That's right, e-newsletter readers, it's time for "W"! Can you identify the wildlife that warranted being wrangled into this week's quiz? The answers are at the bottom of the newsletter. A printable version is available here. We wish you well!

by Sally Cheung

As the temperatures begin to creep above 0°C and the snow starts to melt into slush, the arrival of spring slowly drags me out of my winter slump. I start to get excited about a list of things, from driving home after work with the sun still in the sky, to walking outside without having to put on 5 layers, to simply seeing green grass. But at the top of that list, the thing that has me most impatient for winter to end is… spring migration!

In southern Ontario we’re very lucky to be situated in one of the major bird migration highways. As birds fly back up north, they follow these pathways, which are shaped by natural features such as mountain ranges, shorelines and, specifically in Ontario, the Great Lakes. It takes a tremendous amount of energy to be able to fly over large bodies of water, resulting in many species funneling to several locations like Point Pelee. In one day, a record high number of more than 30 species of warblers have been seen in Point Pelee. Even though the peak of warbler migration doesn’t happen until May, the months leading up to it bring up some other birder favourites. Below is a little timeline of a few species to get excited about before warbler migration!

Late-February:
Blackbirds, such as Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles, begin to come back.

March:
Raptor species (my personal favourites) start soaring back into Ontario. March 1st marks the first day of the Niagara Peninsula Hawk Watch. Birds like Bald Eagles and Turkey Vultures make their first appearances. As the ice melts and open water appears, waterfowl numbers increase. This is the month when most of us get to hear our first calls of a Killdeer overhead.

April:
At the start of the month, earlier migrants make their move up north, like Golden-crowned Kinglets, Eastern Phoebe, several sparrow species, to name a few. By late-April, Broad-winged Hawk migration begins and thousands of these raptors return from their winter vacation down south.
                                                Turkey Vulture
                                                photo by Chris Earley
May:
Peak spring migration is here! Warblers, vireos, sparrows, thrushes, shorebirds move through Ontario.


Prothonotary Warbler
photo by Chris Earley

A printable version of this article is available at: http://www.uoguelph.ca/arboretum/Listservnewsletter/March_2019/Spring_Migration_Sally_March_2019.pdf

by Emma Davis

As spring draws near, we’re preparing for a new season of activities with the Elm Recovery Project. In early March, we begin the process of grafting trees from our seed orchard, and come June we will spend a couple of weeks propagating elms that in a few years will be distributed to satellite seed orchards around the province as part of the next phase of the Elm Project. While we wait for warmer days ahead, we’ve been working on updates to our website, and are in the midst of preparing an e-newsletter to distribute this spring. Whether you have been following along with the Elm Project for years, or are learning about it for the first time, we’d love for you to check out our updated website and sign-up for our newsletter!

Elm Recovery Project Newsletter Sign-up: http://eepurl.com/gd5_v1

Elm Recovery Project Website: https://www.uoguelph.ca/arboretum/researchandstewardship/elmrecovery

                        
                         American Elm Tree branch
                         photo by Sean Fox

by Shelley Hunt

Hopefully you are reading this while enjoying one of the many signs of spring, whether that be warm sunshine, nourishing rainfall, early blooms, or the songs of birds returning after a long winter away.

Here at the Arboretum, the turning of the season is bittersweet for us this year as we mourn the loss of our long-time volunteer, supporter and friend, Ann Estill, who passed away last month. Ann was an Arboretum docent (volunteer tour guide and interpreter) for more than 20 years, and gave her time in other ways too, like baking and serving delicious homemade cookies to staff and volunteers at our annual plant sale. Ann and her late husband Don were also generous philanthropists, instrumental in supporting the Arboretum’s internship program and other initiatives. Best of all, Ann was a wonderful friend to many of us here and a champion of The Arboretum and all that we do here. She will be greatly missed, and fondly remembered.

 
Ann Estill                                           Ann Estill

by Aron Fazekas

Conservation of red mulberry in Ontario

Red mulberry (Morus rubra) is a small-medium sized understory tree of eastern North America. In Ontario, red mulberry is a threatened species, restricted to a small number of individuals (approximately 250 in total) scattered across only a few key populations in the Hamilton-Niagara region and in the Windsor-Chatham region. In addition to pressures resulting from habitat fragmentation, red mulberry is also threatened by white mulberry, a non-native species that is often planted as an ornamental tree. These two species of mulberry easily hybridize, but white mulberry and the hybrids are able to outcompete red mulberry on the landscape. The result is a steady erosion of pure red mulberry stands through hybridization and introgression of white mulberry. Morphologically, the two species can be a little tricky to distinguish at first. The leaves of red mulberry are usually larger (10 – 25 cm), dark green, rough on the upper surface, and lightly hairy on the underside. White mulberry leaves are usually smaller (8 – 12 cm), bright green, smooth on top and mostly hairless on the underside. Individuals vary somewhat in these traits, and hybrids display a mixture of characteristics that can be downright confusing. The removal of hybrids and white mulberry individuals from natural areas reduces the threat to red mulberry, but this is complicated by the difficulty in positively distinguishing red mulberry from hybrids. This past fall and winter The Arboretum has been working with different conservation agencies in southwestern Ontario to identify the status of several mulberry individuals using a genetic test to determine whether these individuals are red, white or hybrids. Using this method along with the morphology of the plant increases the certainty of correctly identifying its species status. As a next step towards recovering the species, The Arboretum is also propagating individuals that have been identified as pure red mulberry for eventual planting back on in natural areas. Through these efforts it is hoped to increase the population size to the point where populations are regenerating naturally on their own.

