What's happening in the Garden?

Robin flocks

2012-01-23T20:55:00.003-05:00

It's been busy at the hollies over the last few days.

Large numbers of robins (200+) have been devouring the berries on the row of Ilex opaca cultivar hollies above the education building at the garden where I work. They visit the hollies, collect berries, then retreat nearby to eat them, then repeat.

This morning, in rain, before I began a program, the circuit from holly to perching trees nearby (in this case, large Cryptomeria and Southern Magnolia) was in full swing. Their continuous melodic murmurs were more than evident outside, but at a lower level from inside the building.

a robin eating fruit (from a royalty-free photo used in The Nature of Clemson)

The year-round vegetable gardening class participants were fascinated, and we peered outside for a bit before we started the class.

By the end of the morning, the flock had moved to the lower row of hollies (also Ilex opaca cultivars) below the nature center (the lower level of the building), presumably finished with the upper row after 4 days of feasting.

(This is a duplicate post from Natural Gardening).

Red shouldered Hawk

2012-01-10T08:57:00.008-05:00

Red-shouldered hawk near Discovery Center

Red-shouldered hawk

Winter: A great time to watch birds

2012-01-07T08:36:00.006-05:00

English Robin

Winter is a wonderful time to watch birds. The leaves are off the trees which makes observation much easier (especially for this novice). Everyday this week I have been able to see a large red shouldered hawk puffed up, sitting in the oak trees behind my office in the Botanical Garden. He or she also make a great deal of noise as they watch the other birds and squirrels.
Every time I drive to and from my office n the Garden a mixed flock of birds fly up from the meadow. Recently my attention was captured by a bird with a bright white rump heading up into the trees from the meadow. Once it alighted in the woodland edge, it perched like a woodpecker. I saw this several times in a row, and eventually tried to figure out the identity of this intriguing creature. I asked myself "What kind of bird would be on the ground and then perch like a woodpecker?" Research (consultation with the Garden's Interim Director, Patrick McMillan) revealed that this bird was, in fact,a woodpecker, a Northern Flicker. Further research at Cornell's All About Birds website explained why a woodpecker would be on the ground in the meadow. The Northern Flicker eats main ants and beetles, digging them from the ground with its curved beak. Mystery solved!

I, of course, do not have pictures of the hawk and flicker -I was driving after all (you can see them a All ABout Birds). However, I did take some pictures while I was in England over Christmas of a couple of common and cheerful British Birds: a robin, and a blue tit.

Blue Tit

Winter vegetables

2012-01-06T21:26:00.000-05:00

Turnips and turnip greens are staples of southern vegetable gardens.

I've grown lots of kale, collard, and mustards, but hadn't grown turnips myself, but Kathy Bridges sowed some Purple Top turnip seed late last summer in the Snell Vegetable Garden next to the visitor center.

We've harvested quite a few of the greens already to contribute to our local food bank, including many of the turnips, which had sized up nicely last fall, as have the Master Gardeners in their Plant-a-Row for the Hungry in the Heirloom Vegetable garden site.

But, a number were left in the ground (supposedly, turnips 'sweeten' with frost), and this was the largest of the bunch, harvested yesterday afternoon.

Turnip on grocery bag

Yikes, this turnip is on a LARGE grocery paper bag (not a lunch bag). It was big.

An extra-large turnip

But amazingly, it wasn't woody, and roasted, it was quite tasty (I figured that I'd better see if it was edible before taking it over to Clemson Community Care.

Summer turnips are often fibrous and bitter, but not this one, and its greens were very tasty, too, in spite of their size. We'll be able to harvest the rest for the food bank, after all! And, we've also got plenty of arugula, purple mustard, and broccoli to contribute, as well.

Old Southern apples

2011-11-20T20:35:00.001-05:00

We'll be adding a selection of South Carolina heirloom apples (10 semi-dwarf trees) in the Heirloom Garden, thanks to Slow Food Clemson University (through grants from Slow Food Upstate and Slow Food US).

Malus domestica

A celebration today at the Student Organic Farm, where another ten are planted, featured comments by Creighton Lee Calhoun, author of Old Southern Apples.

Apples are a storied crop (I mention this a bit more in the link provided above about the celebration), and most of us have apple memories and stories to share. I remember discovering Gravensteins and Newtown Pippins as a graduate student in California years ago. We once grew over 2000 varieties in the South according to Lee Calhoun -- we still have about 500 extant. Remarkable.

Fall color

2011-11-15T12:05:00.001-05:00

fall color along the Cameron Walkway

Plant a Row for the Hungry

2011-11-08T20:53:00.002-05:00

Master Gardeners' vegetable garden

A devoted Master Gardeners of the Foothills group has been growing vegetables all summer and fall in the Heirloom Vegetable Garden site. It's resulted in well over 600 lbs. of produce to our local food banks.

In the spirit of the Garden Writer Association initiative, I've titled this post "Plant a Row for the Hungry" -- they've been encouraging this for years.

But lots of groups are growing food for local food banks on open space in our cities and towns. Often, it's on space previouslydevoted to lawn; here it's a highly productive garden area that's been well-tended for many years as the Heirloom Vegetable Garden.

Check out the great fall plantings that they've made. What a lovely, productive garden!

cool-season vegetables and the last of the peppers

Hayden Conference Center rain garden

2011-10-27T21:18:00.002-04:00

This was an excellent project, sponsored by CU Extension's Water Quality programs, Pickens County Stormwater Initiative, and Pickens County Extension.

I described the plants and process on a recent post on my personal gardening blog.

Small meadow plantings

2011-10-26T21:04:00.002-04:00

Junction of Arboretum Rd and the service road to the Hort. Support Area

Don't miss the recently-added small meadow plantings if you have a chance to visit the Garden sometime soon.

Kathy Bridges, one of our staff horticulturists, has been working magic creating small meadow swaths along our entrance road medians, along the Arboretum Road, and the junction towards the horticultural support area.

The small meadow planting at the junction is particularly nice, and looks great in early morning light.

Fall

2011-10-03T23:26:00.001-04:00

Fall is one of the best times to visit the Garden. Our perennial borders in the Children's Garden, and above the Hayden Conference Center are outstanding, not to mention the Butterfly Garden (just beyond the Children's Garden).

Lots of flower visitors --butterflies, flower flies, bumblebees, honeybees, carpenter bees, sweat bees, wasps, etc. -- check them out!

It's time to plant

2011-09-29T21:49:00.001-04:00

Yes, it's been a dry late summer and early fall, but we have had a good rainy spell last week, cooler temperatures are ahead, and it's time to plant!

The Garden's Fall Plant Sale begins tomorrow with our Friend's sale (Sept. 30: 2:30-6 pm; you can join on the spot), and our public sale on Saturday (Oct. 1) from 9 am to 1 pm.

Ryan Merck, our Nursery Manager, has put together a great array of plants, from woodies to perennials, all plants that you're not going to find at a local big box store or garden center.

Check it out!

Drought and fall

2011-09-01T18:18:00.001-04:00

The last 6 weeks have been remarkably dry for the Garden. Before that, it was a nicely wet spring and normal early summer.

Thunderstorms that have helped ease late summer drought elsewhere in the Upstate have passed us by and the unusually high temperatures have resulted in parched-looking landscapes throughout our area. Towards the Blue Ridge Escarpment and the mountains, rainfall is much closer to normal, but here in the Piedmont, it's dry.

Needless to say, we're trying to balance responsible irrigation with a sustainable gardening ethic.

It's interesting to notice what plants are still looking good, too. Take a look around your own landscape (if you're in an incipient drought region), and check it out.

There are a great number of plants that are still looking good, along with a lot of plants (both natives and non-natives) which aren't looking so great.

Searching for Salamanders

2011-07-10T09:47:00.006-04:00

We had a wonderful turn out for Searching for Salamanders, Finding Frogs and Catching Crayfish on a coolish Saturday morning. Despite the numbers I think everyone had a good time and got to explore several different areas of the creek. We counted 67 participants!!

