By: Reba Kocher

Have you heard about our upcoming program, the Great Garlic Mustard Pull? It is an awesome opportunity for you to help us take back our Gardens! On May 18th, 2019 from 9:30A.M.-11:30A.M., we are heading to the woodlands to pull out this invasive weed. You will get to take home as much garlic mustard you can eat. Don’t worry--we will throw in some recipes too! We need your help to clear out the pesky garlic mustard, so we can promote the growth of other diverse plant species.

So why do we need to host an event like the Great Garlic Mustard Pull? Well, Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is a non-native, invasive species. The earliest report of the plant comes from Long Island, NY in 1868. The plant comes from Europe, and it was introduced to North America for medicinal and food reasons. Within the last 150 years, Garlic Mustard has become “one of the worst invaders of forests in the American Northeast and Midwest” according to the New York Invasive Species Information website. Even though it takes two years for it to fully mature, once it matures, it can produce anywhere between 600-7,900 seeds (Nuzzo, 1993)! That’s A LOT of Garlic Mustard! It doesn’t even need to rely on pollinators because it can self-pollinate. To make matters worse, if the Garlic Mustard is cut or stepped on, the plant doesn’t die. Instead, unless the root is completely removed, the root crown will continue to grow stems.

Not only is it prolific, but Garlic Mustard also forms dense stands that choke out native plants by controlling the amount of light, water, and nutrients the native plant receives. Michigan State University did an extensive study of Garlic Mustard in 2008, and researchers found that a Garlic Mustard invasion greatly impacts the beneficial relationships that native plants have with fungi and other wildlife in the forest. They found that a Garlic Mustard invasion can decrease the diversification of annuals and tree seedlings. Garlic Mustard is allelopathic, meaning that it produces a chemical that inhibits the growth of other, native plants and mychorrizal fungi. The loss of plant diversification impacts butterflies, as an example, because butterflies rely on diverse plants for egg-laying. Michigan State University also found that the change in tree composition could have long-term effects on forests because the Garlic Mustard creates a selective barrier that some tree seedlings, such as the Chestnut Oak (quercus prinus) will not be able to survive. Remember the mychorrizal fungi mentioned earlier? This fungi has a beneficial relationship with trees and seedlings. It encourages healthy tree growth and is necessary for seedling survival.

Garlic Mustard has very few natural enemies, especially in the United States. The plant is bitter, which is off-putting to most animal and insect species. This is likely to the leaves containing cyanide. I know what you’re thinking--”But you said earlier you’re giving us as much as we can eat!” Yes, Garlic Mustard contains cyanide in its leaves, but a lot of vegetables we eat contain cyanide. Broccoli (a relative to Garlic Mustard!), cabbages, and other cruciferous vegetables also contain cyanide! You’d have to eat a Garlic Mustard salad every single day to be poisoned by it (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/metro/urban-jungle/pages/130416.html). Not only this, but cooking the leaves the cyanide levels are reduced greatly (sometimes even completely eliminated). Humans are the biggest threat that this awful plant has! So, bring your family and friends to the Great Garlic Mustard Pull. Spend the morning with nature, and save our woodlands! We promise it will be a great time!

References & Further Reading

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/garlic_mustard_threat_to_woodlands

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/11/nyregion/garlic-mustard-evil-invasive-delicious.html

http://nyis.info/invasive_species/garlic-mustard/

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1010009514048

https://www.kingcounty.gov/services/environment/animals-and-plants/noxious-weeds/weed-identification/garlic-mustard.aspx

https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/F-66

By Jim McCormac -- Article from Columbus Dispatch - Find full article HERE.

