Category Archives: education

Monarch Release Party

education, pollinators

Today the Other Half and I visited the zoo for the annual Monarch Day. Each fall between September and November, monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) migrate from our state all the way down to Oyamel fir (Abies religiosa) forests in Mexico. Here’s a migration map from the zoo’s monarch butterfly house display.

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At this educational event for the public, monarchs are tagged with a small sticker on the underside of their wings and released to begin their migration. This coming spring, those who released the monarchs can check for their butterfly’s number through Journey North. This project relies on citizens to report their sightings of monarchs, creating an overall snapshot of the butterflies’ journey.

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Since Wednesday, the weather has been blessedly cooler than the previous week. This made for some lazy butterflies. They hung around the crowd, orienting themselves and taking in some sun. This little one perched above us in a maple for a bit.

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Some of the butterflies wandered over to the pollinator garden on the hillside beside the gathering of people. I was able to get close enough to this one I could see it turning its head from side to side.

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Loss of habitat and pesticides have both contributed to the decline of the monarch butterfly. Though the monarchs enjoy nectar from many different flowers, they will only lay their eggs on the milkweed plant since that is the only food the larvae will eat.

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How to Help Monarchs

On the Lot we have both swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) and common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) planted. Next season we plan to add buttefly weed (Asclepias tuberosa). Planting milkweed and having several pollinator-friendly nectar sources is a great way to get started on helping monarch butterflies.

Buyer Beware

However, be wary on where you purchase the milkweed for your garden. I was upset upon hearing a radio report this past May about systemic insecticides called neonicitinoids being used on milkweed. Customers purchase these plants at large box stores and then end up poisoning the monarch larvae they are trying to help.

The director of Monarch Watch at the University of Kansas, Chip Taylor instructs “Go to a native plant nursery and quiz the manager of the nursery about the use of systemics. And if they can assure you they don’t use any systemics, then buy the plants from them.”

More Monarch Resources

Monarch Joint Venture

Milkweed Seed Finder (provided by the Xerces Society)

Soil & Urban Gardens

education, the Lot, Urban gardening, vegetables

Today I was able to participate in the webinar Gardening in Urban Soils, presented by Dr. Lucy Bradley from the Department of Horticultural Science at North Carolina State University. Joining her was Jon Dahl of the Soil and Plant Nutrient Laboratory at Michigan State University. The webinar focused on assessing sites for urban gardening and identifying any potential risks.

The Lot is positioned within the city and includes our house, built in the 1920s. I’ve come across many interesting items while digging around in the soil here. Here’s an example of some random foundation found when I created some of the additional beds in the backyard.

Old Concrete

I was naturally intrigued by what type of info the webinar had to offer.

The Problem: Lack of Soil Structure

The majority of urban lots have or once have contained buildings. Most of the time prepping a site for construction includes stripping away all the top soil. It’s goodbye to any nutrients or organic matter that could have been utilized by plantings.

The Solution

The addition of organic matter to the soil lightens the soil and establishes some of the lost soil structure. Be sure when selecting organic matter, you know its source. Lawns and other plant matter exposed to pesticides would not be a good choice. Instead, look for certified compost or make your own.

The Problem: Soil Compaction

Heavy equipment is often used in construction (at times on wet soil) which creates compacted soil. It destroys good soil structure, not allowing room for plants to stretch their roots and grow.

In addition to heavy equipment, repeatedly tilling an area will eventually destroy natural soil structure. It also builds a hard pan (a dense impenetrable area) right beneath the top soil. For these reasons, tilling should not be a regular strategy in preparing soil.

The Solution

Subsoiling, a one-time deep tilling of an area, can help with compaction. However since the procedure requires renting of special equipment, the process is often costly. Another solution to compacted soil is the construction of raised garden beds. This allows you to begin gardening with control of the soil structure and texture above the existing growing area.

The addition of mulch is beneficial as it will protect the soil from erosion, moderate moisture, and gradually add organic matter as it breaks down. As with the organic matter, know the source of the mulch. It should never be made from the grinding down of pressure treated wood.

The Problem: Poor Drainage

Poor drainage can be the result of either compacted soil or soil with a high clay content. Clay particles are small so many can be packed closely together into an area, not leaving room for air or for water to drain through between them.