We found 2 salamanders, bunches of frogs, and crayfish and a rather stunned box turtle. Being surrounded by many pairs of feet will to that to a shy, retiring creature!

Day Two Fanning Summer Science Camp: Birds

2011-07-09T14:18:00.003-04:00

We began day two inside working on a bird mural. Here Blaine is hard at work rendering a robin. The goals for this morning activity were to become familiar using identification guides, to think about rendering details (field marks), and have fun! I discovered they love to paint -

We were extremely lucky to be the recipients of three Identiflyers, made by a local company based in Salem, SC - just down the road from the Botanical Garden. This is an extremely easy to operate bird song identifier. The kids loved playing with them in the Nature Center, almost as much as outside - below is my son James having a great time with one. Just sitting with them began to tune the children into birdsongs. Outside on the trail the Identiflyers were even more fun- as they enticed first a Blue Jay and then a Robin to check out the invading "birds."

Fanning Garden Explorations Camp

2011-06-20T15:34:00.002-04:00

Today was the first day of the Fanning Garden Explorations Summer Science Camp. Our first exploratory foray into the Garden was in search of insects. We found several different kinds of bees- from teeny, tiny to huge, from pale brown honey bees to iridescent green ones.

It's a peak time for birds in the Garden

2011-05-05T22:16:00.000-04:00

The chorus of bird songs that welcome me each morning as I walk up the hill to my office is amazing.

Many are familiar, but they're punctuated with new birds as migrants come home or move through.

I heard a Louisiana Waterthrush yesterday with Patrick McMillan (the director of the Garden) along the streamside trail beyond the Woodland Wildflower Garden -- it's full of different species of ferns, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, and a few trilliums.

I heard the song again today on a lunchtime walk with a good friend.

Males sing profusely when they're establishing their territories, and I heard the song at the same spot as yesterday. Hopefully, he'll attract a mate and establish a nest in the eroded bank at that spot -- it seems like the right habitat.

Garden volunteers visiting from JC Raulston Arboretum

2011-05-04T20:27:00.000-04:00

It's always great to have gardeners visiting the Garden, and this was a special group.

I hosted a group of volunteers from the JC Raulston Arboretum at NC State in Raleigh this morning, showing them as many highlights as I could fit in -- in a couple of hours --a challenge more than ever.

The Upstate visit, orchestrated by Marian St. Clair (Garden columnist at the Greenville News and SC Master Gardener) and Beth Jimenez (of the JC Raulston volunteers) included visits to private gardens in Greenville, nursery visits in Greenville and Seneca, the visit to SCBG, and a special tour of Chuck and Betty Cruickshank's personal garden in Clemson (Chuck shared the story of the SCBG Hosta Garden with us on site).

The Garden is alive with colors of green in spring - this has been a wonderful spring for natives and ornamentals alike.

More trilliums than I've ever seen before were in flower, and later today, SCBG Director Patrick McMillan showed me a Silene polypetala in full flower that's just appeared in the Woodland Wildflower Garden.

Silene polypetala flower (P. McMillan)

None of us has ever seen this plant in flower there before -- nor do we know its origin -- but some combination of good conditions has supported the flowering of this rare Georgia native in our Garden!

Pond sliders and frogs

2011-05-02T21:11:00.000-04:00

This evening I heard frogs calling from the Cherokee World View Garden pond coming down the hill from a brief office visit.

I don't know all of their identities, but there were multiple different calls -- probably including a tree frog in the mix, too. What a great reminder of spring being here. The crickets have started to sing, too. Summer is on the way.

red-eared slider

young pond slider (very small!

These pond sliders were hanging out on the Duck Pond dam -- I was looking for the Northern Water Snakes that like to bask there on rocks. But the red-eared pond sliders were fun to see, too.

Second Chance Plant Sale

2011-04-23T22:48:00.004-04:00

If you've missed our Plant Sales so far, there's a Second Chance Sale coming up this weekend. I'm keen on the Sprouting Wings pots, bird's nests, and decorated eggs.

These blown eggs from our Sprouting Wings program are beautiful (I snapped them up yesterday at our Earth Day event).

There's still space in the Psanky egg-decorating class, too, rescheduled from last week to this coming Tuesday.

Sprouting Wings decorated eggs

First monarchs

2011-04-10T22:08:00.000-04:00

I didn't see them at the Garden, but in our front meadow at home (less than a mile away).

monarch on young milkweed shoot

I saw two monarchs flitting around, and one ovipositing (apparently) on our common milkweed plants (emerged and growing nicely).

Milkweed shoot (Asclepias syriaca)

Calycanthus fruits and a morel

2011-04-06T16:27:00.000-04:00

Calycanthus fruits (seeds eaten by Golden Mice)

Along the Heusel Nature Trail last Saturday, we took a look at some Calycanthus fruits -- the seeds totally absent, and the large openings (and chew marks) indicating the cause: Golden mice! Patrick mentioned that he recently did a video piece of a golden mouse eating the seeds for an upcoming Expeditions program. Something not to miss.

My friend and former colleague at the Garden (Jennifer Bausman) was also part of the Saturday group. She was able to pass on this 'ecological story' to a group of OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) folks in a hiking group this week. It's a nice reflection of how learning about the natural world works.

We even saw a morel (a prized edible mushroom) along one of the woodland trails.

Northern Water Snake

2011-04-02T22:01:00.000-04:00

Patrick McMillan took us on a great Garden walk this morning (more sightings -birds, and plants- to come), but I was glad to see the family group of Northern Water Snakes that enjoy the sun on the rocks supporting the Duck Pond Dam.

I'd seen them yesterday, all curled up together. But today, I had my camera along. They moved around a bit, but finally one was photogenic!


Northern Water Snake (Nerodia spidedon)

Folks often think these snakes are water moccasins or cottonmouths (they don't live above the fall line of South Carolina, so aren't here in the Upstate).

Spring is here

2011-03-25T21:49:00.001-04:00

All of our native trees are leafing out, the early-flowering Asian speices (think Magnolia, Prunus, and Forsythia) are well along, with native woodland wildflowers in flower, too.

If you can, come spend some time in the Garden. It's a special place in spring, and in any time of the year.

Spring!

2011-03-19T20:44:00.000-04:00

If you haven't visited the Garden lately, it's starting to shake off winter and embrace spring. Seasonal change is here, with our native woodland trees just starting to expand their leaves.

Spring wildflowers in the Woodland Wildflower Garden are well along, with Oconee Bells, Trout Lilies, and Little Sweet Betsy (Trillium cuneatum) in flower, and Mayapple foliage quite apparent.

The spring migrant birds are starting to come through, and our winter residents are departing.

It's a great time to visit!

A yellow-bellied sapsucker

2011-03-08T22:26:00.000-05:00

A glimpse of a woodpecker on a lunchtime walk turned out to be a male yellow-bellied sapsucker, working through an already marked tree. The sapsucker 'wells' are used primarily to trap insects, which are consumed, but secondarily serve other birds, such as ruby-throated hummingbirds, and probably insects, etc.

Hummingbirds track the sapsuckers on their northern migration. The sapsuckers are still here (they're winter residents), and the ruby-throated hummingbirds have been seen in Texas.

But spring migration is on the way.

Spring is definitely here

2011-03-03T21:23:00.000-05:00

Oconee Bells, Trout Lilies and Hepatica are flowering now in the Woodland Wildflower Garden, and the mayapple foliage is emerging.

Buds are swollen on hickories and buckeyes, and alders, birches, and elms are producing pollen (achoo!)

We're seeing the first wave of early migrant birds in the Garden, as well as the last of our winter residents, as they depart for their northern breeding grounds.

Star Magnolias and Saucer Magnolias are as nice as I remember ever seeing them. With a warm February, the buds weren't nipped by frosts so they're in full flower. The Edgeworthia (Paperbush) pair in front of the Hayden Conference Center are lovely and fragrant; oddly late this year, probably because of the January cold.

The odd overlaps in flowering times are because of the unusual winter cold, followed by an remarkably warm February, I suspect.

