Look up and you will see the maple trees budding and swelling, so blooms will be happening soon! From WildAdirondacks.org: “The Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) is a large, slow-growing, deciduous tree which flourishes in well-drained soil in the Adirondack Mountains. It is a member of the Soapberry Family. The Sugar Maple is one of about twenty species in the genius Acer which occur in North America. This species has a life span of 200-300 years, with some specimens in old-growth stands persisting to nearly 400 years ”
The sugar maple hosts the Cecropia Silkmoth and Rosy Maple Moth. The Purple Finch, American Goldfinch, Red-breasted Nuthatch and Evening Grosbeak feast upon the seeds, buds and flowers. The sap is a food source for Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers.
Do you enjoy weeding and planting?
Here is our work plan for March and April:
All times are 10 AM-12 noon, reschedule if weather conditions aren’t good. As soon as everyone is immunized, we could go out to lunch afterwards :)
March 12: reseed areas in the understory in the Woods, remove invasive grass from the butterfly garden, apply Hollytone to acid loving plants, like azaleas and dogwoods. We are watching the weather. If its raining, feel free to stay home and join us on March 25.
March 25: It’s time to cut back the perennials after allowing native insects to overwinter in the dead stalks. Consider rearranging some of the plants in the butterfly garden.
April 1 & 8th: Its English ivy pulling time in the northeast section of the woods. Wear long sleeves and pants and have work gloves with no holes in them! There could be some poison ivy hidden in the area, so keep yourself safe. I’ll bring some Fels-Naptha soap, so everyone can wash their hands well when we’re done. We’ll be planting some native flag iris to join the the river of blue that Terry has been creating at the bridge. The iris will be in dedication to Marjorie Wright’s gift to the ongoing support of the Woods and are due to arrive at the end of April.
April 15 & 22 & 29: To be determined
IFCL Creation Care updates:
We are halfway through the 2021 Indiana General Assembly session, which was supposed to focus primarily on the budget and COVID-19 relief. If you would like to be on the IFCL mailing list, let me know. Mary.blackburn4@gmail.com
Here is a bill (HB 1283) to support urban agriculture that has crossed over to the Senate. It’s great to have a bill that focuses on helping people grow their own food in the city by having urban agricultural zones. Here’s a digest of the bill.
http://184.175.130.101/legislative/2021/bills/house/1283#digest-heading
HB 1191 would deprive local governments and universities control over utilities deemed harmful to the community. You can read more about it in the HEC newsletter below. At the end of the email, I’ve been put in the spotlight as a regular volunteer. ~Mary B.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M4YW4kyOzcOgiizils8o_vObR0s_m1zd/view?usp=sharing