Tree Folks Urban Forest Steward Program at Hornsby Bend

Yesterday was the first class in a series of 5 all day Saturday classes of the Tree Folks Urban Forest Steward program.  Below is the list of goals for the class:

 After introductions, which were impressive as most of the students are heavily involved in volunteer efforts in their own neighborhoods as well as several Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists, we met the staff  and had an address from Mr. Keith O'Herrin of the City of Austin, PARD forestry department on the state of the urban forest.    The summary was very interesting and shocking at the same time.  Currently there is the development of an Urban Forest Master Plan in the works and after hearing some of the statistics, it's a darn good thing.

To date, Austin owns about 25% of the public space inside the city limits and a recent survey of trees found that we only have 40% of possible spaces planted, as opposed to say Milwaukee which has 98% of its public available tree space filled.   We need an army of tree stewards to set this straight!

What we can call our tree resources to date is 125,000 street trees...those are the trees between the curb and the sidewalk, 175,000 park trees on 4,000 acres and 15,000 acres of undeveloped parkland.

The thing that caught my ear was his idea that street trees should be thought of as utility.  The money saved from trees is amazing...and the next speaker, Ms. Ana Gonzalez (below) also from the forestry department, went into further depth on that issue as she spoke to us about "The Benefit of Trees."

 We all love shade, especially in July but the Environmental, Social, Psychological and Economic value is enormous.  Ms. Gonzalez was a lively and entertaining presenter.

We next heard from Ms. Denise Delaney on right tree, right place...I think most of us were familiar with that but the graph below I found to be a nice tool for testing soil drainage.

After what looked like a fantastic lunch from Central Market, we heard from Mr. Keith Brown of Austin Tree Experts on the "trees of central Texas."  Again, an engaging presentation from a certified Arborist who has some definite opinions about what to and what NOT to plant...I didn't agree with everything he had to say...but mainly because I'm a fan of fruit trees, as he is not.

April Rose, Executive Director of Tree Folks brought in several samples of trees to help the class begin learning about tree identification through keying out the various kinds of leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds and nuts.

The facility at Hornsby Bend is lovely and comfortable and the day was respectfully divided up with lots of opportunity to meet new people (my favorite part) and gather information!

After looking at the various leaf types and patterns, we had a worksheet to fill out while we investigated the trees outside.(there was a drawing component...my second favorite part!)

April Rose, Executive Director of Tree Folks, Austin, Texas

When we could take the heat no more...we went inside to debrief and had a short quiz!  Today on my morning walk, I used the trees along the arroyo as a refresher in keying them out and I wanted to see if the top 5 trees in town were the most abundant here in Crestview...and sure enough...that's what I found!

Live oak, Crapemyrtle, Hackberry, Pecan and Cedar Elm...only not so much of the last one.

It was a fabulous day and I got to spend it with several folks I already knew from various other organizations and from one of my favorite neighbors and friends, Emily Wilson, the Vice President of our neighborhood association.  I think I'm going to try and get Ms. Rose to speak at CAMN!  We all live in this beautiful city, and we all need to consider planting a few trees.  Last year Tree Folks planted 13,000 trees with a staff of 4 and 3,000 volunteers.  They have a variety of programs that you can apply for to get trees for your neighborhood and the application process is easy!  I was able to get 17 trees for my street a few years ago and it's really helped cool the street and allowed neighbors to work together and get to know one another in a responsible, caring way.  

The program that I am most interested in presently is The Urban Orchard Project, which is on hold until 2013, but these are available now:

City Shade

Neighbor Woods

Sapling Days

CommuniTrees

and a variety of educational classes!  Read about them here at treefolks.org

You can also become a member and donate $ to trees if time is short!

There are 4 more classes to the series and I can't wait for the next one!  Thanks for joining me here and...

Happy Gardening!

Oh, What the Rain Brings!