Of course, I didn't have my camera at work today, so I'll try to post a few photos tomorrow.

Spring is coming

2011-02-23T20:46:00.000-05:00

This is a great time of the year. Spring migrants (usually birds) are on their way; our winter residents are active as they're heading north.

But I'm especially looking forward to ruby-throated hummingbirds returning to the Upstate, and the spring northerly migration of monarch butterflies from their overwintering grounds in Mexico.

Journey North, a wonderful citizen science project, tracks monarchs, hummingbirds, spring migrants (birds) and other seasonal activities, thanks to generous grant funding from the Annenberg Foundation and others.

Check out this amazing image taken by Dr. Lincoln Brower of the monarchs at El Rosario, one of the main overwintering sites.

Overwintering monarchs at El Rosario

More winter greens

2011-02-09T20:52:00.000-05:00

It's been amazing to see what is being produced in our 'cold' Sprouting Wings greenhouse without fossil-fuel assisted heat this winter.

It's been an interesting experiment, with encouraging results.

lettuce mix from the cold greenhouse

I sowed spinach, lettuce, mesclun mix, kale, mustard greens, and corn salad in late fall. It's been remarkably productive so fall -- we have long days, even in winter, so growth continues.

I'm planning to sow additional vegetables over the coming weeks to experiment with what's possible in this unheated polyhouse.

Lisa Wagner

Lots of winter birds in the Garden

2011-02-05T21:09:00.000-05:00

We had a great birding outing this morning in the Garden.

Patrick McMillan and Matt Johnson (Patrick's assistant on Expeditions and a keen birder) provided expertise. We were a small group, so were able to see many more birds than I've ever managed to spot in the Garden before, either alone or with other birding groups.

It was more than well worth the contribution to Garden Education programs, too.

There are myriad ways to learn about birds, but digital advances have provided portable field guides with bird songs and calls on an iPod Touch, iPhone, or iPad. Totally wonderful. I've had CD's and chip-based players, but these portable versions --great!

But, regardless of the digital devices, the best way to learn about birds is to go out with good birders, who point out birds and their field marks and cue you in to their calls and songs -- so, thanks Patrick and Matt!

Birds we saw (and often were able to hear:

Red-shouldered Hawk
Mourning Dove
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Eastern Phoebe
American Crow
Blue Jay
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
Eastern Bluebird
Brown Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
Pine Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Chipping Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Eastern Towhee
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
American Goldfinch
House Finch

Winter vegetables

2011-01-19T21:10:00.001-05:00

OK, all we need to do is provide a bit of protection to be able to grow many hardy greens, even in snowy winters like the last two years.

All that means is a polycover of some sort. I've seen them in Europe and Asia used on a commercial scale.

And, we have day lengths that will support the growth of winter greens, except for a week around the winter solstice.

A sister post has photos.

Let's start growing!

Snow days

2011-01-11T11:19:00.001-05:00

The Garden is cloaked with snow following the recent storm. I saw a pair of killdeer investigating the meadow edges, with not much success finding food, as far as I could tell. The meadow pond was striking, though, with a backdrop of trees outlined by snow.

Winter greens

2011-01-09T20:31:00.000-05:00

I posted this on my Natural Gardening blog in December and I'm looking forward to seeing how our winter greens experiment in the Sprouting Wings greenhouse has fared.

It's been a very cold winter so far (in spite of predictions), so it'll be interesting to see how the young plants have been doing. The days are getting longer now, so there's definitely more hours of sun to promote growth, when the temperatures are conducive to it.

Ginny reported that the spinach was doing well (this was after the very cold spell in December), so I'm hopeful that a bit of protection will be just enough.

Psanky egg decorating

2010-12-06T11:47:00.000-05:00

working on a egg

wax being melted off

an egg revealed

It was a fun workshop!

Great blue heron and azolla in the Meadow Pond

2010-12-04T20:22:00.003-05:00

There's a shallow pond in the meadow near my office -- we've called it unofficially the 'leaky' pond, since it's never held water very well, even though we've tried to seal it a couple of times with bentonite treatments.

In spite of the shallow water (and probably because of it), it's been a good pond for frogs, dragonflies, and birds.

heron and azolla in the Meadow pond

Leaving work the other day, I spotted this Great Blue Heron (perhaps a young individual), 'knee deep' in the azolla or mosquito fern (that's colonized the edges of the pond, and is turning red with cold weather). Presumably, it's Azolla caroliniana, a native mosquito fern, rather than one of the invasive ones.

It's interesting to consider how it's colonized the pond.

I'm thinking that it may have come in with some of the semi-aquatic plants that were transplanted on the edges of the pond at the end of a research project. But, that's just a guess.

Click on the photo for a closer look.

Note: this is a duplicate post from my blog, Natural Gardening.

Two wonderful Japanese maples

2010-11-21T20:11:00.001-05:00

In the Schoenike Arboretum, there are many great trees, but these Japanese maples are standouts. They're huge (by garden standards), since they're older than most, and almost always have spectacular fall color.

Fall color

2010-11-20T20:28:00.003-05:00

It's been a stand-out couple of years for fall color.

Gingkos near the Butterfly Garden

The droughty conditions in late summer and fall seem to correspond with intense reds, especially if we have just a bit of rain, and a cold spell, followed by clear sunny days.

The dogwoods and maples are at their peak, along with the clear yellows of hickories and gingkos.

The bald cypresses are a wonderful rusty color, starting to drop leaves in an apron of golden brown.

Psanky eggs: a Ukranian tradition

2010-11-15T19:23:00.000-05:00

Although I wasn't familiar with it, Psanky egg decorating sounded interesting, so it's our holiday craft offering this December.

Sue Watts, our part-time Garden educator, is teaching the class. She'll lead a program about how to decorate eggs using lines of wax and and rich-colored dyes on Friday, Dec. 3. A longer description is on our website.

These were some of her creations. Wow.

Spotting a gray tree frog

2010-11-10T20:14:00.000-05:00

An unexpected visitor appeared in our garden office building this afternoon, a gray tree frog (Hyla versicolor). I'd seen anoles inside before, but not a tree frog.

But Patrick, my new office colleague and Director of the Garden, spotted it in the stairwell, and we took a look. Gray tree frogs vary in color, depending on their surroundings, temperature, and humidity; this one was a solid dried-leaf gray.

I was surprised to see a frog still out and about, maybe seeking warmth? But, doing a bit of research, I learned that gray tree frogs survive the winter by hibernating 'on land' - under leaf litter, rocks, and logs; their bodies 'freeze' but are protected from damage by high glycerol levels in their tissues.

Fascinating!

CU student vegetable garden (Ecoplex vegetable garden)

2010-11-06T21:49:00.001-04:00

Ecoplex vegetable garden (late October)

The students at the Clemson University Ecoplex (a duplex retrofitted with energy-conserving features) were up for trying a vegetable garden this fall.

They weren't experienced, but game, and following soil prep (and support and encouragement by an committed CU Housing staff member (Gary Gaulin), I helped them plant out transplants of lettuces, mustards, and red cabbage as well as sowing seeds of mesclun mix and other greens in late September.

I was delighted to receive this photo late last week (in addition to reports along the way).

The fall vegetables have been flourishing, and the students report that they've been sharing lettuce and greens with neighbors and others.

Woodland explorations

2010-11-03T20:07:00.000-04:00

This morning's school groups were lucky to experience the Garden in an overcast, rain-threatening condition. Often, teachers are reluctant to let their students 'get wet' - but these teachers were hardier. Their kids didn't get damp at all, as it turned out, but the promise of rain focused our awareness on the forest and woodlands, and what we could observe, hear, and smell.

Seeing cavities used by squirrels, discovering the large leaves of big-leaf magnolia, and listening to Tufted Timice calling back and forth, punctuated by Carolina Chickadees, and the ever-present American Crows made for an interesting morning.

We looked at lichens, talked about mosses, and where butterflies (and other insects) 'go' in the winter.

