive and not appropriate to arrive late to yoga.

Online voting starts October 1st. Scarecrows or scarecrow 'scenes' registered on or before September 15th, are only $5.00! After the 15th, Scarecrow Scenes cost $10 for residential (in front of your house), $15 for non-profit organizations, and/or $25 for business Scarecrow entries.

Place your scarecrow entries at Clary Gardens for FREE! There is no fee to place a scarecrow along the Scarecrow Walking Trail, and these entries are still very much a part of the contest! Register HERE.

Scarecrows are designated into one of three categories: Pop Culture, Creepy, and Traditional. All entries are entered to win the coveted "Peoples' Choice" award. WHAT DO YOU WIN? Much respect! And this year, the potential for some cool prizes!

READY TO VOTE? Our online map below should help find a scarecrow near you! People can vote for their favorites October 1st through the 27th. Each person can vote for as many scarecrows as you'd like. *HINT: One person can vote multiple times by logging onto different devices/networks!

SCARECROW WINNERS will be announced at the Scarecrow Town Festival at Clary Gardens, Saturday, October 28, 2023, from 12pm-3pm. (Winners do not have to be present to win.) Check out our Facebook Event or Webpage Event for more information.

Thank you to our generous sponsors and donors who attended the festivities: Good Boy Bakery and Oakley's Adventures 101, LLC!

Power-down and connect with nature while mindfully using all your senses: smelling the flowers and the forest, seeing the textures and colors, feeling the breeze, listening to the birds, tasting the air while stopping to practice yoga postures (asana) and learning breath practices (pranayama) during your picturesque hike.

Lower your stress, calm, and center. Clear your mind. Increase creativity and cognitive function.

Ideal for those ages 13 and older. All classes are 90 minutes, mild to moderately paced and on varying levels of terrain.

Clary Garden Members: $15/Non-Members: $20

Come March, I will start getting antsy. I start planning out my vegetable garden and annual flower displays as soon as a glimmer of spring is on the horizon. I struggle to not clear my beds on that first warm day, but I know the pollinators need just a little bit longer to stay safe. Since, as we all know, those temps never stay warm. So, while I dream of warmer weather, I start browsing online for new seeds and plants. I have a really bad Esty seed addiction and always end up with way more than I could ever use. I try to spread my love among friends and pass out seeds, but I typically have even more left over. I am sure I am not the only person out there with this problem! So why not share with fellow gardeners with the same passion?

Last year, we started a public seed exchange at our Welcome Center at Clary Gardens, located in the restroom building. This was a huge hit! We had several large seed donations from local greenhouses, as well as many individual seed donations that made for a great selection. Piggy backing off of this idea, we have decided to host a public Family Seed Exchange. Everyone is welcome to bring leftover seeds, or favorite seeds to share with fellow gardeners and help stock the seed exchange.

And to make this day extra special, it also falls on National Children’s Craft Day and National Learn About Butterflies Day. With this in mind, we will have a few spring crafts for children to do, as well as information about our local butterflies and plants that can help you attract them to your garden.

Written by Jodi Shrimplin, lead gardener and educator at Clary Gardens.

Thoughts?? Contact Jodi at plantingseeds@clarygardens.org

Although birds have been foraging for centuries, I still like to do my part and give them a nice, late winter pick-me-up. I started making birdseed ornaments a couple of years ago, and they have been a hit in my back yard ever since! Also, they are fun and easy to make, so it is an enjoyable activity for my sons and I to do on snow days. I use a super simple recipe of unflavored gelatin and bird seed (small seed birdseed-it seems to hold together better)! That is it. Just mix them together and smush the mixture into a mold. I use silicone molds with a hole in the center, that way I can just run some twine though the middle and hang the food anywhere! You can use any mold you would like, but if it does not have a hole, don’t forget to push a straw through to create a gap for your tie. After filling your mold of choice, you let the mold dry overnight. After the mold is set, you pop out your ornament and hang it out for the birds. The silicone molds make this last part of the process a breeze since they are so malleable. Occasionally, the ornaments will split upon release, and when this happens, I just set to broken pieces out on a rock and the chipmunks and squirrels are very appreciative!

Attend our annual "Bird Seed Workshop"

When: February 7th, 4-6pm

Where: Clary Gardens

Cost: $15 (includes silicone mold & 1 created birdseed ornament)

Join us on Tuesday, February 7th from 4-6pm for our birdseed workshop! We will be making birdseed ornaments as well as other natural birdseed feeders that can be used outside during these months when food for our native birds is scarce.

