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Showing posts from September, 2012

How to Tell Native Butternuts from Butternut-Heartnut hybrids

Our native Butternuts are being heavily attacked but a canker fungus. One problem people encounter in trying to conserve them is that Butternuts readily hybridize with Japanese Walnuts (aka Heartnuts) and produce fertile offspring. Apparently most Trees we think are Butternuts are actually hybrids especially ones growing near our farms and houses. The Purdue Extension Service has a very good brochure (available in PDF)  out on how to identify the Hybrids.  I have used it to confirm my suspicions that the large tree in our neighbors yard is a hybrid. We get seedling from squirrel planted seeds in our yards all the time.
The First Meeting of the 2012-2013 Meeting season of the Muhlenberg Botanic Club will be held  this Thursday September 20th at 7:00 pm September 20, 2012: Members' Night Photos and Plant Exchange Bring a show and tell item, old copies of nature magazines, slides, or a digital show to share. A laptop and digital projector setup will be available. If anyone has film slides to share, please let Mike know so he can bring a traditional projector. For the plant exchange , please bring well-potted plants other members might like to adopt. Although our focus is on native plants, others are fine, too. Members who don't have plants to share are welcome—actually encouraged —to take plants home. We must continue to KEEPTHE MEETING ROOM CLEAN, SO PLEASE BRING PLANTS IN FAIRLY CLEAN POTS AND MAKESURE THERE ARE NO INSECTS ON THEM. If you spill dirt/plants, etc., YOU are responsible for cleaning up the mess. We need to leave the Kinsey room as clean or cleaner than we found it
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The September 2012 Muhlenberg Botanic Society Newsletter is up online at the 2012 Newsletter web page it is available in PDF, doc and docx formats.