It made an excellent morning, and more immediate than my rain backup plan (also interesting) which involved using excellent Thayer Birding software to learn bird calls while watching video clips and seeing photos of different common garden birds...

Note:
This software is worth pointing out, as they're using Cornell Ornithology Lab's data and partial interface to provide an excellent resource at a reasonable price. For iPad, iPod Touch, and iPhone (and probably other smart phones), iBirdExplorer is an excellent portable field guide that's user-friendly and highly informative.

Children's gardens

2010-10-28T22:01:00.001-04:00

We have a wonderful (developing) Children's Garden.

It's been a staff-driven, bottom-up sort of project, supported by generous donations from local garden clubs and our Foothills Master Gardeners, in addition to individual gifts.

We're fortunate to have the work of a gifted gardener, Ginny Steadman, transform the basic plan and suggested ideas into a much more whimsical and engaging space, thanks to support from Sprouting Wings, SCBG Children's Garden, and SCBG Education Programs.

But this support is still shoestring compared to what would be need to truly transform this area (originally shop and support greenhouse, turf sheds, research areas, etc.) The accounts listed above are open for public contributions, so if you're interested, we'd welcome your support.

Last summer, I was able to visit a delightful Children's Garden at Phipp's Conservatory. It was great fun, and on the perfect scale for their space.

Fall color

2010-10-26T21:58:00.000-04:00

Some of the yellows and all of the reds are promising so far this year. The hickory behind the Carriage House is a clear yellow, and the red maples along Perimeter Road have been putting on a show.

But still to come are the gingkos near the Duck Pond (and Children's Garden), the witch hazels, and fothergillas (although the latter are already looking nice.)

Enjoy the color in your landscape if you're in the Eastern U.S. We live in a special place, and share fall color with temperate Asia, but no where else (naturally) in the world.

Sap oozing from bark

2010-10-15T21:35:00.000-04:00

Aside from some sorts of sap-tapping (such as of sugar maples for human consumption), most sap-oozing is in response to wounds or insect damage, as far as I've been able to find out via internet research. I'm not an expert on plant pests or plant diseases by any means, but as a plant ecologist, I do know it's not 'normal' for trees to ooze sap.

But, it's been interesting to observe the red admirals, commas, question marks, hornets, and other insects visiting the (obviously stressed) oak in the center of the planted area between the Caboose parking area and the Garden sign.

Take a look while the weather is still warm, if you're in the area. It's the oak at the highest point, closest to the irrigation faucet, directly across from the Cadet Life Garden.

Butterflies seeking sap

2010-10-12T20:57:00.000-04:00

Garden volunteers, Master Gardeners, and fellow butterfly enthusiasts Carolyn and John Turner told me today about butterflies visiting oozing sap on an oak near the Caboose Parking area and showed me some remarkable photos.

There were Red Admirals, and Commas, and others taking advantage of the fresh sap, perhaps as a consequence of Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers drilling into the bark.

Garden horticulturist Kathy Bridges had alerted them to this, having just observed the masses of butterflies, and having talked with the Turners that morning; it was the regular maintenance volunteer day for the Butterfly Garden.

Hopefully, I'll be able to post a few of their photos!

Gulf fritillaries, monarch, and others

2010-10-08T21:11:00.000-04:00

The purple lantana against the walls in the lower lawn garden (next to the Discovery Center) have been alive with butterflies the last few days.

Monarchs, pipevine swallowtails, tiger swallowtails, gulf fritillaries, variegated fritillaries, and skippers of all sorts are all over the flowers.

Similarly, the new Butterfly Garden has been full of flowers, caterpillars, and butterflies. It's been magical. I wrote a post about a Gulf Fritillary chrysalis, spotted early this week, on my Natural Gardening blog.

The 'new' butterfly garden

2010-10-01T22:34:00.000-04:00

It's been a fabulous first year for our Butterfly Garden. It looks great, but more importantly, has hosted butterfly adults and caterpillars in abundance. This summer and fall, we've been thrilled to see Sleepy Orange, Cloudless Sulphur, Monarch, Gulf Fritillary, and Black Swallowtail caterpillars taking advantage of the host plants we planted for them.

Here's a piece I posted on Natural Gardening with a photo of a cloudless sulphur butterfly.

This is a great example of how providing host plants means adult butterflies (they were fluttering around this afternoon).

Full moon walks

2010-09-23T21:28:00.002-04:00

It's great fun to share viewing the full moon with others at the Garden.

For the Harvest Moon walk last night, I enjoyed doing a lovely stroll through the meadows (at dusk), dropping into the forested areas near the stream (as it became dark), and emerging up to the Arboretum just about the time the moon rose.

We caught glimpses of the full moon as it rose, up through the trees, and since it was clear enough, the full moon from the meadow was gorgeous.

It's magical. So, last night we saw quite a bit.

The 'new' Butterfly Garden

2010-08-31T22:33:00.000-04:00

Our new Butterfly Garden site, planted last fall and added to this spring has proved to be an excellent one. Shelter from wind, combined with plenty of sun, has created a wonderful spot to see adult butterflies, and their caterpillars.

A recent Butterfly Garden tour (under the aegis of the Carolina Butterfly Society and the Garden) found us excitedly seeing Cloudless Sulfur and Dusky Orange caterpillars on Cassia, Black Swallowtail caterpillars on fennel, Monarch caterpillars on Common milkweed, and Gulf Fritillary and Zebra caterpillars on passionvine. The caterpillars are exciting because host plants are a fundamental element of our butterfly garden design, in its new incarnation below the Children's Garden.

We saw plenty of adult butterflies, too. Quite a magical morning, in spite of the cloudy weather. Photos to come (it's been a busy couple of weeks...)

Visiting gardens

2010-07-08T22:27:00.000-04:00

I'm away from the South Carolina Botanical Garden this summer, tending our mountain garden and visiting gardens elsewhere. It's a great experience and opportunity for me, to learn from and appreciate other places, but also appreciate our Garden, when we're back home.

Talking with some fellow Garden bloggers at the Buffalo 2010 Meetup, I was reminded of how much we're grounded in our gardens and gardening. Folks here in Buffalo, who have maybe 4 months of good gardening time, make the most of it -- their pocket gardens in the fronts and sides of houses are packed full of hardy perennials, all in flower now.

GardenWalk, in Buffalo, at the end of July, has over 350 gardens on tour. Wow. It's re-energized neighborhoods, rejuvenated blocks, etc. Nothing not to like about that!

I love the idea of spreading gardens of whatever sort across neighborhoods and cityscapes, creating new vibrant green spaces.

Cherokee Worldview Garden Celebration

2010-06-19T21:29:00.003-04:00

In spite of a hot, humid morning, close to a full house (judged by a packed Discovery Center parking area) enjoyed an excellent celebration of the Cherokee Worldview Garden today.

Events included a Cherokee dance performance, Cherokee story-telling, 'painting' with mineral pigments, and primitive technology and guided tours of the garden.

The heat didn't diminish the enthusiasm of the crowd, as willing 'volunteers' were invited to participate in the dances!

Cherokee Worldview Garden Celebration

2010-06-10T21:30:00.003-04:00

If you're in the area, come to the celebration of the Cherokee Worldview Garden on Saturday, June 19 (10 am- noon). There will be garden tours, traditional music and dance performances.

The garden is devoted to plants that have meaning for the Cherokee people (whether medical, edible, or useful for other things) and is designed to help encourage you (as a visitor) to experience the connection with nature that is an essential part of the Cherokee world.

Garden Naturalists

2010-06-10T11:53:00.006-04:00

The Garden Naturalist Program currently meets every Wednesday from 9 to 11am to explore the natural history of the South Carolina Botanical Garden. These are images from our last walk.

A Red Shouldered Hawk
Click on to enlarge.

Dragonflies a round the Leaky Pond.

Visiting the Garden

2010-05-28T20:39:00.002-04:00

The Garden is a great place to visit any time of the year, but summer and fall are stand-out times.

