This year is the first year, at least that I am aware of, that a pair of hawks has nested in Winterthur’s Pinetum during the decade or so that it has been under my care; the particular breed of hawk being the Cooper’s hawk. The females of the species are slightly larger than the size of a crow whereas the males are slightly smaller than one. These hawks have long, streamline bodies and are quick fliers.  They closely resemble the sharp-shinned hawk but the Cooper’s is the larger of the two species. Most references that I’ve come across have noted that the Cooper’s is far less common than the sharp-shinned as well.

This spring while I was working in the Pinetum, I noticed the pair building their nest about 40’-50’ up in one of the tall conifers. I believe that the nest was originally built by a pair of crows last season and the hawks simply added some new nesting material on top, which is commonly done. One of the reasons that I think that this may be the first time that a pair of Cooper’s has nested in the Pinetum is that they were surprisingly noisy! During their nest building phase the female would loiter close by in a tree and whenever the male would arrive from hunting, they would greet one another with some squawking. The noise was somewhat of a cross between a chicken’s cluck and a duck’s quack with perhaps a touch of seagull thrown in for good measure. I also observed the hawks gathering nesting material from within the Pinetum itself, sometimes even from the tree next to it. Interestingly, the pair did not seem to mind people walking within their nesting territory, for they were not easily startled or disturbed.

Another observation that I made was the fact that a pair of common crows set up house keeping in another conifer not more than 50’ from the Cooper’s nest. Crows normally pester the larger hawk species but the Cooper’s are fast enough that they were the ones that kept the crows on their toes, so-to-speak. Whenever one of the crows would leave its nest, one of the hawks would be right on its tail, chasing it out of the Pinetum. I noticed that the nesting pair of crows successfully raised at least one offspring though I did find the remains of another youngster close by, presumably a nest mate. I also found the remains of an adult earlier in the spring, possibly last years offspring, which often remain with the breeding pair, acting as centurions as well as helping with feeding the young.  I don’t know if the hawks were responsible for their demise but it’s certainly feasible.

Although I would see or hear the hawks from time to time in the Pinetum, I was never quite sure how their family matters were progressing. As I mentioned before, the crows had one offspring, which had been out of the nest and flying around for a quite a while already but I had no clear indications if the hawks were successful in raising their offspring. It wasn’t until the first week in July when I saw a youngster out on the end of a branch in the nesting tree that I realized that they had raised at least one. The following week I noticed, in fact, three youngsters, all perched in one of our Blue Atlas Cedars. They all seemed to be staying within the Pinetum for the time being, even flying back to the nest on occasion. I suspect that soon they will be venturing further out for they are flying around pretty well at this point. It will be interesting to see if the mating pair returns in the years ahead to raise another family in the Pinetum!

My name is Mark Wolanski and I am from Wilmington, Delaware. Since March I have been serving as the six month Garden/Estate intern but will be transitioning to the Natural Lands intern in May. I have recently graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Arts in Geography. By majoring in geography, students take courses related to agriculture and natural resources, natural resource management, and environmental science. I have taken a multitude of classes ranging from physical geography, to land and water management, to economics of agriculture and natural resources. Throughout my college career, I have developed the types of skills that will allow me to be a valuable member of the Winterthur Garden Department.

After my internship at Winterthur, I will begin to work on my Masters Degree in Environmental Science. A few weeks ago I received my acceptance letter into the graduate program at Wesley College located in Dover, Delaware. While attending Wesley I will be taking courses that blend the natural and physical sciences with policy. Some areas of research I am interested in are land resources management, environmental policy, advancing my knowledge of GIS applications, wetlands science, and how these different areas are influenced by climate change.

The Natural Lands internship will help me prepare for graduate school by giving me real-world working experience by allowing me to help with environmental projects at Winterthur, by aiding the horticulture staff to implement proper management practices, and learn how to properly maintain outlying areas on the estate. I look forward to working with the entire garden staff throughout the spring and summer. Be sure to stop and say hi if you see me in the garden!

Several visitors and staff members have asked for the names and sources of some of the plants growing in the children’s vegetable garden. I have copied the inventory below along with a very informal rating and source code. The rating scale is from “-” (no germination/poor performer) to “++” (star performer). If there is neither a plus nor minus next to the plant then it performed adequately. This was an unsual growing season. Typically tomatoes perform very well, but this year we had to remove them due to the late blight. Other plants are usually short-lived but lasted all season, such as the cosmos. So take the rating with a grain of salt. I have also listed the sources for the seeds; the key is at the bottom of the list.