I've been sick about losing my American Elm and a big part of that was thinking that  my tiny pet lawn...it's St. Augustine, would die because it's a shade grass.  Well, since the tree's been gone the other trees have stretched up and the past week of rain has left my lawn looking like a shag carpet from the 70's!  You can't even see the rock edging!  

 What is quite disturbing is this bird bath.  Before the rain it had a bunch of gunk on the bottom...now I'm worrying about the quality of the rain.  What on earth could scrub a concrete fixture clean...other than say...acid?  I'm not sure what to make of this.

 On the other hand, the plants seem to be thriving...this is my second flush of chili petin!

 And...I've never seen blooms on the asparagus fern before!

 And, it's grown right out of the top of the chiminea planter!

They say we got between 5-8 inches last week over several days...which was just so amazingly lovely and cool.  All of the plants in the garden said ahhhhh.  Today, I had to get out there and cover the greens garden back up...2 days without rain and full sun...everything was wilty.

Once again I missed the Garden Blogger's Bloom Day so I'll just put the list here...this is what's blooming right now in my yarden:

thyrallis

prairie verbena

blue mealy sage

purple trailing lantana

eggs n' butter

coral vine

butterfly bush

butterfly weed

red yucca

Patrick's abutilon

ice plant

David's cuphea

Autumn sage

Pride of Barbados

Greg's mistflower

shrimp plant

Mexican honeysuckle

asparagus fern

passionflower vine

datura (moonflower)

Turk's cap

purple cone flower

pigeon berry

tomato

sunflower

bulbine

silver cassia

plumbago

quince tree

crape myrtle
eggplant
orange esperanza
firecracker fern
rudbeckia
almond verbena
black and blue sage
chili petin
hymenoxis
rosemary

Post rain tally 39... a lot of this stuff wouldn't usually be blooming now.  The rain has been a blessing!

Happy Gardening!

Life in my Garden

My yard is a Certified Wildlife Habitat, like so many Austinites (Austin has more habitats than any other city)...which means that I keep my yard filled with blossoms, year round and I change and re-fill the bird baths, hummingbird feeders and bird feeders regularly...but most importantly in summertime, the baths.  I had the pleasure of attending my first TOWN (Texas Outdoors Women Network) meeting last week and got to hear Val Bagh of the Butterfly Forum speak..and if you have one of those nifty Butterflies of Central Texas fold outs, that's hers and the talk was fantastic!

 Newly invigorated by a seemingly manageable amount of information, I headed out to my host plants to check out the scene.  Above is the Gulf Fritillary on one of my many passionflower plants going into it's customary 'J' formation, and swelling before it becomes a chrysalis.   My Wordless Wednesday photo today is the chrysalis in it's latter stage...I kept my eye on it for 2 days, but missed the exit.

 In case you've not seen the beautiful Passionflower vine, here is it's wild and beautiful blossom!

Below is a long line of images of one of two mating dances I witnessed this week.  I sat for nearly 5 minutes to capture the dance, but when I turned on the flash...not sure if any of my images were taking, I scared the male away...I have no idea how long it would have continued.

 She was very slowly opening and closing her wings, while he was just going crazy with up and down motions...being very careful of the yucca.

 Close call!

 I love the image below because it's as if he's just beating his wings, while remaining composed.

He left soon hereafter.

 This pair I caught the next day, but I didn't have my camera at first.  By the time I came out, they were finished...I guess, or sick of me watching...so they split.

 All the drama beneath the pomegranate tree...in the West Greens Garden.

 And in the front yard, while I was busting up the cement-hard mulch and trying to revive my peppers...which after 2 days of not watering decided to lay down...I was able to resuscitate all but one tomatillo.  I heard the familiar trill of Woody Woodpecker and looked up into my dieing Sycamore where I've had baby ladder-back woodpeckers for the past several years.  The first thing I noticed was mama Dove in a new nest.

 Quiet and calm as usual.

 But when I looked to the right on the nearest branch I saw 2 little guys chasing and pecking around the trunk.

 They soon disappeared into the bottom of the two holes and mama swooped down from the neighboring Elm.

 Here you can see just how close the birds are.

