Interview with our resident buckthorn expert: Mr Tony D
Tony clipping roots while another volunteer uses the weed wrench. Photo by C Hanrahan Tony Denton is a regular and long-time FWG volunteer. His bailiwick includes tackling invasive tree species that keep popping up on our grounds. You could say that he is a regular ‘hatchet man’! How long have you been a volunteer at FWG? Why did you decide to start? The date is vague in my mind, it was soon after I retired and looked around [...]
Christine’s walks: late August #2
by Christine Hanrahan Christine is one of FWG’s volunteer naturalists who writes in great detail about her visits to FWG. A great way to visit with us virtually and keep on top of what you might see when here in person! Hi All, This is really just a note to let you know that I have uploaded some fantastic photos by Diane Lepage, to the August Pbase photo blog. She was there in the late afternoon, working with Brian, Sandy [...]
Christine’s walks: late August
by Christine Hanrahan Christine is one of FWG’s volunteer naturalists who writes in great detail about her visits to FWG. A great way to visit with us virtually and keep on top of what you might see when here in person! Hi all, There is always something interesting to see at the FWG, and today was no exception. While walking through the garden with a couple of visitors from England, we were astonished to see an American Bittern take off [...]
Mad about mothing – the OTHER winged beauty
by Diane Lepage, FWG Butterfly Meadow coordinator Macaria promiscuata – Promiscuous Angle Moth. Photo by Diane Lepage. Moths are very interesting creatures that are worth paying attention to. My interest for those beautiful and sometimes oddly shaped moths started in my early adulthood, and increased when I got my first digital camera. It was originally the Silkworm moth family, such as the Luna moth, my attention and made me pursue this hobby. For me, it became a serious [...]
Not so “elemen-tree”: how to plant a tree
by Tremayne Stanton-Kennedy Planting Nannyberry trees in the heat, on a slope, in the clay – a thankless job for which we are most thankful! Planting trees should be an elementary activity in theory, right? Just dig hole, place tree, fill in and go! The reality is more complicated, as proper tree planting requires greater due diligence than people realise. How you dig the hole, place the tree, stabilise and back fill soil are essential for tree survival [...]
Easy steps to growing common milkweed from seed
Text and photos by L Heroux, FWG volunteer The monarch migration is truly one of the world’s greatest natural wonders, yet it is threatened by habitat loss. . . The need for host plants for larvae and energy sources for adults applies to all monarch and butterfly populations around the world. — MonarchWatch (www.monarchwatch.org/waystations/) Common milkweed | Asclepias syriaca by C. Hanrahan If you’ve never grown anything from seed, growing milkweed is a great way to start. You [...]