One thing stands out, when I cast my eye down this list – the children planted an awful lot! This year we kept them moving pretty much non-stop. It is amazing what a group of 6 to 11 year olds can accomplish in just one day a week. I’d like to thank the parents, interns, and staff who helped the children accomplish this. Most of all, I’d like to thank the kids for doing such a great job with their gardens. It takes more than just hard work to make a garden - a really good garden needs to be fun and creative. That is what all of you brought to the garden this year THANK YOU.

Younger Gardeners

Tomato Celebrity (plants removed due to blight)
Eggplant (plants)
Marigolds (plants)
Simpson Elite Lettuce (++P)
Reggae Radish (P)
Thumbelina Carrot (P)
Carson Bush Wax Bean (++J)

Older Gardeners

Tomato Celebrity (plants removed due to blight)
Eggplant (plants)
Marigolds (plants)
Mint (plants)
Parsley (plants)
Freckles Lettuce (+P)
Watermelon Radish (P)
Mokum Carrot (++P)
Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos (+P)
Lilliput Mix Zinnia (+P)
Royal Burgundy Bush Bean (++J)
Nufar Basil (-J pelleted seed)
Bronze Fennel (+J)

Projects

Gloriosa Polyheaded Sunflower (+S)
Curiosity Nigella (S)
Mammoth Russian Sunflower (+B)
Envy Zinnia (++B)
Purity Cosmos (+P)
Lavender Queen Zinnia (+P)
Miss Willmott Zinnia (+P)
Nigella damascena (P)
Only the Lonely Nicotiana (P)
Zebulon Dwarf Sunflower (++J)
Sebring Zucchini (++J)
Birdhouse Bottle Gourds (+ FM, J)
Cucumber Lemon (-B)
Blueberries (plants of various cultivars)
Rhubarb (plants)
Walking onion (plants)
Moon and Stars Watermelon (+FM)
Serena Purple Angelonia (++ plants)
Junior Hybrid Sunflower (++B)
Sensation White Cosmos (B)
Sensation Picotee Cosmos (+FM)
Tea Time Series Four O’Clocks (+B)
Lipstick Nasturtium (B)
Summer Berries Mix Scabiosa (B)
Apricot Twist Sunflower (B)
Jersey Supreme Hybrid Asparagus (plants)
Mesabi Strawberry (- plants)
Paradiso Fig (plants)

B Burpee
FM Ferry Morse
J Johnny’s Selected Seeds
P Pinetree Garden Seeds
S Seeds of Change

For background on our children’s garden see Kids Grow.
Posted in Garden, Plants, Products ]]> http://gardenblog.winterthur.org/2009/09/10/whats-flowering-in-the-childrens-garden/feed/ 3 Chris Strand DF_Final-Zinnia-Lilliput DF_Final-Cosmos DF_Final-Fig DF_Final-Gourd DF_Final-Lettuce-2 DF_Final-Lettuce DF_Final-Sebring DF_Final-SFlower-1 DF_Final-SFlower-2 DF_Final-SFlower-3 DF_Final-Watermelon DF_Final-Zinnia http://gardenblog.winterthur.org/2009/08/14/a-nice-moment-in-the-garden/ http://gardenblog.winterthur.org/2009/08/14/a-nice-moment-in-the-garden/#comments Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:53:27 +0000 Chris Strand http://gardenblog.winterthur.org/?p=1347 ]]> One of our staff members posted this as a comment on one of our blog entries, but I thought it was worth re-posting as its own entry for everyone read:

I saw the most amazing thing yesterday on the path behind the Museum Store; a pair of cardinals (mom & dad) teaching their baby chick how to fly. At first, after almost stepping on the baby birdie, I thought the babe had fallen out of its nest (or worse, been kicked out of the house) by its parents. But mom & dad made their presence known and were not too happy to see me so close to their offspring. That was when I figured out that I had stumbled onto something special and sweet. When I left them, the lesson was still going on and when I returned later the family was gone. Hopefully they headed to the beach which is where I’m going!

Last July, a guest wrote a note to our director saying “Thank you for the paths into the meadows. The meadows are very interesting and they soften the feeling of an edge or limit to the garden.“ 

Hope you’ll enjoy the garden today as much as our guest did last summer.