When you first learn about winter sowing it seems a bit mysterious. How can seeds germinate out in the cold—don’t they need warmth and moisture to sprout?

Yes they do. But, some seeds also need a cold chill in preparation for germination and that’s where this method can help. I’ve provided lots of tips and seed suggestions below.

We call it ‘winter sowing’ but instead of sowing the seeds directly outdoors we’re sowing in clear, closed but ventilated containers like milk jugs that are placed outdoors to experience winter conditions. The seeds remain dormant while chilling, and, as spring approaches, light and heat increase and germination is triggered.

**We found this AMAZING newsletter article on ^^^ EMPRESSOFDIRT.NET

Find the entire article, published January 2, 2023, by clicking HERE

>>>> Step by step instructions are included!

***Interested in LOCAL, HANDS-ON experience? Join us Saturday, January 21st, from 4:00p-6:00p, at Clary Gardens. Local gardener and experienced "Winter Sower," Jessica Sampsel will be onsite at Clary Gardens to show us how it's done. To obtain info and RSVP, visit the Winter Sowing Event on Clary Gardens' Event Calendar.

Wow! Have you been to Clary Gardens yet this October? October is THE month for spectacular displays, events, and activities. *Remember that we are OPEN everyday from sun-up to sun-down, except for Saturday, October 22nd (private wedding rental). You still have time to visit the gardens this fall. It's peak time to see all the beautiful autumn colors and visit our new hillside waterfall!

Don't miss our 5th Annual Family Trail and Treat Night at the gardens on Wednesday, October 26, 2022 from 4:30-5:30! Dress the kids in their favorite costume and bring a bag to collect treats. We will have costumed volunteers throughout the paths passing out candy and giving away a few educational tidbits about the gardens. Refreshments, face-painting, and other activities will be available by donation.

This is a garden fundraiser: $1 per person to enter the gates. We hope to see you at Clary's!

While here, also take time to check out some of our Scarecrow 'scenes'. Take selfies with them and then head on over to www.scarecrowtown.com to vote for your favorites!

This summer, Clary Gardens will be transformed into Clary “Potter” Gardens in honor of the 25th anniversary of the release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone book. In conjunction with this theme, our Children’s Summer Programming will be exploring the magical elements of nature. We will be using our “wizarding” eyes to investigate nature and learn about ecosystems that we are a part of in Ohio.Throughout the summer, we will utilize the onsite woodlands, creeks, ponds, stone outcroppings, and have activities located in our other garden areas- such as the children’s garden, amphitheater, and new pavilion.

Clary Gardens is a unique class site, as we have the ability to fully immerse students into whatever we are studying. Each week, we will approach a different subject to help children better understand the world around them. Ohio landscape has a rich history and includes many diverse ecosystems. We will be pulling different elements from thisand delving into how they have impacted us in the past, and their importance to our current and future survival. Our program has a specific focus on Ohio ecosystems and the development of Ohio landscapes. It is an opportunity for our children to learn about animals and geography that we are exposed to everyday. In addition to our onsite resources, we will also be bringing in two expert groups to further engage our little wizards.

We are so excited to host magical visits from Midwest Falconry and the 2022 Butterfly Exhibit during our summer programming this year. These events also have additional availability to the community, at no charge. Midwest Falconry will preform two shows on 6/14.The noon show will be a part of the children’s programming, and there will be an additional show at 2 pm- both are open to the public. The 2022 Butterfly exhibit will be a part of the Tuesday children’s programming, but is open to the public 6/28, 29, 30, 7/1 & 2; 10 am- 4pm, and 7/3; 12pm-4pm. We really enjoy the ability to share these events with our children, but even more the ability to share these events with the entire community. Getting excited about nature has no age cap!

Clary Gardens hosts the Children’s Programming on Tuesdays, and our classes are divided into two age groups, held at9:30am-10:30am (pre-K-2nd), and 10:00am-11:00am (3rd & up), we have an overlapping group activity from 10:00am-10:30am. All classes are held at Clary Gardens and begin by meeting at the “Great Hall” (aka our new pavilion space). Pre-registration is required, and cost is $1/child/class.