I've been told by 2 different arborists that this tree needs to go.  The branch with the woodpeckers is dead with a long silver stripe up the back of that branch on the other side, extending down through the main trunk. It's going to be a very sad day when it has to come down...I wish it weren't so close to the house.

 In the past I've had bluejays...4 years in a row, until last year a mama mockingbird took 2 days to take that nest apart and build a new one just one rose over.  She didn't return this year.  We also have a Carolina Wren's nest in another rose arbor in the back, but it's so deep in, and every time I go out to grab a shot, she takes off.  It's too high for me to reach and I don't want to stick my arm through the rose, anyway.

I'm currently reading a fabulous book called Illumination in the Flatlands, by John Hutto and it's about imprinting on a group of wild turkeys!  I miss my chickens but am enjoying all the beautiful life in the garden in the wee cool hours of the morning!  What's in your garden?

Happy Gardening!

News From Hades, TX...

Greg grows the spice...well, he orders the onions and plants the pepper starts, then I do the rest...but once they're on the counter, he usually does the cooking.  I'm more one for eating raw.  One guess as to what he's making for dinner?

 That's right...Texas Chili, all from the garden...and some prime organic beef as well!

 I was looking for something to share for Wordless Wednesday when I discovered these Siamese twins.

 Yesterday was the hottest day on record for Austin in the month of June, 108...this is what it looks like this morning.

And this is a little Russian cup my sister-in-law sent me, it was an elephant but when the Elm dropped a branch, it lost it's trunk...so it's become a butterfly feeder.  Please don't forget our pollinators and animal friends in this horrid weather...refill your bird baths daily!
Tonight's speaker at CAMN is Michael Warriner and he has this to say about the talk: “Despite their critical roles in agriculture and natural ecosystems, bumblebees have gone relatively unstudied in Texas.  The last published review of species in the state was in 1912, 100 years ago.  There is a real need to evaluate the status of these insects in our state to assess how their populations are faring and if conservation actions are needed.”

CAMN meetings are open to the public and begin at 7pm at the Nature and Science Center at Zilker Park.

Happy Gardening!

Monday, in the Garden

Hello Monday.  I'm feeling good...the garden is looking great.  Yesterday I spent the better part of some 5 hours updating my resume and reviewing the past 5 years of my blog entries to prepare a proposal for a job that my dear friend Darlene passed onto me, thinking that I'd be perfect for...because she's an eternal optimist.  It took me that long to realize that I didn't want that job, on any level other than having the $ to pay off some bills.  It was a worthwhile undertaking though because I came to a lovely place of understanding...that elusive ideal that is temporary at best, because you'll only understand what you think you do now...later.  Anyhoo...I was to separate my posts into categories that would update a certain website...half way through I had only come up with one post that would work.  My blog is messy...I write all over the place about things I'm interested in...which isn't necessarily for the public, but just a means of playing, and adding beauty to the world and distracting me from the fact that I don't have an art studio any more and so I push dirt around, add physical texture and color to a 3-D experience that also enhances my neighborhood and nourishes my dinner table and provides me with childlike wonder that so many adults lack.

And, allows me a place to express myself.

A desert rose I picked up in the checkout line at Home Depot 10 years ago.  At that time, she was 1.99$ in a 2" plastic black square, 3 transplants up...she's my survivor...I've forgotten her in horrid weather, and lost huge parts of her time and again...yet here she is...looking lovely as ever.

Desert rose blossom

Do you see a simple drawing when you look at this?  I do, and because I do...I won't draw it.  I already did it...and that's enough.  Images of Monet's garden have been floating around the social network right now...it's some kind of anniversary I suppose.  I would like to visit his garden, during the week when there aren't a lot of people present but I don't feel the need to stand in a museum looking at wall after wall of blurry paintings...ever again.

Greg's pimento.  I say Greg's because he stood in line at Sunshine Gardens to buy the starts and planted them...but left to him...they'd have shriveled up long ago...I'm the one who walks the garden daily, escapes into it if I don't like the energy inside...we've outgrown our house.