The Solution

According to Linda Chalker-Scott in an article with Washington State University, “An ideal soil has 50% pore space (with the remainder consisting of minerals and organic matter).” Mixing aged, organic matter into a clay soil will improve the soil texture and allow for better drainage.

The Problem: PH & Nutrient

It is not uncommon for urban soils to be nutrient starved because of irrigation and nutrient mismanagement. Many urban gardeners bag up and dispose of fallen leaves or grass clippings. They pay to have valuable, organic matter hauled away and then pay more to purchase chemical fertilizers from stores to put onto the soil. Kinda backwards, huh?

The Solution

The place to start when restoring nutrients to soil is a soil test. This is a service offered by the county Extensions office. The test will identify the existing ph and nutrients in the soil. It will also recommend how to amend the soil.

In addition, gardeners should practice nutrient cycling by mulching leaves and clippings back into lawns. This will return nutrients to the soil where plants can utilize them. Make sure clippings and leaves are shredded so they can quickly break down.

The Problem: Soil Contamination

There is always the chance urban soil could be contaminated by previous businesses or residents. Was it utilized for manufacturing? Is it located near highway or parking lot runoff? Is the property adjacent to farmland or a landfill? This could pose a risk to a gardener by ingesting contaminated soil on fruits and veggies, inhaling dust from the soil, or absorbing contaminants through the skin while working in the garden.

The Solution

Many times, you can learn the history of your urban property by contacting City Hall. They will have record of property class, zoning information, and property owners to share with you. Speaking with neighbors and environmental agencies can also yield information on past use of your urban lot.

Testing for Contaminants

Soil can be sent away to test for both organic and inorganic contaminants. Before doing so, you need an idea of what you are looking for in the soil sample. Contacting the various soil labs will yield instructions on how to prep the soil and how much the test will cost. Here are a couple mentioned during the webinar:

Soil Testing Labs

Fibertec Environmental Services

Elements Materials Technology of Indiana

Putting it All into Perspective

I appreciated Dr. Bradley’s closing statements on the subject. Yes, urban soils potentially contain contaminants, but that shouldn’t be an immediate sentence of “You shall not garden in the city.” There are many benefits to urban gardening such as knowing the source and management of your food. I’ve experienced how gardening can lead to neighbors talking to one another and beginning to build a community.

These simple practices can go a long way in reducing risks on contaminants in urban soil:

Hygiene

Wear gloves when gardening. In this way, contaminants that may be in the soil will not come into direct contact with your skin. Also, be sure to wash your hands when finished out in the garden.

Food Safety

Wash all produce from the garden. If still concerned, an extra preventative step can be taken by peeling root crops and removing the outer leaves on leafy crops. Like soil, plant tissue can be sent in and tested for contaminants.

Garden Design

If there is an area of the garden more susceptible to contaminants like a property line next to a parking lot, do not place edible plants in that area. Instead, that section of the lot can hold ornamental plants.

Additional Resources for Gardening in Urban Soils

When asking her if I could share content from her webinar, Dr. Bradley agreed and provided me with links to the pdfs she reviewed with us. These provide more detailed info on which contaminants to test for in urban soils and herbicide carryover in organic matter.

Minimizing Risks of Soil Contaminants in Urban Gardens

A City Turning Wild

education, native plants, pollinators

Tonight I attended a Native Plants 101 presentation by the River City Wild Ones, a local chapter (1 of 12 in the state) of the national Wild Ones organization. In the words of the Wild Ones website, the “Wild ones is a national not-for-profit organization with local chapters that teaches about the many benefits of growing native wildflowers in people’s yards.” Not only did I enjoy a presentation about native plants, but it was held at Brewery Vivant. As I told my Other Half, I could only have been happier if he was there with me and I was petting a kitten.

River City Wild Ones Preso

Amy Heilman, Education Coordinator for River City Wild Ones, did a great job in summarizing for the attendees why integrating native plants into the urban and suburban landscapes is important. These native plants create the foundation for a local ecosystem. Local pollinators whose numbers have been in decline depend on native plants for food. These pollinators, most being insects, are a food source for many bird species, and so on and so forth. As I learned at Bee Palooza last year, the act of supporting pollinators alone is really in our best interest.