This year’s themes are:

5/31: Welcome to the Great Hall! (Class introduction, group planting, and Fantastic Beast hunt)

6/7: Muggle Art (Exploring mythical creatures *Gryffindor* & Bird Activities *Ravenclaw*)

6/14: Falconry 101: Birds of Prey (Midwest Falconry Demonstration **This is a time change of NOON** (No Class Cap) Feel free to bring the whole family to see raptors take the sky!)

6/21: Intro to Night Vision (Exploring nocturnal animals *Hufflepuff*)

6/28: Magic of Metamorphosis (Butterfly Exhibit and other activities (No Class Cap))

7/5: Hogwarts P.E. (Frog-a-palooza and Quidditch (No Class Cap))

7/12: Care of Magical Creatures (Importance of snakes to our ecosystem and Creeking *Slytherin*)

7/19: Clary Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Explore our onsite sandstone outcroppings and learn about how rocks are formed- via FOOD (No Class Cap))

If you have any questions, AND TO REGISTER for above classes, please email our Education Coordinator, Jodi Shrimplin, at plantingseeds@clarygardens.org. *REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.

One can receive an exclusive coin for locating 16 of 40 caches part of the Coshocton Ring Trail

Contributed to the Coshocton Tribune

Located at the beautiful Clary Gardens, the current book on display at the Coshocton StoryWalk trail is OUTSIDE IN, by Deborah Underwood. New stories are installed seasonally.

If you would like to see your StoryWalk photo featured on the library's Facebook page, email youth@coshoctonlibrary.org or use the hashtag, #CoshoctonStoryWalk, on social media.

https://joom.ag/3FcI/p14

Rogue Elephant Productions prepares for more theater at Clary Gardens

Tags: clary gardens, featured, full-image

Category: Arts & Entertainment

Here is the article (shown above): https://www.coshoctonbeacontoday.com/rogue-elephant-productions-prepares-for-more-theater-at-clary-gardens/

**A big "Thank You" to our local news source, The Coshocton County Beacon, and all their staff for their amazing work! Thank you to Josie Sellers and the whole writing team for all they do to share positive news with Coshocton. 👏👏👏

Clary Gardens is hosting two fun events for those interested:

PLEASE SHARE and HAPPY HOLIDAYS from your favorite local garden.

The Coshocton County Fatherhood Initiative is excited to announce their 1st "Fall Fatherhood Festival" taking place at Clary Gardens on October 30th, 2021, from 2:00PM-5:00PM -- Bring the whole family for LIVE musical entertainment, children and family crafts, Trick or Treat trails and much, MUCH, more! Join in on a property 'rock hunt' for special prizes. Enjoy the garden scarecrows along the walking paths at Clary Gardens. Costumes are encouraged, but not required.

Visit the Coshocton StoryWalk® Trail to read "Giraffes Can't Dance," written by Giles Andreae and illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees. The trail is located at Clary Gardens, 588 W. Chestnut St. in Coshocton. Books will be changed out seasonally, so make sure to visit before the summer is over!

UNDER THE BIG TOP - 'Tails & Tales' Children's Education

Tuesdays from June 1st - July 20th, 2021 -- 10:00-11:00 AM -- $1 per child per session

**Registration Required**

Join us at Clary Gardens for a weekly, circus-themed summer adventure! Learn about our 'acrobats' of the woods, meet our carnivores (plants), and help us grow our own circus garden! Every week will include an outdoor adventure and science activity. Community health is important to us; space will be limited, so register early.

6/1/21 - Week 1: Planting raised beds and circus scavenger hunt

6/8/21 - Week 2: Creeking and weather forcasting

6/15/21 - Week 3: Butterfly exhibit and balancing butterflies

6/22/21 - Week 4: Squirrels and airplanes

6/29/21 - Week 5: Pollinators and carnivorous plants

7/6/21 - Week 6: Cave exploration and food science

7/13/21 - Week 7: All things 'Frogs'

7/20/21 - Week 8: Tight rope walkers and surface tension

*Registration link will open May 3, 2021 - Found on our website Events Calendar

Space is limited. Please contact the gardens with any questions: events@clarygardens.org.

**Tails & Tales is a collaboration with the Coshocton Public Library, Historic Roscoe Village, The Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum, and the Pomerene Center for the the Arts. We encourage you to visit all of our websites for a wide-array of local children's programming this summer of 2021.

There is no requirement to join or support anything - you do not have to be involved with Clary Gardens at all to join. (You don't even have to speak if you don't want! I'm one of those people, myself, who just like to turn on something as background noise, so no shame!)