An Evening With Julie Zickefoose, Nature Artist and Writer

Brought to you by the Coshocton Public Library -- Off-site -- **Registration is open

Note: This event will be held in the Chapel at Coshocton Presbyterian Church

Baby Birds: An Artist Looks Into the Nest

Why and how do baby songbirds develop so quickly, some launching into flight only 11 days after hatching? In 2002, Julie Zickefoose began to draw and paint wild nestlings day by day, bearing witness to their swift growth. Over the next 13 years, Julie would document the daily changes in 17 bird species from hatching to fledging. Baby Birds is the enchanting result, with more than 500 life studies that hop, crawl and flutter through its pages. In this talk, Julie shares her influences as well as her artistic process, a must-see for the aspiring natural history artist. Art and science blend in every Zickefoose pursuit, as the scientist’s relentless curiosity joins the artist’s quest for beauty. The work, wonder and fun of studying nestlings, including being foster mother to orphaned hummingbirds, chimney swifts and bluebirds, makes for an irresistible and highly inspirational presentation.

Julie Zickefoose is author and illustrator of Natural Gardening for Birds, Letters from Eden, The Bluebird Effect, and Baby Birds: An Artist Looks Into the Nest. Saving Jemima: Life and Love with a Hard-luck Jay arrives in September 2019.Awakening readers to the astonishing things birds think and do is her job. She writes and paints from Indigo Hill, an 80-acre sanctuary in Appalachian Ohio.

Event Type(s): Adult

Age Group(s): Adult, Senior, Teens (Grades 7-12)

A SWARM OF A ‘BILLION’ PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLIES IS MIGRATING THROUGH SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

DANIEL HERNANDEZ -- MARCH 11, 2019 -- DETAILSFEATUREDNEWS --Image courtesy of National Park Service

A massive swarm of at least 1 billion butterflies is traveling across Los Angeles and neighboring counties at a breathtaking speed of about 20 miles an hour, reports said.

The butterfly species Painted Ladies, cousins to the Monarch butterfly, are in a rush to reach breeding areas in Oregon after spending winter in the deserts of northern Mexico, according to Tom Merriman, a director of a butterfly non-profit group in Encinitas, in an interview with the Pasadena Star News. “They’ve laid tons of eggs in the desert, and so there may be over a billion butterflies,” Merriman told the paper.

Social media users in L.A. reported seeing the fluttering insects across the region, from Glendora to the beaches to South-Central L.A. Butterflies floated quickly across Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in South L.A. from downtown to Leimert Park.

“We counted 250 in one hour in the Arroyo Seco, all streaking westward. Quite a sight,” tweeted user L.A. Resident Tourist.

Experts said the migration is prompted also by California’s heavy winter rains.

READ FULL STORY HERE.

Clary Gardens is planting MILKWEED!

We've been super excited to get out in the gardens and can't wait!

In the meantime, while the beds are still a little too frozen, we've been working on a project in conjunction with upcoming Earth Day and our Children's Garden.

We've dedicated time and resources to put new elevated beds in the area with additional space to create even more pollinator friendly garden areas. One of the biggest events of the summer is when the Butterfly Enclosure Exhibit comes to the gardens in June and we want to show off our multiple milkweed and pollinator habitats. Milkweed comes in many varieties. We've successfully harvested a LOT of Common Milkweed seeds to plant this spring. But we need YOUR help! We've been working to cold-stratify these seeds to plant in the spring - because they are typically planted in the fall. But it takes some time/effort to remove the seeds from the outer seed coat.

Do you know of any folks that might enjoy helping with this project? We'll even provide the space. If so, please email: info@clarygardens.org or you can message us through our website here.

In pollination and love for all things pollinator,

Clary Gardens

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Here is some great information from the USDA Forest Service website (VIEW FULL ARTICLE HERE):

Plant of the Week

Range map of Asclepias syriaca. States are colored green where the species may be found.

Whole plant with flowers. Photo by David Taylor.

Asclepias syriaca pods. Photo by David Taylor.

Monarch caterpillar on leaf. Photo by David Taylor.

Large milkweed bug adults and nymphs. Photo by David Taylor.