Check out the Children's Garden (and all of its individual gardens), the Hydrangea Garden, the Butterfly Garden, the Hosta Garden, the pathway and borders above the Hayden Conference Center, and the (in the process of renovation) Flower Display Garden for interesting plants and great ideas for your own garden.

But also, visit the Geology Museum's garden (the Lawrence Sutherland Family Garden) and the Fran Hanson Discovery Center's Terrace Garden, perennial garden beds, and Snell Vegetable Garden. All have interesting selections of perennials and woodies (and edibles in the kitchen garden) to discover.

Big-leaf magnolia

2010-05-12T21:10:00.002-04:00

I haven't managed to take a photograph, but the big leaf magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla) near the back gate to the Arboretum is impressive at the moment. It's in full flower. The large white flowers are striking, and the tree is getting to be a good size.

Big-leaf magnolia has a limited range in nature, occurring in a small area between Rock Hill, SC and Charlotte, NC. Andre Michaux 'discovered' it, and it's among the many species he named.

But it makes an excellent garden tree (we have one in our home garden), and we have a number of them in the Garden. (You'll see their offspring, too, in areas far from the parent trees, thanks to bird dispersal).

They've fledged!

2010-05-10T08:52:00.000-04:00

The first brood of young bluebirds successfully raised in the Bob Campbell Geology Museum's nest box have left the nest. Yesterday, they were all there! There's currently an egg in the nest, probably one that didn't hatch.

Their departure is right on schedule with the developmental timeline that I posted (after the eggs hatched).

A promethea moth

2010-05-07T22:18:00.003-04:00

A beautiful promethea moth appeared on the Bob Campbell Geology Museum porch yesterday morning. Maybe it had emerged nearby, or simply had sought the recessed light of the porch fixtures.

In any case, 1st graders from Pickens Elementary School were delighted to take a look, in between their explorations of the Museum and the Garden.

It was a lucky sighting; these large silk moths aren't so common that we see them frequently.

I didn't have my camera during the day, but returning yesterday evening, I managed to take a not-so-good picture, washed out by the light from the lamp.

Happily, this morning, BCGM staff member Darlene Evans had a fellow butterfly (and moth) enthusiast, Carolyn Turner, take a look, and she moved the moth to a safer spot at the edge of the porch. Hopefully it's out and about this evening!

Red-shouldered hawks

2010-05-06T14:25:00.001-04:00

We've been hearing the Garden's red-shouldered hawks quite a bit; they're feeding hungry nestlings, so are out and about foraging for food.

I was surprised, though, to look up from my computer a minute ago, to see one perched in the Gordonia out my office window! S/he didn't stay long, but swooped down toward the mixed hardwood forest behind the Carriage House, maybe having spotted a chipmunk or squirrel on the lawn.

Growing fast

2010-05-04T13:24:00.001-04:00

Baby bluebirds waiting for food

The bluebird nestlings are looking hungry in this screenshot from the Geology Museum webcam. We're hopeful that our first successful brood will be fledged from this nesting box sometime in the coming weeks, thanks to the snake baffle Dave Cicimurri installed this spring. All of the other boxes I've checked have eggs or nestlings in various stages.

Evening stars and planets

2010-04-28T21:47:00.003-04:00

It was a perfect evening for a walk in the Garden. The cooler than normal weather subdued the insect and amphibian songsters, but we enjoyed nice temperatures, clear air, and good company. As a group of adults, we were able to (quietly) explore the Garden's forest, look at wildflowers, and listen to birds, as light faded to dusk and then dark.

As we finished our walk, the stars started appearing, along with an incredibly bright planet to the southwest.

We puzzled about the orientation of the Garden (hmm, I'm great with directions and spatial remembrance but have trouble with knowing which direction is north, south, or elsewhere).

This Google Earth view shows our orientation!

Coming home, the moon was huge and luminous, remarkable for spring.

Poking about on the web, I discovered that Mars was our mystery planet.

This from Stardate Online:

This Week's Stargazing Tips

April 28, 2010 The brightest stars of Libra stretch to the upper left of the Moon as they rise in late evening. The closer one is Zubenelgenubi, while the more distant one is Zubeneschamali.

April 29, 2010 Mars stands high in the southwest at nightfall and looks like a bright orange star. As it drops toward the horizon after midnight, its celestial "rival" climbs into view in the southeast: Antares, of Scorpius, the scorpion, whose name means "rival of Mars."

Spring moon

2010-04-25T21:12:00.003-04:00

The full moon hike on Wednesday should be nice. This time of the year starts the wonderful array of summer evening songsters, and we'll be able to experience the transition from day to dusk to night.

The moon was high this evening and I heard the beginnings of the seasonal nocturnal symphony just before coming inside. Crickets, cicadas, katydids, and tree frogs are just a few of the players.

Baby bluebirds

2010-04-23T09:39:00.002-04:00

All of the eggs have hatched now!

I was going to post a screenshot, but newly hatched bluebirds are remarkably unattractive and not ready for prime time (they are cute with their mouths open).

Take a peak when you have a chance. The last post shows how quickly they'll feather up and grow.

Just looked at the webcam again....

Mom's back with food!

A bluebird family

2010-04-21T10:22:00.002-04:00

The eggs have started to hatch in the Museum's bird box. This morning, the webcam showed first one, then two young hatchlings. Mom reappeared shortly after I saw the two chicks, and now has just left.

Click on the image of the nest with eggs to see what's happening now! Both parents will feed and care for the young, removing egg shells and fecal sacs.

Here's a developmental timeline from sialis.org (All about Eastern Bluebirds) -- we'll have an interesting couple of weeks ahead before fledging!

Development: When they are first born, they look a bit like hairy shrimp. Both parents feed the young. Nestlings defecate right after being fed - parents often wait for this and then take out fecal sacs, dropping them 21- 110 yards from the nest (rarely eating them.) See day by day photos to help with determining age.
- Day 1: dingy gray down, eyes closed. The babies heads look huge. Their wings are nubs, and legs are weak and spindly. Uncoordinated, raising head weakly and unsteadily, faint vocalizations.
- Day 2: contour feathers start to develop. Soft gray down is now along the edges of wings, the head and spine. The skin beneath looks blue-black as feathers begin to develop beneath it.
- Day 3: femoral tract feathers begin emerging.
- Day 4: wings are dark.
- Day 5: feathers appear in crural region. Eyes open day 5-6. While sleeping, head held limply in front or curled to side.
- Day 7-8: able to maintain body temperature.
- Day 8: secondary wing-coverts break out of sheaths.
- Day 9: capital feathers, secondaries and retrices are out of sheaths; birds use bill to work all major feather tracts. Nestlings may show fear if handled, can crawl. Yawning first observed. May lay head on scapulars while sleeping.
- Day 10-11: most capital-tract feathers emerge.
- Day 11: Feather sheaths start to disintegrate (leaving a white dust behind) and wing feathers begin to emerge. Nestcams indicate nestlings start to stand up at this age. Nestlings start to preen, pulling at the sheaths of emerging feathers.They may flap wings, stretch and hop a little to strengthen muscles.
- Day 12: almost completely feathered. except for mid-ventral region. Incomplete bill-wiping movements and head scratching first observed.
- Day 13: Mid-ventral region is feathered. sleep with head on scapulars. Can tell sex by bright blue color of primaries and retrices, and white on retrices. Sleep in typical adult manner.
- Day 14: no unfeathered areas visible. Wings are longer. Capable of weak, short-distance flight. Bird can right itself and make short shuffling movements backwards and forwards.
- Day 15: completely feathered. Nestlings huddle together, preen, exercise, stand on edge of nest and look out of nest cavity.
- Day 16: able to hop well by day 16. During final days in nest, nestlings flap wings vigorously.

Jack-in - the- pulpits

2010-04-19T10:45:00.003-04:00

At this time of year, when the spring ephemerals are out in force, I go and check in front of Crucible. There are generally one or two Jack-in-the Pulpits there, down by the stream side. Last week during my Garden Naturalist Class we made an amazing discovery. We found hundreds and hundreds of "Jacks" just before you enter the woods for the bird watching trail. This area used to be covered with bamboo and has recently been cleared. (It is below the new butterfly garden). Once you enter the woods you start seeing that in several places the path is lined with even more patches of plants.
Iris, foamflower and trillium.

