Clary Gardens has never looked more beautiful!

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.

By Reba Kocher

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?

We are so excited that the weather is warming up! We have daffodils and tulips starting to come up... the birds are singing... bugs are starting to come out of hibernation. It's almost spring!

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