PA Plantings

We had a beautiful male Rufous Hummingbird show up at our house last Wed. afternoon, July 29, 2020. He spent his time guarding our nectar feeders and keeping away all of the local and migrant ruby-throats. According to Scott Weidensaul this was the earliest "Fall" record for this species in PA. Several close friends got a chance to see him and we were hoping more people would get a chance spread out over time, but he was only here He was here through Friday evening. On July 31 he left after being banded.  We invited Sandy Lockerman and her husband to come and try to trap him and band him because I think that it is a good thing to try to understand the changing migration patterns of hummingbirds from western North America like this species. I hope that he may be re-trapped sometime and contribute to our knowledge base about these wonderful creatures. Sandy tells me that hummingbirds usually stay after banding, but this one took off and hasn't been back, Mike Slater  

Dr. Susan Munch lead a moss walk for the Muhlenberg Botanic Club and friends at  Six Penny Trail French Creek State Park on Oct. 4, 2014. List of Bryophytes observed: Liverworts Bazzania trilobata and most likely a Chiloscyphus sp. (with tiny 2 or 3 toothed leaves).   Jubula pennsylvanica (with tiny round leaves),  Pellia epiphylla Mosses  Sphagnum sp.  Atrichum undulatum (and most likely angustatum also) Aulocomium palustre Dicranum scoparium Dicranum sp. Entodon cladorrhizans Fissidens sp.  Fontinalis sp. Hedwigia ciliate Hypnum imponens Leucobryum sp. Mnium cuspidatum,  M. affine  M. punctatum Polytrichum commune  P. ohioense, Thuidium delicatulum About French Creek State Park:  Once an industrial complex for the fledgling United State of America, today French Creek State Park is an oasis for people and wildlife. Straddling the Schuylkill Highlands, the 7,730-acre park is the larges...

Schedule of walks for summer 2014 by the Muhlenberg Botanic Society Muhlenberg Botanical Society walk list, summer 2014 July 12                    Muhlenberg Meadow located in the Lancaster County Central Park. Lancaster, Pa.  Starting at 1 PM . Combined walk with the Sierra Club. N 40.00.769 W 76.17.098 Started in 1991, this restoration project spearheaded by Tim Draude and the Muhlenberg Botanical Society has expanded to five acres. Come and view the wide array of field flowers and what techniques worked and didn’t work in turning a cornfield into a dazzling native ecosystem.                 From Lancaster, go south on Rte. 222/272 for about 0.5 miles past the point where the north and south lanes rejoin. Turn left onto Golf Rd. and go about 0.6 miles to the intersection with Exhibit Farm Rd The parki...

Saturday  April 19  at 1:00 PM Shenk's Ferry Wildflower Preserve Thousands of trilliums and Mertensia, and rich woods ephemerals. Open to the public, walk rating: easy. Parking is limited, carpool if you can. Parking area GPS: N 39.89317 W 76.34204 Directions From the north: Starting at Willow Street, Lancaster County, PA From the intersection of Rte. 272 & 741 in Willow Street, go 4.5 miles to Pennsy Rd. Turn right onto Pennsy Rd. and go 3.5 miles to Rte. 324. Go left (straight) onto Rte. 324 south and go 1.2 miles to River Rd. Turn right (NOT LEFT) onto River Rd. and go 2.1 miles & turn left onto Shenks Ferry Rd. go 1.2 miles & turn left onto Green Hill Rd. Go  0.8 miles down the paved road, becoming a gravel road to the parking area next to Grubb Run. From the south: At the intersection of 272 & 372 at the Buck in Lancaster County, PA, go north 4.3 miles to Pennsy Rd. Turn right onto Pennsy Rd. and go 3.5 miles ...

       Below is the Feb newsletter for 2014, The first meeting is thurs Feb. 20th  (a PDF is avaialble at this link)        Muhlenberg Bulletin      Volume 33  1/31/ 2014            Number 2 MUHLENBERG BOTANICAL SOCIETY c/o Joan King, 205 Fox Hollow Rd. Pequea, Pa. 17565 www.muhlenbergbotanic.org Presiesident:   Officers:      Board Members: President: Joan King (717-284-5239) jsking121@gmail.com Vice Pres.: Mike Slater (610-775-3757)  mslater@voicenet.com Tim Draude Recording Secretary: John Ambler (717-394-1121) Ray Uhlig Newsletter Editor: Ruthann Richards (717-872-7574) Kevin Weir Treasurer: Matt Dilley (717-871-6279) PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE Winter's harsh grip is on us again, and it's time to think ahead to spring and summer. Give me ideas of places you would like to walk, habitat you want to...

I just found the following web site. I will have to start reporting and using it for invasive species monitoring: There is a lot of data on these maps about where invasive species are found right now. EDDMapS - Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System Invasive Species Mapping Made Easy! Real time tracking of invasive species occurrences Local and national distribution maps Electronic early detection reporting tools Library of identification and management information Japanese Stiltgrass ( Microstegium vimineum) photo by Mike Slater

Richard T. Gardner, "Non-native Invasive Plants."  Non-native invasive plants are a major problem throughout the world. This presentation will identify major local invasive plants, discuss their biocontrol and bioeradication and finish with new exciting local developments in the field which have the potential to radically change how non-native invaders are dealt with. 7 pm at the north museum:    See the newsletter for info about other programs -Newsletter link

A long-time member and proprietor of the Atlantic Star Nursery in Forest Hill, MD, Sam will speak about the native distribution, cultural requirements, and seed propagation of this tree. His 60 images will provide a description, classification and geological lineage. In addition, he will show images from Chile and eastern N.A.and provide information about Archibald Menzies, the plant explorer. 7:00 pm in our regular meeting place at the North Museum in Lancaster.