Tussock moth caterpillars. Photo by David Taylor.

Predated seeds. Photo by David Taylor.

Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.) By David Taylor

Common milkweed is a member of the Asclepiadaceae (milkweed) family. It is one of about 115 species that occur in the Americas. Most species are tropical or arid land species. The genus name, Asclepias, commemorates Asklepios, the Greek god of medicine. Some of the milkweed species have a history of medicinal use including common milkweed (wart removal and lung diseases), and butterfly weed, A. tuberosa (also known as pleurisy root, used for pleurisy and other lung disease). The specific epithet, syriaca, means ‘of Syria’ in reference to Linnaeus's mistaken belief it was from Syria. It is a widespread and somewhat weedy species known from most of the eastern United States and the eastern most prairie states as well as southern Canada from New Brunswick to Saskatchewan. It is frequently found in fence rows, on roadsides, in fields, and in prairies and pastures. Given the opportunity, it will establish in gardens and even thin lawns. It is tolerant of light shade, but generally is a full sun species.

This milkweed grows to about 1.5 meters(5 feet) tall, usually occurring in clusters of stout stems. It has rhizomes and quickly forms colonies. Leaves are 15-20 centimeters (6-8 inches) long and 5-9 centimeters (2-3.6 inches) wide. They are somewhat thick with a prominent midrib beneath. The upper surface is light to dark green while the lower surface is lighter, almost white at times. Broken leaves and stems exude a milky latex. Flowers are borne in nearly spherical clusters (umbels) at the top of the plant, usually with 2-5 clusters per plant. Each flower is about 2 centimeters (0.75 inches) long and 1 centimeters (0.4 inches) wide. Flowers are greenish-pink to rosy pink to purplish-pink and very strongly and sweetly scented. Fruits (pods) are about 10 centimeters (4 inches) long, inflated and covered in little finger-like projections. They are green initially, turning brown as they mature. They split open revealing 50-100 seeds each with a white, fluffy coma ("parachute") that allows wind dispersal.

Common milkweed is Nature's mega food market for insects. Over 450 insects are known to feed on some portion of the plant. Numerous insects are attracted to the nectar-laden flowers and it is not at all uncommon to see flies, beetles, ants, bees, wasps, and butterflies on the flowers at the same time. Occasionally hummingbirds will try, unsuccessfully, to extract nectar. Its sap, leaves and flowers also provide food. In the northeast and midwest, it is among the most important food plants for monarch caterpillars (Danaus plexippus). Other common feeders are the colorful (red with black dots) red milkweed beetle (Tetraopes tetraophthalmus), the milkweed tussock caterpillar (Euchaetes egle) and the large (Oncopeltus fasciatus) and the small (Lygaeus kalmia) red and black milkweed bugs. The latter two are particularly destructive as both the adults and nymphs are seed predators. They can destroy 80 to 90 percent of a colony's seed crop. The red (or orange-red) and black coloration of most of these insects is known as aposematic coloration; that is, the colors advertise the fact that the organism is not good to eat.

Milkweeds contain various levels of cardiac glycoside compounds which render the plants toxic to most insects and animals. For some insects, the cardiac glycosides become a defense. They can store them in their tissue which renders them inedible or toxic to other animals. Monarch butterflies use this defense and birds leave them and the caterpillars alone. What the birds do not know is that northern monarchs feeding on common milkweed accumulate relatively little of the toxic compounds and probably would be edible. The more southern butterflies accumulate large amounts of the compounds from other milkweed species and are in fact toxic. Monarchs can be helped by encouraging existing patches and planting new ones. The plant grows readily from seed and spreads quickly by deep rhizomes. Because common milkweed can be weedy and difficult to remove, care should be used to establish the plant only in places where spread can be tolerated.

For More Information

• PLANTS Profile - Asclepias syriaca, common milkweed
• See other Plant of the Week Asclepias species…
• Monarch Butterfly: Habitat Needs