INVASIVES AT TPL

This past Saturday, Bernardo and I spent more time trying to distinguish between American and Oriental Bittersweet than actually ridding the garden of it.  Needless to say, we left most of it in place but pulled some down off of of a small tree to prevent any future harm, and to provide an up-close photo for you viewers to help us identify.

Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) is an aggressive and invasive climbing deciduous woody vine.  The leaves are difficult to identify because they are extremely variable, so should not be relied upon for identification.  The leaves can be round to oblong in shape and appear as alternate, simple with bluntly toothed margins.  Oriental Bittersweet propagates by seed and produces greenish white flowers in the spring. In the autumn, red berries are enclosed in yellow capsules.  Oriental Bittersweet grows in thickets and can strangle trees and shrubs by entangling their stems.

American Bittersweet (Celastrus scandens L.) is native to Maine.  It is also a climbing deciduous woody vine but is not nearly as aggressive as Oriental Bittersweet.  American Bittersweet produces red berries but they are enclosed in orange capsules and appear only at the terminal ends of the stems, whereas on Oriental Bittersweet, berries and flowers can be found all along the stem at leaf axils.

Horseweed

HORSEWEED

I spent a little over an hour on Saturday pulling just one type of weed from the birdsong garden.  The weather was beautiful and there was a pleasant wind which made weeding less a chore.  This is a common weed known as Horseweed and can grow in almost any area of your garden. The weed can grow as tall as 2 meters, well taller than myself, and reproduces by seed.  The seeds germinate in late summer or early spring.

The good thing about these weeds is that they have extremely shallow root systems 

and you can pull them out quite easily.  

Below, find additional photos of the Garden

The Birdsong Garden

The new Teepee

A view from the new Teepee

Ornamental Grasses flowing in the wind

Secret Life of Insects

See what's buzzing at the Topsham Public Library

Click the images to see closeups.

 Butterfly on purple liatris

 Bumblebee on white liatris

 Moth hiding in a yellow lily

Great Golden Digger Wasps and a Japanese Beetle share a Purple Globe Thistle 

 Japanese Beetle on purple coneflower (Echinacea)

The white dot that appears on the back of the beetle is where a Tachinid Fly glued its eggs to the beetle's thorax.  Later the larva will hatch and bore into the beetle, which is a healthy and natural way to keep the beetle's population at bay.

 Bumblebees on purple coneflowers (Echinacea)

Tandem Thread Waisted Wasps

These two were very camera shy!

Bumblebee and Great Golden Digger Wasp

 The black ant in the left photo is eating the sugary coating that surrounds the bud.  The bud will eventually bloom to the flower in the right photo.

The Twice Stabbed Stink Bug on lamb's ear is about to make the leap!

Patterns in Nature

The patterns that can be found in nature are just amazing.  Here's a quick video to give you a sense...

Would you like to find out what patterns you can discover?  Join us on the 20th at 1pm for the last in our nature journaling series: Patterns in Nature.

Hope to see you then!

Phenology Resources

If you missed the Phenology Nature Journaling workshop and are interested in learning more, please check out our nature journaling resources page as well as our activity download page.  

If you have tried any of our activities, we'd love to hear from you!  Share with us how you used them, any suggestions you may have, or ideas for other activities.

Have a wonderful week!

Nature Journaling Workshop, Part II: Phenology

We are so excited about the upcoming nature journaling workshop!  This is the second in our summer series and will focus on phenology.  New to phenology?  Don’t let the scientific-sounding word scare you.  It’s really quite simple.  If you’d like to read more about it before joining us, check out this post.

See you this Saturday, after the fishing rally, at 1:00!

Nature Journaling Photos and Resources

Here's a glimpse of our Intro to Nature Journaling workshop held this past Saturday:

Micro-worlds were unveiled, often overlooked details noticed with new eyes and excitement, and maybe even a new species of spider discovered!

Thank you to all who joined us.  What a perfect it day it was to be out exploring the gardens!

P.S.  We've created a new page on our blog dedicated to nature journaling resources.  You are sure to find lots of useful information...  Please be sure to check back regularly.

Remember, nature journaling is a practice to be done on a regular basis.  The more you do it, the easier it becomes and will eventually become part of your routine.  As our friend Roger says, "the longer you look, the more you will see" and the first step in understanding the natural world is to see.