Garden Fest

2010-04-17T21:52:00.007-04:00

The Garden was busy today, with Garden Fest, the Unity Project, and a regional Girl Scout Council Brownies activity this morning, not to mention a large afternoon wedding in the amphitheater.

And there were lots of 'regular' visitors.

This was the second year of Garden Fest.

Master Gardeners John Lander, Sue Ercolini, and Talley Parker with advice about planning a garden

Supported by a network of groups from SC Master Gardener volunteers, Clemson University's Home and Garden Information Center, (CU) Students for Environmental Awareness, Upstate Locavores, CU Dirt to Food, a troop of middle-school Girl Scouts, and SCBG and Bob Campbell Geology Museum staff, it was a rewarding event.

Ellie Taylor of Upstate Locavores sharing ideas about container gardening

We're basically encouraging folks to grow more of their own vegetables, and providing information about how to do it.

At the introduction table, I talked to young families, retirees, and mid-life folks, all who were interesting in growing more of their own food. It was a nice event.

Joey Williamson and Janet Scott, from CU's Home and Garden Information Center providing advice

Vegetable transplants (a variety of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, tomatillos, and herbs) went off to new gardens (I donated the seeds so I feel a lovely sense of potential bounty shared).

A red-shouldered hawk and 'Green and Gold'

2010-04-13T20:39:00.005-04:00

Green and gold is one of my favorite spring wildflowers. It's a tough customer, thriving on the edges of paths and trails and woodland edges.

This patch is along the Arboretum Road, below the Heusel Nature Trail. Quite lovely.

Looping back, one of the red-shouldered hawks was calling, and from the meadows, I could see two of them soaring - only barely within reach of my camera's lens.

Spring ephemerals

2010-04-11T16:26:00.005-04:00

I love spring ephemerals. This year I have spent more time than usual observing the progression from the earliest scattered flowers to the carpet of blooms today on the Woodland Wildflower Trail.

Today I walked without dogs and children and was able to take a little time for photographs. These small pictures do not do the flowers justice, click on the images for a larger view.

Yellow Trillium - a toadshade trillium. Its flowers are sessile- meaning there is no stem or petiole joining the flower to the rest of the plant.
This could be a variety of Sweet Betsy, which does come in yellow.

Vasey's Trillium this is a easily overlooked trillium. Although its leaves are large the flowers are "nodding", ie. underneath on a stalk and not "sessile" ie. perched on top without a stem.

On the Botanical Garden Trail look to your right, by the stream as you walk from the Hunt Cabin and before you cross the small stone bridge by Crucible. There are several Vasey's Trillum by the small wooden bridge on the left bank of the stream. There is also a very nice crop of Yellowroot in flower in the same location.

Vasey's Trillium

Catesby's Trillium

A nodding, or wake robin trillium.

Once in a while a combination of plants takes your breath away. This grouping did not photograph well but was so striking that other people on the trail also pointed it out to us.
You can find it on the trail it is past Crucible and just past the new woodenbench* and on the left had side of the trail.

*Check out the bench dedication to a man and his dog- so sweet. (I believe the man's name was Gary Schramm).

Foamflower, trillium and ferns

Mayapples are generally seen from above and appear as a lush swath of miniature umbrellas. I took this shot lying prostrate on the ground - a mouse's eye view of mayapple flowers.

Towering Mayapples

New bog garden in the new butterfly garden -pitcher plants
This is a wonderful new site in the garden -look at that pitcher plant flower!

Museum Bluebird box

2010-04-09T11:24:00.001-04:00

Snakes, prepare to be baffled!

We are hoping to have a first successful bluebird brood from this box, originally set up by an Eagle Scout with a web cam connection. Dave Cicimurri has secured a metal baffle, which hopefully will prevent predation (quite common in these boxes). The female bluebird is, right now, sitting on her eggs. This is a screen shot of the web cam minutes ago. See the previous post for a view of the eggs.

A nesting bluebird

2010-04-08T14:24:00.001-04:00

The birdcam at the Geology Museum's bluebird box now shows 5 eggs. Time for a snake baffle! Last year, a black rat snake managed to thwart nesting in this box.

Vegetable gardens

2010-04-05T20:50:00.008-04:00

The Garden has three excellent areas that demonstrate how easy it is to grow vegetables.

The Snell Vegetable Garden (next to the Fran Hanson Discovery Center) is a perfect kitchen garden. Surrounded by brick walls, it's warmer in winter, fostering great winter greens. Summer is lovely, too, with full sun, and rich soil (enriched by composted chicken manure over the past few years).

The Food for Thought Garden is a raised bed garden that's part of the Children's Garden project. We've planted all sorts of things in these beds over the seasons, from potatoes and onions, to herbs and yard-long beans.

And the Heirloom Garden is a certified organic vegetable garden that has been used for some years to keep a variety of heirloom vegetables going, thanks to (now retired) CU horticulture professor David Bradshaw. It'll be partially fallow this year, to deal with some pest issues, but will also be used for herbs, and a Master Gardener Plant-a-row for the hungry initiative.

Let us know if you'd like to help out with any of these gardens as a volunteer!

Squirrels and habitat

2010-04-01T20:34:00.002-04:00

I spotted this pair of (maybe young) squirrels in the 'squirrel' tree yesterday.

They were seemingly quite content to poke their heads out of a familiar cavity.

A haze of green

2010-03-30T21:00:00.004-04:00

Warmer weather has brought a concentrated spring (in a flash). The haze of young green leaves surrounds the riparian gallery forest along Hunnicutt Creek, birds of all sorts are singing spring breeding songs, and buds are rapidly expanding into shoots and leaves.

It won't be long before we see our first hummingbirds here (time to get the feeders out). And some of the earliest butterflies have already been spotted.

The spring peepers are singing in the Cherokee Worldview Garden pond, very loudly, and I imagine the shallow Meadow pond is full of frog calls, too. I need to get over there in the evening.

Garden Naturalist Program

2010-03-26T22:14:00.014-04:00

On Wednesday the Garden Naturalists visited the Hopkins Beech Grove to learn more about beech trees and their associated habitat. It turned out to be a fabulous class, and not just because of the beautiful, statuesque beeches.

(Image: Wiki Common)

We have started to think about Phenology "the study of recurring plant and animal life cycle stages, or phenophases, such as leafing and flowering of plants, maturation of agricultural crops, emergence of insects, and migration of birds."On our walk to the Beech Grove we passed through the Woodland Wildflower and Gordon Belser Native Wildflower Trails. We had visited this area of the Garden the previous week so we were able to see significant changes in the landscape in just those few days. Spring ephemerals have popped up all over. There are Trillium, Oconee Bells, Dog-Tooth Violets, Trout Lily, Bloodroot and Yellow Root in all in flower along the trails. By Herb Parker's Crucible there is a huge swath of Mayapples. We discovered how beautifully the Mayapples come out of the soil - they are like tightly furled umbrellas who quickly unwrap and stand tall (4 inches) above the forest fall.
Here are some images of spring ephemerals in the South Carolina Botanical Garden.

Our next stop was the Meditation Garden, a recently beautifully redesigned area of the Garden. We were drawn to the water's edge (I'm not sure why) and then noticed something moving under the surface. It seemed like there were small sticks moving rather more purposefully than sticks usually do. Thesewere Caddis Fly larva, wonderful architects of the natural world, who take sticks or stones (or even precious jewels and metals) to make a protective case. Once we spotted one we began to notice more and more, until most of the small one inch long sticks seemed to be moving.