On my way to work this morning I heard a radio commercial for grub control. It’s a tongue-in-cheek spot from a major lawn care product supplier that is pretty funny really. Kind of 1950’s, flying-saucer-ominous-voice-in-panic type deal. Ugly monsters in the lawn devouring grass roots! Run for your lives! Something like that. Smart advertising for the most part. It blends the seriousness of a grub problem on turf with a “…don’t worry, it can be controlled. Even prevented…” message. For guys like me who worry about turf all year long and the blade-watching, home turf hobbyists across the country, this is good news. So I figured this was a good subject to blog about.

Grub damage at Winterthur

No doubt; white grubs can be a nightmare. We’ve had problems here at Winterthur in the past. They cause turf damage quick, fast, and in a hurry. Recovery from an infestation can take a long time depending on the extent of the damage. And, to top it off, they become adults and eat Momma Q’s roses as some sort of beetle. Certain beetles lay eggs in the soil under your grass. The eggs hatch and the grubs feed on their favorite food. Your grass roots. They dive deep and over winter then come back up in the spring and eat again before becoming beetles and repeating the cycle.

Is that messed up or what?

Now…don’t panic…I don’t know how to break this to you but… you’ve got grubs in your lawn. You probably never knew. But if you haven’t been applying an insecticide on your lawn for grubs chances are, you’ve got ‘em.

Hold on. Don’t go flinging the grub control just yet. Here’s the deal. You’ll probably never see damage from “your” grubs (keep them to yourself thank you very much) if there are not a lot of them in your lawn. A healthy stand of turf, properly mowed, fertilized, and watered can tolerate about 5 white grubs per square foot. If your turf is under stress due to drought, disease, or pretty much anything, the tolerance threshold drops. To know if you have a problem with grubs look for brown patches of grass that seem to be getting bigger as the week progresses (grubs work fast). Not all brown patches on your lawn are grub damage so here’s the next step. Try pulling on the blades of those brown patches. If the grass lifts quickly and comes up like newly laid sod, the roots are gone and chances are you’ve got grubs. Take a closer look, if they are there you’ll find them just under the surface of the soil trying to get out of the light. If there are only 2 or 3 grubs per square foot gather them up for fishing bait if you want but don’t overreact. Keep some water on the area and the grass should recover. Just consider a grub prevention treatment next year.

Grubs

However, if you see more than five in that square foot section, it is time to get rid of them. Head off to your favorite garden supply store and choose from any number of grub controls out there. Apply as directed on the product label then properly care for your lawn as you would normally, keeping an eye on the damaged area(s). If the conditions are right your turf will recover on its own. If you need to reseed…reseed. Simple, easy, no panic here…right? That’s how I roll.

Myth Buster
Here’s a myth I heard from a former employer:
To get rid of moles in a lawn spread grub control. It kills the grubs and the moles leave ‘cause there’s nothing for them to eat. Right?
No…no…no…

OK…it sort of makes sense. This would be true if moles ate only grubs (they don’t), or, if your yard was not on the way to a yard where a mole needed to be (it is). Moles like shortcuts..

The fact is, moles go where moles want to go. They can be an indicator of grubs, but they are not a reliable diagnostic tool. Myths like this have resulted in non-targeted applications of pesticides, which add to potential environmental problems to numerous to count here. Insecticides are for insects only. Use them when you need to, but try to have a little tolerance. Always read the label before applying any pesticide.

Mower Jockey Bonus Question!!!
(No prize just the satisfaction of knowing that you know)

By looking at a white grub, how can you tell what kind of beetle it will become when it reaches the adult stage? (Leave your answer as a comment on this entry.)

All organic matter will decompose within time! Through active composting, you can turn organic matter from your backyard and household residues into a rich soil amendment to help improve plant growth, give roots a healthier environment in which to expand and stabilize, reduce potential soil erosion from wind and water, provide additional nutrients and reduce the waste-stream at your local landfill. Join Dorothy Abbott, extension agent for renewable resources, as she shares the secrets of compost, a gardener’s black gold.

Join garden guide specialist Ed Stevenson for a walk through the garden, looking in detail at those majestic woodland trees, the oaks and beeches.

Their identification, characteristics, growth conditions, and how they may be used in a home garden will be explored.