The goals and main purposes of the Chats are:

• 1. Obviously, social! We are feeling a little cooped up and want to talk plants, pollinators, and garden planning! We know many people are thinking about these same topics.
• 2. We want to share educational opportunities with those who sign on. There have been so many conferences and webinars happening fully remote because of the pandemic, and most of them are FREE!
• 3. We'd like to share are plans and endeavors for Clary Gardens. We've got a lot brewing for this coming year - Did you know it's our 20th anniversary?!
• 4. And also, we'd like to promote local growers, businesses, and opportunities to help connect people with places (and plants!)

Interested? You need not do anything but login the day/time of the event. We'll be posting a link on our website under the event located on the Event Calendar. Just visit our website and scroll down to Upcoming Events, where you'll see "Garden Chat" for Monday, March 15, 2021, at 12pm. If you click on the event, you should see the link to click to join.

Guests are welcome to join up to 15 minutes before noon to complete a microphone/sound check with your own system(s).

The meeting will start at noon with a (1) Welcome, (2) Introductions of those in attendance (only if you'd like to share), (3) Typically a short main topic/educational session, (4) Internal (Clary Gardens) and External upcoming learning opportunities, and lastly (5) a brief sharing session for those with gardening questions or something relevant to share with the group.

The Garden Chat will run from 12-1pm.

We are planning followup Chats in the coming weeks, so we will post additional "Chat" dates SOON -> Stay tuned.

At Clary Gardens, we want to make your ENTIRE wedding weekend, EXTRA special. Please leave the worrying to us as we prepare for your special day. We’ve taken additional precautions to keep you and all of your guests safe and in awe this upcoming season.

Please, reach out *soon* because our available weekends are dwindling as new brides/grooms connect to reserve their dates. Check out the details of our most ALL INCLUSIVE package yet: http://www.clarygardens.org/weddings.php.

We've opened a few extra dates recently in June and July that are sure to book fast! Available 2021 weekends (as of 01/27/2021):

·May 15

·June 19

·July 17, 24

·August 21, 28

·September 11, 25

·November 6

We are also booking 2022 dates~! The best way to connect to get more information, pricing, or to book a private tour of the venues, is to email: events@clarygardens.org.

We can’t wait to make your dreams come true!

Ever wonder why a bear does not have a tail, or how an elephant’s trunk got so long? How about what happens inside a beehive, or in the ocean? Join us for our NEW weekly story time and find out! Every week we will be reading a different children’s book with some nature element. The stories will last 10-15 minutes and will be designed to get little minds wondering. The videos will be posted across our platforms to ensure easy access to all viewers. This is a free program brought to you by our donors, but donations are always welcome. Join us Mondays at 10 am!

Clary Gardens is excited to announce some upcoming events for our younger gardeners and nature lovers. Starting on Monday, December 7th, we will be sharing a "Virtual" Garden Adventure Storytime. This event will be accessible from our website or across all our media platforms, or can be saved and viewed later. **A link will be shared from our YouTube Channel across platforms at the designated time of the event. Viewers may watch at a later time.**

Our local garden and nature educator, Jodi Shrimplin, will be reading a story each week to our garden viewers about nature. Jandi Adams, garden director, shares that the goal of this weekly event is to develop a community of future gardeners. "We want to get children engaged in nature and the world around them. Even though we're entering the coldest months of the year, many folks are trapped at home and are looking for educational outlets. We're hoping to be that safe outlet for families to enjoy. It's also our hope that these individuals will learn more about the gardens and possibly venture out to visit in person."

Clary Gardens is dedicated to providing access to horticultural education, environmental stewardship, local history and the arts. This is a FREE public program made possible by our garden donors and members. Every dollar counts when it comes to educating our youth - Join us in this endeavor by clicking on the Donate button or learning more on our website.

Judging this year was done by people from outside of Coshocton because almost everyone participates. They used a rubric where they scored each entry on: Creativity, Principle of design (is it sturdy?), Presentation (does it make you happy? do you want to keep looking at it?), how detailed it is, and then each judge got five extra points to give an entry at their discretion. Our other winner is the people's choice, which YOU selected by voting at www.scarecrowtown.com

Now without further ado here are this year's winners!