September 19 : 7pm at the North Museum 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. Anyone with film slides to share should let John Wolff 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 KEEP THE MEETING ROOM CLEAN, SO PLEASE BRING PLANTS IN FAIRLY CLEAN POTS AND MAKE SURE 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 so we can continue these exchanges. Swamp Thistle - Cirsium muticum - Photo by Mike Slater The September Newsl...

The January 2013 Edition of the Muhlenberg Botanic Society Newsletter is now online

Duke University scientists have name a new fern genus after the singer Lady Gaga. There are nineteen species in the genus Gaga including 2 new species and 17 split off from other genera based on DNA sequencing. Among the reasons the name was selected are the costume Lady Gaga wore at the 2010 Grammys which resembled a fern gametophyte and the fact that one of the identifying DNA sequences in one gene was "gaga" for the base sequence guanine-adenine-guanine-adenine. Lady Gaga and the fern gametophyte.from  http://today.duke.edu/2012/10/gagafern here is the link to the youtube video of the 2010 Grammy performance with the costume. Enjoy the ferns and the music! Mike p.s here is my favorite (biology based no less!)  Lady Gaga parody: 

November 15, 2012: Link Davis, " Name That Remnant!" 7:00 pm - 9 pm at the North Museum Come enjoy a botanical guessing game in which Link will show us  the  picture of a seed pod or flower remnant  and ask the audience  to guess  what it is. Then he will follow with a picture of each plant in bloom. Link Davis, a lifelong resident of Montgomery Co., has degrees in biology  and physical science. For thirty years  he taught physical science  and  chemistry in the Norristown Area School District. Since retirement he has   driven  a school bus and volunteered for Habitat for Humanity  and his local  SPCA. He continues to educate children  by presenting lessons  on insects  and by sharing his collection with schools to enhance  their  curricula.  Although  his interest in wildflowers began about two decades ago  when he  began attending botany walks sponsored...

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 ...

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. 

Tim Draude will be leading a Weekend of Fern Walks and a Garden visit to the great fern garden of Dr. Gerald Hudgens , on Saturday June 30 and Sunday July 1, 2012. People are welcome to come for one or both days.

Saturday  March 17, 2012: Steinman Run Preserve (Steinman and Trout Runs) Meet at 10:00 a.m. Late winter/early spring botany. including early flowers (maybe), winter trees and shrubs and some mosses, liverworts and lichens. Leader: Tim Draude (717-393-7233)         Directions : From Lancaster City , take PA Rt. 272 South (Willow Street Pike/Lancaster Pike) through Willow Street . Continue south on 272 to Smithville. Turn right on Pennsy Road (just past Frey’s Evergreen Plantation on the left and before the large stone arch railroad bridge over the highway). Follow Pennsy Road for approximately one mile, then turn left on Kreider Road . At the stop sign, proceed straight, crossing over a bridge spanning the old low grade rail line.  At the next intersection, bear right onto Rawlinsville Road . Follow Rawlinsville Road for approximately one mile, then turn right at the fork onto Stump Road . Follow Stump Road for approximately ...

Ralph Goodno of the Lancaster County Conservancy will be presenting a program about the Urban Forest Center. The vision for the center involves vegetative restoration of a degraded site; developing conservation and ecological education opportunities and facilities (indoor and outdoor); expanding recreational and wellness programs; design and build highly sustainable site and buildings as demonstrations of what can be done with current and emerging technologies and design practices. Through a highly public design charrette is December and multiple public meetings, they have developed a schematic site master plan for the project and are eager to receive additional public feedback and involvement as the planning and design moves through the next steps. The Conservancy would love to receive ideas and feedback on our their plan. Also there are clearly opportunities for the Muhlenberg Botanic Society to become involved in the project as they are planning a series of “Center...

The latest Muhlenberg Botanic Club Newsletter is up with the field trip and program schedules. Click on the link at the bottom of that page. (Oly the MW word version is up at this time.) or go to www.Muhlenbergbotanic.org and follow the links

When wetlands are disturbed, mitigation and restoration projects initiate and are meant to result in the protection and expansion of wetland habitat across the United States. These habitats are ecological hotspots significant for their pollution abatement (nature’s filters), fecundity (amphibian, fish, and other taxonomic breeding grounds), and beauty (the Everglades, the Pantanal, and Monet’s water lilies). The presentation will explore how organizations, firms, and individuals restore and rehabilitate these ecological habitats and construct new habitat with examples from Fort Indiantown Gap and past commercial projects in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, and New Jersey. We will discuss typical native plantings, design strategies, and function, and compare intensive and natural re-vegetation methods. Dave received his B.S. in Environmental Studies from George Washington University (DC) in 2000. He worked summers at a small wetlands consulting and re...