                
                 Red Mulberry

Spring is just around the corner and we can both outfit you for Spring and provide you with tools to get out and enjoy nature.

We have a series of 6 booklets: Feeder Birds, Wildflowers, Mammals, Dragonflies, Spiders and Summer Garden Birds. Each booklet is full colour and is $8 (except Spiders which is $12). Details can be found on our website.

Our biodiversity sheets are $5 each. Each double-sided, laminated placemat features a different topic in nature.

Our desktop calendar features an Arboretum staff pick of a tree / shrub photo for each month. We have a few of these 2019 calendars left so if you find you find yourself looking for a calendar on your desk but not finding it then come and see us. They are on sale for $10 each.

Our pin-on buttons for $1 each and our cling window decals ($3 each) of the Arboretum logo are great souvenirs of The Arboretum.

We also have a hat and t-shirt available. The hats are made of a moisture wicking, UV protectant, active wear fabric with an elastic buckle and hidden velcro adjustable size system. They are $28 including tax. The t-shirts are made from organic cotton/bamboo (but don’t feed it to your panda), and feature the leaves of 16 different tree species. They are $35 including tax.

To purchase these booklets, journals, placemats, calendars, buttons or window decals please visit our website to purchase on-line or stop by the office during business hours to purchase in person.

Over the past few months The Arboretum Centre has experienced an awesome facelift. The Auditorium has new blinds and a new screen. The Auditorium and foyer area have both been painted so they have a much more neutral modern appearance. The lobby has also received other updates. We are excited with these changes and invite you stop by and see them.

If you are looking for space to hold a meeting, banquet, wedding or other event please contact Dawn Ann Webster, our Bookings Co-ordiantor at [log in to unmask] or 519-824-4120 ext. 54110.

Auditorium lecture style setup with new blinds and paint

Join Sally Wednesdays at 12:15 for the Wednesday walk as she explores the grounds on a 50 minute hike. It is a wonderful way to explore The Arboretum grounds as nature begins to awaken for spring. The walk is free and you should meet at the kiosk at the end of the promenade closest to campus if you are interested in participating.

We also offer pre-arranged group tours of our grounds which are great for meeting groups, group tours or educational groups. You can choose whether you want a general tour or a more focused tour / program on something specific. We have both staff led tours / programs and docent (trained auxiliary) led tours. Further information can be found on-line at: https://www.uoguelph.ca/arboretum/educationandevents/tours or by contacting Dawn Ann Webster, our Bookings Co-ordinator at 519-824-4120 ext. 54110 or [log in to unmask]. Programs and tours are offered year round.

Would you like to see more of what is happening at The Arboretum or read more nature related information? Check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Flickr and YouTube by searching @uogarboretum.

Planets, Stars, Galazies and The Universe, Pruning, Warblers, Gardening Fundamentals, Greeting Cards, Smartphone Photography and Spring Wildflower workshops are approaching. The dates and registration deadlines can be found in our Coming Events listing in the column on the left side of this newsletter. A detailed description of each course is available on our website. Help us promote our programs… please forward this e-mail on to your friends and colleagues who may be interested. The more participants we have, the more programs we can offer.

Registering early is important for us because we need lead time to decide if there are enough people registered to run the workshop or not. To encourage registering before the deadline, we have an Early Bird Fee. You can still register after the deadline, but it will cost an extra $10, so why not register early?

Registration is available on-line, which allows you to register for our programs at anytime, not just during our regular business hours. A secure link is provided on our website for this easy registration process.

If you do not have internet access, registration can still be made by phone or in person at 519-824-4120 ext. 52358 as in the past. Please remember that a decision is made on the registration deadline as to whether the workshop will run or not, based on the minimum number of required registrants. You may still register after the deadline as long as the workshop is running and there is space.

This month has been a great one for lots of tracks and great landscape viewing. During hikes, we have found tracks for Porcupine, Red Fox, Coyote, Cottontail, Mink, Long-tailed Weasel, Red Squirrel, Gray Squirrel, Deer Mouse, Short-tailed Shrew, Smoky/Masked Shrew and Meadow Vole. So, before the snow is gone (yes, hard to believe, but it will happen!) you should come and look around on the ground! All of this snow and lovely light is making for some great landscape photography here, too.

               
                Trembling Aspen
                photo by Chris Earley

 
Flying Fish Bridge                             Cottontail tracks
photo by Donald McCarthy                 photo by Chris Earley

Your donation can be directed to The Arboretum online through the secure University of Guelph donation page: http://uofg.convio.net/arboretum

If you prefer not to make an online donation, there are several other ways to provide your financial support. You can choose to donate by telephone, mail, fax, or in person:

UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH Attention Alumni Affairs 50 Stone Road East Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1 Tel: 1-888-266-3108 ext. 56934 Tel: 519-824-4120 ext. 56934 Fax: 519-822-2670 Email: [log in to unmask]

If you would like information on bequests and planned giving to The Arboretum please contact:

Amy Atkinson
Senior Development Manager, Ontario Agricultural College
at (519) 824-4120 ext. 58652 or by e-mail at [log in to unmask]