Next workshops
Intro to Phenology, June 15th: Phenology is the observation and recording of the effects of seasonal changes on plants and animals.  Join us to discover the joy and benefits of keeping a phenology journal.
Patterns in Nature, July 20th: You will be amazed at the patterns to be found all throughout nature and the influence they have had on the scientific, mathematical, and artistic worlds.    Come see what patterns you can discover...

Monday Inspirations: Green

Hello again.  Happy Monday.  Are you looking forward to your week?  We are definitely looking forward to our nature journaling workshop this Saturday.  We sure hope to see you there...

Until then, we're here to provide a little inspiration for working some nature exploration into your week.  We promise it'll be fun!

The following activities have been inspired by all the beautiful green growth outside as well as a lovely book titled Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger.  Whether you are 3 or 93 or somewhere in between, give them a try and have fun!

• Matching Green:  Have you seen our color walk cards in the childrens' area?  Would you like to have your own?  Head to your favorite paint supplier and collect some paint chips.  Try to choose shades of green close to what you have seen in nature.  Punch holes in them and attach to a key ring.  Head outside and see how many of them you can match.  
• Creating Green: Put some green paint on a paint pallet or paper plate along with some white and black paint.  Try slowly adding some white or black to the green and paint that color onto some paper.  Now add a little more and add it to your painting.  Experiment further by adding yellow, blue, and purple.  What do your shades of green look like now?  By the time you are done you'll have a lovely green color study that just might be fridge worthy.

• Journaling Green:  Now that you've experimented with making different shades of green, take your nature journal and paint supplies or colored pencils outside.  Stop at a few different plants, draw a quick sketch, maybe add a description, and try to match the color.  You'll have captured the freshness of spring in your journal.  Maybe you can even visit the same plant in the summer and see if the color has changed any...

If you would like to share photos of any of these activities that you have tried, we would love to see them!  You might see them in a TPL Gardens photo gallery!

A Great Day and Another Coming Up...

Last month the Topsham Public Library Garden Committee hosted a Garden open-house and what a lovely day it was!  The weather was perfect, volunteers were hard at work, children played, laughed and made some nature crafts and we even made a few new friends.  We call that a success!  Thank you to all who joined us.

This month, we have another fun event happening in the gardens and it's coming right up...  

It's our second annual nature journaling workshop.  This year, we will be hosting a series of three workshops, all with a specific theme.

Sources: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 

The first in the series, taking place May 18th at 1pm, will be an introduction to the practice of nature journaling and is open to all ages.  We’ll be kicking it off with a not-to-be-missed 3D slide presentation by a very special friend that's sure to inspire you.  The rest of our time will be spent in the gardens where you'll receive individual guidance as you make a nature journal entry.

We will provide notebooks and sketching pencils, although do feel free to bring your own supplies.  You may also choose to bring your camera if you’d like to add photos to your journal.

We hope to see you then...

P.S.  If you'd like to read more about nature journaling, check out my post here: The Art of Observation 
Don't forget to view the resources at the end.

It’s Getting Greener!

Have you noticed?  It’s greening up outside and it’s beautiful!  

Go ahead... While you’re at the library, take a stroll around our gardens.  There are some lovely flowers blooming and all sorts of new growth.  And speaking of new growth, have you ever noticed how many different shades of green there are?  The variations seem endless.

If you’re with your children (or even if you're not), grab the color walk cards and see how many different greens you can match.  Don’t forget to visit our “Activity downloads” page for a great Nature Detective packet to encourage your little ones to learn all about leaves.  Or, take an observation sheet with you and tell us what you notice in the gardens.  We’d love to hear from you!

Have a wonderful spring-green day.

Garden Structures

We're on the look out for simple, sturdy designs for garden structures that would fit in the TPL gardens. I ran across this site on a Google search: http://www.grandiflora.pro/cool-pics/structures-bridges-and-follies.
Here's one that I think could be scaled down to for different purposes. 

But I really like the idea of follies, something for garden decoration but suggesting another purpose, like a mini-castle or this stump cave.

Whoa. Googled some more. Folly fanciers. Huh. Post ideas that might fit in at the TPL gardens. 

Seedfolks

Lately we have been reading lots of garden-related stories: Seedfolks, Rose's Garden, Plant a Kiss, and more.

But these stories are not just about planting gardens.  They are about so much more, like planting seeds of hope for a future filled with beauty.  About the power of nature.  About how simple gestures bloom into something so much bigger with faith and perseverance.  About a sense of community. 