I seriously do not play enough with the features on my camera or on the computer...this is the first cluster of blossoms on the orange Esperanza I transplanted earlier this spring...I was trying to express how super dynamic and excited I was to see that color...I doubt it translates...who cares.

Bronze fennel is an amazing plant...it just keeps coming back and spreading and the swallowtails are plentiful as ever...as are the fritllaries and monarchs.  

After the addition this year, I'm going to plant this Meyer's lemon in some window view so I can watch the bees loving her blossoms up!

This is my cat, Bob.  He is the most affectionate creature.  Last Saturday we had a garage sale and Bob was the official greeter.  Several people walked back to find me to tell me that they were afraid that he was going to follow them home.  Hilarious.  This morning, on my jog I saw a poster about a lost cat and I always wonder how that can be?  Bob was born in my bedroom...his mom was a rescue cat that came with 6 cats inside her.  When I saw the stripy tabby come out, I claimed him...well, her is what we thought at the time and named her Daikini Fern...which became Daikini Bob.  I am down to 3 cats now...the last ones I'll ever have, because I've come down with Adult Onset Asthma and have since found out that I'm allergic to cats.  Cats find me, because I'm open to loving them and can't ever imagine one leaving of it's own accord.  I kick them out at night so they'll cat around and bring me little furry surprises in the morning and they sleep in the house during the day...unless I'm gardening.  Then they follow me around.  I wanted to write on that poster...what the hell did you do to your cat?  I realize that there are those folks who think cats are horrid and feel like they are saving birds by keeping them inside.  I can see why those cats would run away...I'd just hang myself if I had to be inside all day, every day...I think Bob would too.  He ain't going anywhere.  

I worry more about Bob getting the butterflies...which he occasionally does...but there isn't anything cuter than fat Bob pouncing in the flowers...he's terrific company...he never bores me by telling me the same story or nags me to do what he wants or thinks I should do...he just wants long hard effleurage and wet food.  All the massage therapists out there get this.

I'm glad no one wanted the girls twin antique bed at the garage sale, it's not for sale anymore...I love it.  I think I'll grow Indian corn in it next summer.

Come Summer Solstice, this gas lamp is getting a make over...stay tuned!

I dumped the end of a basil seed package out front...here's what happened after I forgot about it.

This is the first blossom on this little cacti, that I've long since forgotten about...since I bought it at Peckerwood Gardens in '08 or '09...isn't it cute?  Maybe Pam can remember it's name...

Look at that ugly ass building in the background...that's what I see here...if I won the lottery, I'd level that nasty insult to architecture, bulldoze the 3 ginormous parking lots that surround it and let it sit fallow for a year before turning it into a well planned park, with a meadow, trees, food gardens and a luxurious pond with stepping stones right through the middle so toddlers can feel brave and get close to the fish.

And, I'd change the name of this wild baby to something incorporating all the difficult letters in a scrabble game...something a thousand times more passionate...like zyuqkomgitoffameraAArrh or just hairy purple thang that tries to take over my yard every spring...thanks a lot Randy (that may be a bit too long.)

 Loofah growing in the partial shade.

 This is one of my favorite shots of the garden right now...I do believe that this is one of the most luxurious Junes we've had in a long time.

 And...just a few steps to the right, and back....

 Home sweet home.

 The first California poppy this year!  The color of my kitchen.

 The first Bee Balm...so faancy (pronounce double a's like ahhhhh.)

 Lambs ear

 Foxy Bob playing peek-a-boo in the fountain grass.  Isn't he handsome?

 Larkspur, fern leaf verbena, Belinda's Dream...another drawing.

 I never get sick of this flower...it's crazy gorgeous to me.

 So, I leave you with an image of Bob in the artichoke...he's just so beautiful.  There you have it, another nonsensical blog about all kinds of stuff that smacks of an undertaking started on Fool's day...bugs and cats and flowers and rants oh my!

Happy Gardening!