CREEPY CATEGORY

1st Place: Real McCoy BBQ, Piggy the Butcher

2nd Place: Julia Kimball, Illegally Separated

3rd Place: The Kocher-Tidrick-West Family, Abraham the Headless

POP CULTURE CATEGORY

1st Place: Wiley Company, Hocus Pocus

2nd Place: Winsorwood Place, The Golden Girls Spending Their Golden Years At Winsorwood

3rd Place: Coshocton County Public Defender, Need A Trim?

TRADITIONAL CATEGORY

1st Place: Coshocton Inn & Suites, Alice the Housekeeper & Bob the Bellhop

2nd Place: Coshocton KOA, Happy Camper

3rd Place: Dawn Adams, Garden Warrior Yogi on Broom Patrol

PEOPLE'S CHOICE

Coshocton Inn & Suites, Alice the Housekeeper & Bob the Bellhop (633 votes)

HONORABLE MENTIONS

City of Coshocton, Regionalization Reggie The Pipe Man (Amazing Effort)

So without further ado here are our top contenders!

TRADITIONAL CATEGORY

"Alice The Housekeeper And Bellhop Bob", Coshocton Inn & Suites (423 votes)

"Happy Camper", Coshocton KOA (364 votes)

"Having A Crow Roast”, Jackie Kirker (124 votes)

POP CULTURE CATEGORY

"Hocus Pocus", Wiley Corporate Office (402 votes)

"Golden Girls Spending Their Golden Years At Winsorwood", Windsorwood Place Assisted Living (347 votes)

"Need A Trim”, Coshocton Public Defender’s Office (173 votes)

CREEPY CATEGORY

"Mad Scientist", Wiley Manufacturing Plant (229 votes)

"Jeepers Creepers", Nelson Family (123 votes)

"Illegally Separated”, Julia Kimball (102 votes)

Never been to the gardens? Been before, but not lately? WOW... What a fall display! Unfortunately the frost over the weekend damaged most of our annuals, but the season continues to ripen the landscape.

WHAT IS SCARECROW TOWN?

Each October since 2015, the Clary Garden Foundation has hosted the Scarecrow Trail fundraiser. Last year, we expanded to a city-wide Scarecrow Town, and now, due to popular demand, we are expanding again! This year, anyone in Coshocton County can participate--even if you live in Warsaw, West Lafayette, Conesville, or Fresno! As long as your scarecrow will be put up within Coshocton County, you can participate! Businesses, organizations, and even residents are encouraged to register for the contest and place their scarecrows outside their store-fronts and homes. If you do not have a physical location, like a school or youth group, you are still encouraged to participate! Clary Gardens welcomes scarecrow entries at the gardens as early as September 1st, 2020. Participants should be reminded that scarecrow entries need to remain through October 31st.

Scarecrows will be entered into a contest where they can win in the following categories: Traditional, Creepy, Pop Culture, and the coveted People’s Choice. Winners will be announced at a virtual Scarecrow Town awards ceremony. Details on the awards ceremony will be forthcoming.

YOU get to choose people's choice, and voting is easy! You can vote on the website, www.scarecrowtown.com. You can vote for as many entries as you would like, but you can only vote for each scarecrow once per device. We will have a panel of three judges to decide the winners in each category. Judges will be announced at a later date.

HOW DO I REGISTER?

To erect a scarecrow, or scarecrow scene, in the competition, participants will pay a fee based on the type of organization they belong to. This year we will be offering an early bird special, and we will not be charging per scarecrow. This is a one-time all inclusive fee! Participants who register before October 1st will receive pricing as follows: $20 for businesses, $10 for non-profit organizations, and $5 for residents. Registration after October 1st will increase by $5, making it $25 for businesses, $15 for non-profit organizations, and $10 for residents.

All registration-- including payment-- will take place online this year at www.scarecrowtown.com. When you log onto the website select "REGISTER YOUR SCARECROW" and you will be directed to PayPal to pay with either your PayPal account or a credit/debit card. After your payment is complete, you will be able to put in all of your information including your name and contact information, your scarecrow's name, and a photo of your scarecrow. You can still register even if your entry isn't up yet! Just email a photo of your finished scarecrow to mothgirl@clarygardens.org as soon as you can. Each contestant will be put on a digital map at www.scarecrowtown.com so the public can visit each scarecrow and vote for their favorites. If you have any questions, please email Reba Kocher at mothgirl@clarygardens.org