The messages found in these pages are being realized right here at our library.  

Join us on the 27th of this month from 10am to 12pm to celebrate the library gardens at our spring Gardens Open-house.  See what our community has nurtured from those very first seeds of hope and be a part of its blooming.

WANTED: MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEERS

The library is looking for Master Gardener Volunteers to take on discrete projects and assist in the maintenance of others. Several Master Gardener volunteers have already contributed to the project and two MGVs maintain a continuing relationship with the project.

Volunteers are needed to

• Design and/or build of raised or vertical beds appropriate for Universal Access Garden, for gardeners of all abilities, including those with physical limitations
• Design and /or build of garden shade structures appropriate for Children’s Garden
• Modify or design/build of composting system
• Create of interpretive signage for Children’s, Butterfly, and Universal Access Garden and composting area
• Assist in continuing  maintenance of Rainbow and Butterfly Gardens
• Assist in recruiting and  managing garden volunteers.

  

If you are interested in this project contact Bernardo Feliciano (Master Gardener) at bfelicia2@gmail.com  or Susan Preece Director of the Library at 725-1727 or director@topshamlibrary.org.

We have both at the TPL!

“If you have a garden and a library, 

you have everything you need.”

― Marcus Tullius Cicero

Happy Spring!

Looking out the window you might not know that spring is officially here.  Yes, Mother Nature seems to be at her spring cleaning and is sweeping out all the remaining snow from every nook and cranny but we are Mainers and have come to expect a good spring snow storm.  We are not about to let it stop us from celebrating!

There is much to look forward to at the library and some great events that will take place in the library's lovely gardens.  Be sure to keep an eye out for details so you can join the fun...

Until then, here are some inspirations for spring activities that you and your children can enjoy no matter what the weather conditions:

DIY Terrariums

Forcing Forsythia

Sprout Egg-Heads

DIY Seed Tape

Happy Spring!

Dyes From Nature

With spring just around the corner, many of us may be having visions of bright colors, budding trees, and lovely flowers fluttering through our minds.  Here at the library, we are anxiously awaiting seeing the beauty of our gardens in bloom!

This month provides many opportunities to brighten our lives and homes and celebrate the renewal of life.  Some of us may also be thinking about egg decorating.  

Source: Spoonful

We suggest experimenting with some natural dyes that you can make yourself at home.

In our neck of the woods, we may not be able to harvest from our gardens this time of year, but there are plenty of items available to use to get some beautiful colors.  You may even have some already in your spice cupboard or refrigerator.  Just click on the following links for some inspiration:

source: Eco Crazy Mom

source: PCC Natural Markets

source: Martha Stewart

You can also find some ideas in these lovely books that you can find at our library or through interlibrary loan:

Happy egg dyeing!

A Snowy Bird Feeder

Our next bird feeder has been inspired by one of our favorite books: 

Stranger in the Woods.

With our current weather, I'd say it's perfect timing.  Here's how to do it: Build a snow man, woman, dog, elephant... whatever you like.  Add a carrot or orange nose; some nut eyes, mouth and buttons; and sprinkle with bird seed.  Get creative and have fun.  

So get outside and play in the snow.  The birds will thank you!

Here's a little inspiration to get you going:

1.   2.  3.  4.

For the Birds

Did you know that February is National Bird-Feeding Month?

It was established in 1994 as way to publicize the importance and benefits of helping out our feathered friends.

Why February?  This is traditionally the hardest month for wild birds to find food sources as well as water and shelter. 

I can't think of a better month to show our love for the birds that are so important to our gardens and environment!  If you would like to celebrate with us and help keep our little friends fed throughout the month, we will be posting a simple DIY bird feeder each week that you can do with your children and hang outside.

To kick it off, here's a simple hanging feeder:

source: intimateweddings.com

Ingredients:

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup water

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

3 Tbsp corn syrup

4 cups bird seed

Combine flour, water, gelatin, and corn syrup in a large bowl.  
Add bird seed and mix well.
Spray the inside of a cookie cutter with cooking spray  (we found a 2-4" size worked best)
Fill the cookie cutter with the bird seed mixture and press down firmly (the firmer it is, the better it will stay together)
Make a hole near the top (but not too close)
Carefully remove cookie cutter 
Let dry for 6-8 hours
Loop a 10" length of jute through the hole and hang outside for birds to enjoy!

Let us know how yours turned out...