Friday, May 29, 2015

Ramble Report May 28 2015



Important reminder:
New Ramble time for June, July and August: Rambles will begin at 8:00AM. We will return to the 8:30AM start time in September.


Today's post was written by Dale.

It was another beautiful morning, especially since thunderstorms had been predicted but never showed up. Twenty-three Ramblers met at the Arbor and heard Rosemary read a selection from Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. Rosemary' s 74th birthday is tomorrow and she is celebrating by taking her own solo "walk in the woods." We hope she fares better than the Bryson quotation she read:

Friday, May 22, 2015

Ramble Report May 21 2015



Important notices:
New Ramble time for June, July and August: Rambles will begin at 8:00AM for all of June, July and August. (This is to avoid the heat that begins to build up later in the morning.) We will return to the 8:30AM start time in September.


The Tallassee tract public input meeting, scheduled for 6:30PM, May 28, has been cancelled. More information.


It was a beautiful morning with a nice breeze.  Twenty-four Ramblers met at the Arbor to hear a reading on horsetails provided by Dale from An Almanac for Moderns by Donald Culross Peattie:

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Wisteria poll

Letter from Hugh Nourse:

Nature Rambler regulars know that the wisteria arbor rafters have become dangerously rotted. The Garden has to do something about it. I suggested that if they are going to fix the arbor we would like to see them take out the invasive, non-native Wisteria sinensis and replace it with a non-invasive native species, like Wisteria frutescens. Another position is that the W. sinensis came from Berckman's Orchard, now the site of the Augusta National Golf Club, and should be preserved. I suggested that it was an historical mistake to introduce this plant to the south and that we should not perpetuate it. The Garden is about conservation and this Wisteria is against all those principles.

We need to know what the Nature Ramblers think about this issue. Any letter we write to Dr. Nicholls needs to show how much our group cares about this issue. Please respond so that we will have the data to support our position.

To actually vote you must not only select one of the options, you must press the "Vote" button. When you do that your vote is counted and you get to see the cumulative votes so far. If you don't press the Vote button you haven't voted.

This poll will close in one week (midnight, May 29).

Thank you for participating!

Hugh Nourse

Friday, May 15, 2015

Ramble Report May 14 2015



Twenty three Ramblers turned out today, including Silvio's parents, one of whom turned out to have been a student in one of my classes 30+ years ago. We were delighted that they could come and enjoy a walk in the woods with us!


Hugh contributed today's reading today, an excerpt from John Burroughs' essay, Nature Near Home:

After long experience I am convinced that the best place to study nature is at one's home, on the farm, in the mountains, on the plains, by the sea, no matter where that may be. One has it all about him then. The seasons bring to his door the great revolving cycle of wild life, floral and faunal, and he need miss no part of the show.

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Ramble Report May 7 2015






Today's post was written by Hugh Nourse. Don Hunter's album of ramble photos is here.

Today 23 ramblers met at the Arbor at 8:30AM, where Rosemary read a discussion of the colors yellow and green.

Today's reading: Rosemary contributed a poem called Yellow; you can hear the author, Ken Nordine, reading it himself here

Today's route: Our route today was through the International Garden to the Purple Trail.  Down the Purple Trail to the Orange Trail.  Left on the Orange Trail to the Heath Bluff.  The return was up the Orange Trail to the bridge to the Flower Garden, and through the Gardens to the Visitor Center.

Monday, May 4, 2015

PLANTING A PIEDMONT PRAIRIE




On Earth Day 2015 (April 22, 2015) volunteers gathered to plant seedlings of more than a dozen different prairie plant species on the power line right of way at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. As many Nature Ramblers know, this part of the power line right of way is to become a restored Piedmont Prairie honoring Elaine Nash. These 740 "plugs", each containing one or more seedlings, were grown from seed that was first stratified for 11 weeks before sowing. This enormous effort was the work of and overseen by Heather Alley, the Garden's Conservation Horticulturalist. Heather kindly provided to me the following information about the species planted and/or seed mixtures that were sown. Thank you Heather!

PRAIRIE 740 plugs TOTAL
Scientific name
No. plugs
Anemone virginiana
72
Coreopsis lanceolata
36
Helianthus atrorubens
72
Monarda fistulosa
108
Pycnanthemum pycnanthemoides
108
Ratibida pinnata
216
Salvia azurea
36
Salvia urticifolia
8
Silphium compositum
2
Symphyotrichum georgianum
10
Tradescantia virginiana
72


Floodplain 118 plugs TOTAL

Juncus sp.
50
Carex sp.
50
Senna marilandica
18

PRAIRIE SEEDS BROADCAST MIX "A"
MIX SCATTERED THINLY ALONG UPPER EASTSIDE ABOVE DOGWOOD
Scientific Name
Amount(oz)
Seed Lot
Chrysogonum marilandica
5.6
2013
Liatris spicata
14.1
2014
Monarda punctata

2012
Parthenium quincefolia
4.2
2013
Pityopsis graminifolia
1.4
2012
Schizachyrium  scoparium
1
2012
Solidago petiolaris
3.8
2012
Solidago petiolaris
4
2013
Solidago ptarmicoides
8
2014
Sorghastrum elliottii

2012



PRAIRIE SEEDS BROADCAST MIX "A-2"
SCATTERED THINLY ALONG LOWER EASTSIDE BELOW DOGWOOD


Monarda punctata
3.4
2014
Solidago nemoralis
1.1
2013
Solidago petiolaris
7.4
2013
Solidago ptarmicoides
11
2014



PRAIRIE SEEDS BROADCAST mix "B"
MIX SCATTERED THINLY ALONG ENTIRE WEST SIDE:


Helianthus verticillatus

2012
Lezpedeza virgianiana

2011
Monarda fistulosa

2014
Pycnanthemum pycnanthemoides
13
2012
Saccharum alopecuroides
6.6
2013
Solidago arguta var. caroliniana
11.2

Solidago nemoralis
8.8
2012
Sorghastrum ellliotii

2014



FLOODPLAIN SEED BROADCAST MIX:
Amount

Cyperus odora
3.2
2014
Andropogon glomeratus
14
2012
Carex frankii
4
2014
Chasmanthium sessifolium
12
2013

Friday, May 1, 2015

Ramble Report April 30 2015



Today's report was written by Dale Hoyt. The photos are, as always, selected from Don Hunter's album of this ramble which can be found here.

Events of Interest to Ramblers:

1.     Terry Stewart told us there is an exhibit on the Dust Bowl currently at the ACC Library. Our library is one of only a few in the country to be selected for this travelling exhibit.

2.     Bob Ambrose will be the featured reader at Athens Word of Mouth next Wednesday night (May 6). Here is a link to the text of his reading: To Go To Patagonia - poems from the far lands. Bob tells me, "The Athens Word of Mouth is a diverse open poetry community, meeting upstairs at the Globe the first Wednesday evening of each month. Open mike readings begin at 8:00 p.m. The featured reading is around 9:15. Visitors are always welcome."

3.     Weds. morning, May 6, there will be a guided nature walk at Sandy Creek Nature Center. Meet at the Education and Visitor's Center at 9:00AM

Twenty three Ramblers showed up on this beautiful spring morning, including three first-timers, two of whom were just looking at Athens as a possible retirement location.