SCARECROW BUILDING TIPS

We want this to be an interactive experience for all participants, so we would love all scarecrows to be outside if possible. We want people to be able to take selfies and see your scarecrow even after hours. If your storefront is lacking a grassy area to anchor your scarecrow, fear not! There are some really fun, creative ways to participate. You can always create a scene for your scarecrow. Put down some hay bales or some pumpkins for your scarecrow to sit on. This is also a great idea to bring people in for photos! Maybe your space isn’t big enough for a scene. You can get a big flower pot and stake it inside the pot--be sure to make the base heavy enough that your scarecrow won’t be blown over by the wind! Do give some thought about the frame of your scarecrow. It has to be outside in the elements until the end of October. Ohio weather is not very predictable, so thick wooden frames or metal frames will be study enough to withstand wind, rain, snow, and whatever else we might endure. Also think about the weight of the scarecrow itself. Will it be too light to stand outside for a month? Will it be too heavy to move into place? There are lots of how-to guides online if you run into any problems! Here is a simple how-to guide from DIY Network to help get you started https://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/outdoors/gardening/making-a-scarecrow

To be considered a scarecrow, you MUST incorporate straw into some aspect of your design. You do not have to build only using straw though! Check out Pinterest for inspiration and get together with members of your business or organization to come up with really fun, creative ideas! The sky's the limit! We are SO EXCITED to see this year’s entries. You guys never disappoint!

First and foremost, during these times of pandemic we thank you for continuing to support one of Coshocton’s most prized locations. Nature trails and gardens remain open to the public at Clary Gardens. Pursuant to the Governor’s orders, all facilities (including public restrooms) will remain closed through May or until further notice. We have limited staff on site, so if you have a matter you would like to discuss with us, please email us at info@clarygardens.org. Please come enjoy our park, but please do stay six feet apart. Masks are required at the gardens upon coming into proximity with others. Please keep your distance for the safety of all visitors and employees. Also remember, “NO GATHERINGS” are permitted until the State allows.

Happy Arbor Day!

We love trees, and we love that there is a day to celebrate them. Trees help combat climate change by providing us with clean air to breathe and by absorbing CO2 and reducing the amount of greenhouse gasses in the air. They also raise our property values and can help reduce energy costs in our communities (Read More Here). Trees are amazing, and we should do our part to protect them and plant more!

While this is a day for celebrating trees and all they give to us, it is important to first get into some of the not so happy parts. Professor Doug Tallamy from the University of Delaware in a webinar, which you can access HERE, explains that only 5% of the United States can be “left as they are” to promote the growth and livelihood of native plants, insects, and animal species. We have also brought at least 3,300 non-native plants into our country. Because of this, it is our duty to spearhead environmental stewardship, and plant native plants. Native plants will attract native insects which will in turn attract native animal species. This is a huge and important part of saving our environment. A great way to do that, if you are able, would be to plant oak trees. As you may know, caterpillars have specific host plants that they eat. For example, monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed. There aren't many other insects that can eat milkweed. For oak trees however, over 900 caterpillar species all over the country can feed on oak trees! You may be thinking that as the resident Moth Girl I am bringing this up because of my own obsession with Lepidoptera, but this is actually not the case! Caterpillars are EXTREMELY important to the success of our native animal species. Caterpillars capture energy from plants by eating the plants and then animals, like birds, get this energy from eating caterpillars. Caterpillars eat more plant material than any other herbivore. They are essential to the food web. In this webinar, Professor Tallamy cites a study that shows that 16 out of 20 bird families are bringing their fledglings caterpillars to eat. This means that if there are no caterpillars around 80% of bird families will have failed reproduction. Caterpillars are so important because they are soft, unlike other insect species, they are high in fats and proteins, and most importantly they are the best source of carotenoids for birds. Vertebrates are unable to produce carotenoids but we need them to boost our immune systems. This is why as humans we eat leafy greens. We can only get carotenoids from plants, which is why caterpillars are such an important part of the food web. This brings us back to oak trees. Oak trees are so important because they provide us with clean air and every other benefit that all trees give us, but they also promote our caterpillar populations. At Clary Gardens, we are hoping to plant more oak trees to help our native insect and animal populations. We will be doing an acorn drive to collect tons of acorns for planting! If you have acorns to give, we will be collecting them at the Clary Gardens garage.

How are you planning to celebrate Arbor Day? Do you and your family have any Arbor Day traditions?

While we are waiting for Spring, take a look at our upcoming events! We cannot wait to share them with you!