This was all before we reached our final destination: The Hopkins Beech Grove. This is one of my favorite areas of the Garden. There is one large beech in the center of a meander in the stream, and smaller beeches and tall Tulip Poplars all around. We stood for a few minutes enjoying the bird song and music of the brook, then we started seeing woodpeckers. We saw several Downy and Red-Bellies flitting up and down the tree trunks, flying from tree to tree. Then one of the Naturalists said "Look! Over there! A Pileated ..." There it was on the base of a tree about 20 yards away. We were able to observe it pecking at two or three trees before it took off out of sight. It was a wonderful experience.
Next week our topic is Bird adaptations, habits and habitats. I am excited to see what we will discover next week.

Other flowers

2010-03-23T05:26:00.008-04:00

Here's another favorite of mine - Camellia japonica 'Julie".

This magnolia near the Sprouting Wings greenhouse was also spectacular!

Garden in Flower

2010-03-22T13:53:00.013-04:00

I am a new member and this is my first post, so please forgive me as I learn the ropes!

Friday was such a beautiful day that I took 2 neighbor friends to the garden to see what was in bloom now. Of course we started in the Camellia garden and it is in full bloom - the best I have seen it! I always look for the varieties I have purchased at the plant sales for my own garden. We came across this beautiful 8' specimen of Camellia japonica 'Professor Charles S Sargent'! (My own just produced it's first blossom last week on the lowest branch; as I was showing it off to my friends my cat decided to come and rub it off!! Thank goodness I got a picture first...)

Prof 'Sargent'
You can see why I really like this one! This blossom is unbelievable!

Friday was such an unbelievable day - in the 70's - brilliant blue skies and the birds were especially vocal! The Helleborus were enjoying the elbow room they have in the Hosta Garden this time of year and of course daffodils were everywhere!

Praying mantis egg cases

2010-03-19T20:05:00.004-04:00

On a morning walk recently, I noticed that the Clethra alnifolia shrubs at the head of the ornamental grass meadow (below the Fran Hanson Discovery Center) were dotted with praying mantis egg cases.

There must have been at least 15 egg cases, scattered among the shrubs.

I haven't seen that many in a small area before; it would be impressive to see when they hatch later in spring.

First spring wildflowers

2010-03-17T20:31:00.006-04:00

After Hepatica, trout lilies (Erythronium spp.), violets (Viola spp.), and in our region, a rare and endangered wildflower, Oconee bells (Shortia galacifolia) are often the next to flower. Sue Watts and I saw all of these yesterday morning.

Photos by Tim Spira (copyrighted)

Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia) and trillium (Trillium spp.) and all the rest aren't far behind.

And we spotted one of the red-shouldered hawks on a bald cypress near the Meadow Pond (aka the Leaky Pond).

An interesting rust fungus

2010-03-13T20:34:00.004-05:00

A orange fungus on a red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) caught my eye during this morning's walk - here on the Heusel Nature Trail.

Initially, I though it would be a cedar-apple-rust fungus, but a Google-search revealed that it was likely something else.

There are few more connections on my Natural Gardening post.

It's amazing how many interesting fungi that we can observe. There are shelf fungi (that emerge from dead or declining tree trunks), mushrooms (basidiomycetes) that pop up after damp weather, slime molds (a totally different group of organisms), etc.

Cool!

I've finally seen one!!!

2010-03-10T20:40:00.003-05:00

After years of pointing to regularly spaced lines of holes on trees and saying: "Those were made by a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker" - I have finally actually seen one! This morning while exploring the Heusel Nature Trail there were several active woodpeckers we could hear off in the distance. As we came to the crest of the hill we noticed a bird flitting from tree to tree. Since the woodpecker-like bird stayed quite close to the trail I was able to focus my new binoculars on it. A red head and a red throat led me to the Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker on Cornell's Website - check it out!

On the same walk we discovered the first Bloodroot poking through the leaf litter - I'll go back tomorrow with my camera!

Red-shouldered hawks

2010-03-09T13:36:00.005-05:00

We're finally having some spring-like days, with the first native spring wildflower (Hepatica) blooming in the Woodland Wildflower Garden. Wind-pollinated trees are releasing pollen, too.

But one of the most dramatic happenings in late winter is the courtship and nest-building of our red-shouldered hawk pairs. They're monogamous and mate for life, staying in the same territory. They generally keep other red-shouldered hawks out of their territory, except occasionally they'll tolerate a family member.

Out in the Garden this morning with fellow garden naturalist Sue Watts, we were amazed to see what appeared to be three adult red-shouldered hawks, carrying on with their kee-aah calls. They're vocal during breeding season particularly. Their behavior looked territorial, two seeming to chase away the third. Garden volunteer Ette Ruppert (also a Master Naturalist like Sue) had seen some nest-building behavior last Friday, and took us to where it was (same site as last year). But the nest didn't seem to have progressed.

Later I was out along the Arboretum Road with another friend, and we spotted a hawk on a large, well built nest. I managed to get a blurry shot (I'd gone home specifically to get my camera after seeing them this morning). Another hawk was nearby, and much to our surprise they flew on the same branch, and apparently continued with courtship and mating, judging by the flapping and activity. Then one of them, presumably the female, returned to the nest.

We'll be keeping a eye on this pair in the coming weeks, at least as long as we can see the nest!

(Here's a link to a nice series of photographs of a pair in Florida.) And you might enjoy this post about our Garden red-shouldered hawks from 2008.

Time to get out in nature

2010-03-06T21:51:00.002-05:00

Recently, 'normal' late winter weather has encouraged exploring nature and gardening. I've definitely enjoyed the (finally) mild winter days.

Now's the time to get out in your garden (and the South Carolina Botanical Garden) and start observing the seasonal shift from winter into spring.

I'm already hearing the territorial songs of Northern Cardinals, Carolina Wrens, and others.

Pay attention as our migratory birds come through in the coming weeks and months!

Spring is in the air

2010-02-24T20:49:00.003-05:00

The air smelled like spring yesterday. Fresh, green, and damp around the edges. The increasing songs of birds are evident, too, and I'm thinking I need to check the bluebird boxes for any early activity.

Red maples are in fruit, and alders, junipers, and birches are releasing pollen. Achoo!

Healthy Soils presentation

2010-02-17T14:33:00.005-05:00

Because of the snow and ice on Saturday, we had to cancel Amy Dabb's winter lecture series presentation. It will be rescheduled in spring, but in the meantime, you may want to take at look her presentation, posted on a Picasa web album.

American Robin behavior

2010-02-15T21:23:00.005-05:00

We've had unusually large flocks of robins over the last few week devouring holly berries in various parts of the Garden.

Here's a report from Journey North about robin behavior; we're seeing what other folks are seeing all over the Eastern U.S.

Snow views

2010-02-13T10:41:00.006-05:00

The Arboretum road framed a view of the stream side forest cloaked in snow. The road's surface was crackly black ice dusted with snow.

Snow

2010-02-12T20:06:00.003-05:00

A heavy wet snow came into the Upstate late this afternoon and it's still snowing. There's about two to three inches on the ground and coating trees and shrubs. I've had to cancel tomorrow's Winter Lecture Series program (the slushy snow will freeze overnight) and will try to reschedule the program for spring. I was hoping for dry snow that would blow away by tomorrow's predicted sunny skies.

Coyotes spotted in the Garden!

2010-02-11T12:10:00.007-05:00

Coyotes have been seen in the Garden recently. James saw a pair early in the week, one trotting off with a squirrel. Allison and Kendra saw a male late Wednesday in the Pollinator Border outside the Hanson Nature Learning Center. It's quite interesting (and exciting) to see them.

Coyotes have become abundant into the Eastern US in the last decades, finding suburban landscapes full of the mixed woodlands and clearings that they favor.

They're not a threat to humans, but can occasionally be predators of cats and small dogs. I'm afraid we'd be glad if they snagged more of our overly-abundant squirrels!

This image is from a Texas Parks and Recreation site.

Downy woodpeckers and robins

2010-02-07T20:20:00.003-05:00

On a morning walk today, I first heard tapping, and then spotted this downy woodpecker up in a tree near Hanover House.

S/he was busily foraging under the bark, it seemed.

Nearby, a robin flock was mobbing the berries on the hollies along Duck Pond Rd., above the HCC/Hanson Nature Learning Center.

