Tag Archives: environment
Plants Chat!
“….experiment showed not only that plants can learn” by association — which is 
astounding in itself — but also how easily humans underestimate plants. “We are plant blind,”…. Monica Gagliano Ecologist University of Western Australia
There was a very interesting article written by Marta Zaraska in the May 2017 issue of Discover Magazine about the ongoing research on plant behaviors. Gagliano, and other researchers, are discovering how plants talk to each other, and not only do plants learn by association, but they remember and make decisions. They recognize family members, learn language from their parents, support other plants and warn each other. Some plants even count. They are “brainier than you think”!
Read the full article here….
Working for the Mother Earth!
Oregon Zoo releases 1,183 endangered butterflies into wild.
Butterfly Gardens
Monarch Butterfly
Robin McKenzie, Master Gardener and principal designer for Rockbird Gardens, gave an outstanding presentation on Monday at the Ashland Garden Club meeting. Robin specializes in creating sustainable backyard ecosystems for wildlife, and for people. Monday she talked about “Planning and Growing a Butterfly Garden”, her talking points were:
• Research the items you need to attract butterflies
• Find a sunny garden location. ( 6-8 hrs of sun)
• Create a garden plan for your yard: flowerbeds, raised beds, and/or containers
• Know the timeline needed to create a garden
• Prepare the soil for your plants, add amendments, make sure you have good drainage
• Install borders and hardscape before you plant (*see mud-puddle below)
• Decide your plant choices: purchase and/or grow your plants, then plant according to their specific directions, don’t crowd your plants!
Butterfly Puddle
*Butterflies need water, so make them a mud puddle!
Use a shallow dish such as a plastic or terracotta plant saucer in a sunny area of your garden that is protected from the wind. Fill the bottom of the pan with sand, gravel, and a few small stones, add water to the dampen sand.
Host plants:
Attract more butterflies by having plants for larval food in your yard, for instance:
Milkweed
Milkweed for Monarchs
Tarragon for Swallowtails
Angelica for Anise Swallowtails
Violas for Great Spangled Great Spangled Fritillary
Note: Be prepared for heavy munching on these host plants, these plants are caterpillar food!
See list of host plants here:
http://nababutterfly.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/southwestern-Oregon-butterfly-garden-guide.pdf
And here….http://extension.oregonstate.edu/4hwildlifestewards/pdfs/butterfly.pdf
How to become a Certified monarch Butterfly Station: www.monarchwatch.org
Lecture was by Robin McKenzie www.rockbirdgardens.com
Monarch Butterfly image by Simon Koopmann on Wikimedia Commons
Submitted by: Carlotta Lucas
2017 Seed Sorting
The Ashland Garden Club’s Heirloom Gardeners met at North Mountain Park to sort, clean, and package seeds for Ashland Parks & Recreation’s annual seed swap to be held on February 2nd from 7-8 PM at North Mountain Park’s Nature Center. The seed swap is free and open to all ages.
Trees Talk
Suzanne Simard: How trees talk to each other
“A forest is much more than what you see,” says ecologist Suzanne Simard.
“Her 30 years of research in Canadian forests have led to an astounding discovery — trees talk, often and over vast distances. Learn more about the harmonious yet complicated social lives of trees and prepare to see the natural world with new eyes.”Ted Talks https://www.ted.com
Filmed June 2016 at TEDsummit