Why Native Plants are Amazing

  • Native plants are as tough as nails. There is a bit of maintenance like any plant, but they often do not need to be pampered and can adapt to many site conditions.
  • Native plants provide a food source for many pollinators, you know, the little guys pollinating many of our agricultural crops so we have food.
  • Native plants often do not fall victim to diseases cultivated plants catch, eliminating the expensive (and harmful) need for pesticides.
  • Native plants prefer not to be fertilized and often do not need heavy watering while becoming established in the garden.

We Should Plant Weeds?!

The biggest challenge for native plants, I believe, is us. In the United States during the 1940s there was an increase in big lawns, shrubs and foreign plants. We have been raised to believe an orderly garden and huge expanse of well-manicured lawn is the ideal. This will secure in our mind and our neighbors’ we are indeed successful and responsible homeowners. Even roadsides are sprayed with herbicides and highway rest stops are landscaped with exotic plants. Business properties are limited to a few choice selections of shrubbery.

Many native plants are labeled weeds because they are not for sale at a garden center. Bees are dangerous! (nope) Bugs are terrible for our plants! (not really) Often we do not realize what sterile environments our “natural” gardens have become. So many natural and monetary resources are needed to maintain a style of landscaping that gives back nothing in return.

Know the Plants

Landscaping with Native Plants of MichiganSome native plants can become a bit unruly toward the end of a growing season. The sight of such could drive some gardeners to drink. However, learning more about native plants and their growing habits will reveal a large palette of options for even the most OCD gardener. A great book the River City Wild Ones recommends for our state is Landscaping with Native Plants of Michigan by Lynn M. Steiner.

One of the Wild One’s members shared some knowledge he gleaned while gardening with natives. When planting a bed, take extra effort to make the edging look nice. This alone can visually tidy up the unkempt look of some native plantings. Also, some natives get quite tall. Be sure to keep those plants back away from driveways where they would impede someone’s view of oncoming traffic.

You Can Start Small

Even after attending this presentation, I am not inclined to return home and rip out all non-native plants from the Lot. Instead, we will continue to integrate natives throughout our landscaping. As I told Amy, I am fascinated with the idea of reintroducing the natural world into an urban garden, blending native plants with commercial cultivars. I’m really excited to see how the native plants introduced to the Lot last season will look this season.

Gardeners can start small by planting a little, sunny strip as a butterfly garden. If you’re already raising veggies, dress up the edges of the bed with native plants that attract predators and parasitoids to cut down on the need to spray. Love birds? Try a colorful stand of native coneflower to provide the birds with delicious seed heads before their migration.

The First Steps to Reintroducing Native Plants

Planting at Brewery VivantAfter the presentation, attendees were able to participate in planting a large bed outside of brewery. Though it was a chilly 58 degrees outside, we filled the bed with a large variety of native plants and grasses. I will be checking back on these little ones throughout the season to see how they fair in the urban landscape. How wonderful that Ward at Brewery Vivant organized the event and the brewery as a business in the neighborhood supports this! Even while we were planting, many pedestrians passing by stopped to ask what we were up to, allowing us to spread the knowledge.

Buying Native Plants

When purchasing native plants, be sure to ask the nursery how the plants were grown. Plants from seed are best as they are more genetically diverse. Also, be sure plants were not grown in a different region and then shipped to your growing zone.

For my fellow Michigan gardeners, here are some names to look up when seeking native plants:

  • Calvin College Ecosystem Preserve, Grand Rapids
  • Designs by Nature
  • Hidden Savannah Nursery
  • Kent Conservation District
  • Michigan Wildflower Farm
  • Native Landscapes
  • Sandhill Farm
  • She is Growing Wild
  • WILDTYPE Design

The Larger Picture

The truth is, there is a larger picture than what our neighbors think of our landscaping. By integrating native plants into the garden, we are creating the first building blocks of a diverse ecosystem. Native plants spread throughout a city can create a type of “Green Corridor” or “Pollinator Pathway” to reintroduce nature to our urban landscape.