Robin flocking behavior

2010-02-02T09:05:00.003-05:00

The feeding frenzy outside my office window is continuing this morning, with large robin flocks also feeding on the hollies at the entrance to Garden. There's a continuous murmur of bird calls. Remarkable.

Here's some more interesting information about robin flocking behavior from Journey North.

Flocks of robins

2010-02-01T13:48:00.006-05:00

The hollies behind the Fran Hanson Discovery Center are being mobbed by robins devouring its fruits this afternoon. I can see the robins from my office window, a constant whirling stream of foraging birds and those waiting their turn in nearby branches. Holly fruits are a mid-winter staple of foraging flocks of fruit-eating birds like robins and cedar waxwings.

(I noticed that I posted about robins singing in mid-February last year. Something to listen for in the coming weeks!)

More Killdeer

2010-01-20T20:33:00.004-05:00

I've been enjoying (along with Dave and Chris Cicimurri from the Geology Museum) and probably many others, the unusually large numbers of killdeer the last week and a half or so on the Garden's meadows. I saw over 14 in a loose flock late last week and we've been remarking on their numbers.

As warmer 'normal' winter weather moved in, they're gone as of Monday. Coincidence? Hard to know. Dave and I have been searching various sources to see if their behavior (appearing here in larger numbers in the first place) might be understandable from a natural history point of view.

Killdeer are common year-round residents in South Carolina, but they're such recognizable birds we think that we'd have noticed them in previous years in these numbers.

But maybe some of you have seen them in open areas near campus or elsewhere? Let us know.

A pair of Edgeworthia plants

2010-01-18T19:41:00.003-05:00

Two paperbush plants (Edgeworthia chrysantha) illuminate the entrance to the Hayden Conference Center. Not even yet in flower, their flower buds and architecture are striking.

Happily, pruning has suited them; currently, they're a perfect pair on either side of the door.

A Cold January Day

2010-01-15T09:01:00.004-05:00

What might be in the Garden to photograph on a cold January day after many hard freezes? There are a number of things, but one just has to look a bit harder. Waiting for you when you enter the Garden might be one of the resident red-shouldered hawks sitting in a tree by the pond. Then walk nearby to see some red berries of the "Winter-red Holly" (Ilex verticillata). From there go to the Children's Garden and be greeted by a "staff" member, Weezy, who is soaking up some winter sun. One group of trees that stand out in the forest at this time of year are the "American Beech" (Fagus grandifolia) since their light brown winter leaves are not lost until the new green ones appear in the spring. Just look and you can find some interesting things in the winter Garden!

Killdeer

2010-01-11T20:48:00.002-05:00

Flocks of killdeer are enjoying the Garden's meadows. I've seen them over the past several days, hopping, calling, and flying around.

Killdeer are plovers, but not shorebirds. They frequent lawns, meadows, and fields, and their distinctive behavior makes them unmistakable.

Look for an attractive bird with two brown neck bands and a white breast. And listen for their calls.

A mama squirrel relocating her offspring?

2009-11-29T19:58:00.005-05:00

We saw something we'd never seen before this morning - a squirrel with a largish youngster held on the scruff of its neck scampering through the foliage above us. We were on the back road in the Garden, near the nature trail through the oak-hickory forest (the Heusel Nature Trail) when we spotted her.

We had our binoculars, so had a good look as she leaped from tree to tree carrying her 'cargo.' There was lots of chattering going on nearby, perhaps fussing at the disturbance.

A web search found (LOTS of) interesting information about Eastern Gray Squirrels: mama squirrels are VERY protective of their offspring and, if feeling threatened, will move their babies to another drey. Apparently, gray squirrels have (usually) at least three dreys, and maybe a cavity or bird box, in addition.

Eastern Gray Squirrels breed twice a year, in mid-winter and in early summer. We probably saw a youngster borne in September, but one that will overwinter with Mom until spring. It takes a long time for squirrels to be weaned (10-12 weeks), and almost nine months until they're full-grown.

Of course, we just had binoculars, and no camera, this morning. But the photos of nest-building last weekend in an earlier post (on Natural Gardening) are fun, too.

(Note: this is a duplicate post: here and first to Natural Gardening, my own wildlife observation and gardening blog).

Eastern chipmunks

2009-11-20T08:37:00.003-05:00

I enjoy seeing chipmunks scamper around the Fran Hanson Discovery Center and Bob Campbell Geology Museum.

They're exceptionally active now, as they're storing up their winter food caches. Their numbers seem to be stable now, as the feral cat that used to hang around isn't here anymore.

Watch for them in your neighborhood!

Sitting still

2009-11-16T06:32:00.002-05:00

Usually when I go to the garden I am walking with dogs, children and/or friends- chatting, playing and policing. This weekend it was just me and the dog. I forced myself to be different. I lingered and tried to focus on finding birds in the canopy.

I have just finished a class to be a Master Naturalist, and because neither they, or I are, still this is one aspect of the natural world I know little about. Every time I walk in the garden with a group I point out even rows of holes on Tulip Poplars and other trees. With great flourish I say can you say "Yellow Bellied Sapsucker!" and the kids do with great zeal. However, I have a quiet moment of worry - because I have never seen a real live Yellow Bellied Sapsucker - it's such a great name but perhaps they don't exist, perhaps the holes are made by someone or something else, perhaps for 7 years I've been giving the wrong information to elementary students???

I did learn recently that Sapsuckers over winter here - so they were actually in the back of my mind as I strolled looking up in the canopy by the Hunt Cabin. There! I saw small woodpecker-shaped bodies flitting from tree to tree. I stood still and looked closer trying to concentrate on features- size, color etc. There were 5 or six birds up there but I didn't have binoculars and once I focused on them - they flitted away or went behind the tree. I think I can say I have now seen at least two real live Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers hanging out with some red headed woodpeckers.
The next challenge is to find out the difference between downy and red-headed woodpeckers, and then between Red-shoulders and Red-Tailed Hawks and then .....

I love life-long learning ...

Oh and I did actually sit still later - which is what I intended to talk about. Down the creek in the Beech Grove I sat under a huge beach tree and gazed on the beauty all around me. Now I heard woodpeckers, but couldn't see them. But was was fabulous was the color of the leaves - the carpet on the ground of golden fallen leaves and darker beech nuts. You should try it sometime.

A fall afternoon

2009-11-13T21:41:00.005-05:00

Late afternoon on Thursday was striking. Even though many of the Garden's trees have lost most of their leaves, the color on the Cameron walk was still nice.

Click on the photo for a closer (and better) view!

Gardening inspiration

2009-11-09T21:51:00.002-05:00

You might be interested in a new post about Kathy's pathway plantings near the Hayden Conference Center and a fall view of the Hosta Garden.

Japanese Raisin Tree

2009-11-07T21:05:00.004-05:00

Japanese Raisin Tree (Hovera dulcis)

A wonderful tree in the specialty arboretum was a treat to learn about yesterday. Japanese Raisin Tree (Hovera dulcis), in the Rhamnaceae (the Buckthorn family), has extremely interesting edible peduncles (the base of a fruit). If you're interested in the biology/ecology of this, I've written a bit more it in this post.

A wonderful pathway planting

2009-11-06T19:39:00.005-05:00

My colleague Kathy Bridges, a horticultural staff member, works wonders in the Garden (as do all of our hort staff members, regular and student). She planted this new pathway last spring, and even in early November, it looks great.

A Salvia coccinea cultivar ('Coral Sprite', or something like that) is a highlight (click to enlarge the photo). The plants are huge; Salvia coccinea is a perennial native to the Texas Gulf Coast, so is quite marginal here over winter, so is treated as an annual.

The pink color (not evident here in the harsh light of this mid-day photograph) is lovely, connecting with a group of Encore azaleas at the end of the path.

The S. coccinea selection 'Lady in Red' is a summer stalwart in my home garden as hummingbirds love it, and it happily reseeds various places.

This pathway has had numerous positive comments over this growing season (well-deserved); I just wish I'd managed to get some photos in the early morning!