It is K's turn this time. Can you identify any of these "K" Arboretum residents? Click here for a printable version. The answers are at the bottom of the newsletter.

by Shelley Hunt

Those of you who visit The Arboretum to walk our trails (of which we have over 10km!) may have noticed, lately, a bit more sunlight coming through to the pathway that skirts along the edge of the Wall-Custance Memorial Forest Dedication Grove. Over the past several months, we have created a gap in the woods on this westernmost edge of the grounds. These woods contain some beautiful old maples and American Beech – you may wonder, why open it up? The answer relates to 2 different invasive species, one an insect, the other a plant; namely the emerald ash borer (EAB) and European Buckthorn, respectively. Like other land managers across Ontario, The Arboretum is dealing with the impending threat of EAB, a beetle that does not cause much damage in its native Asia, but is chowing through North American ash trees with a vengeance. While it hasn’t begun to attack Arboretum trees in earnest just yet, it has led us to be proactive about managing our ash trees – we are treating some with a systemic, plant-derived insecticide, and we are removing other ash trees that are dead or dying of other causes, anticipating that there will also be many EAB-killed trees to deal with over the next few years. The second invasive species is European Buckthorn, an aggressive non-native shrub that squeezes out native plant species wherever it manages to get a foothold. Our volunteers and grounds staff spend considerable time keeping buckthorn at bay on the grounds every year.

Back to our newly opened gap in the forest – this area was full of ash trees and buckthorn, and we had been contemplating an intervention for a while… then along came an enthusiastic, organized student group to help. The University of Guelph student chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration was formed just last year, and has already made its mark, by ‘adopting’ this forest area for an ecological restoration project. As sponsor of the group, The Arboretum helps to facilitate and supervise its on-the-ground activities. Our staff removed numerous ash trees from the woods near the Memorial Forest Grove, and the student group raised funds (from the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation) to purchase native trees and shrubs to replace the ash and buckthorn. The group is led by students in the Landscape Architecture program, and they have been joined by Environmental Sciences students and some of our long-time Arboretum volunteers for ‘work parties’ at the site – first to cut out buckthorn, and more recently, with guidance from Arboretum Horticulturist Sean Fox, to plant over 100 young trees and shrubs in the ‘gap’. Thanks to these efforts, a forest of Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis), Black Cherry (Prunus serotina), Blue Beech (Carpinus caroliniana) and Pagoda Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) is now rising on the western edge of The Arboretum…we can all watch it grow.

Sean Gives Planting Tips - October 16
photo by Shelley Hunt
 
 
Students with Trees October 16
Photo by Sydney Collins


Volunteers Planting Trees October 16
photo by Shelley Hunt

by Ann Estill

I am always a little amused and sometimes dumbfounded when people say: “Oh, you live in The Arboretum.” No! Foxes, deer, raccoons, songbird, owls, voles, moles, rabbits and hundreds of species of trees and shrubs live in the Arboretum. We live BY it.

For many years I have volunteered at our University’s Arboretum, first working the front desk, and more recently as a docent, one who is trained to interpret this urban treasure to visitors by leading walks or working display tables. What a privilege!

Once a month for nine months, the Interpretive Biologist and Education Coordinator, Chris Earley, leads our intrepid gang in a one and a half hour learning experience. It could be a new path, a seed pod, a songbird’s nest, a unique shrub or a hatching insect that beckons on these gatherings. I look forward to these informal experiential learning times and often go home to extend my learning by browsing the topic on the web.

We were introduced to bird banding this month, Chris having just received certification as a master birder by the federal government bird banding office. We helped erect the metal poles that hold the black mist net that is extended between them. There is a long pocket left at the bottom and when a bird is caught in the net it usually drops into this pocket. Gently the bird is removed and placed in a cotton, drawstring bag to be carried back to the Centre for documentation. Removing it from the bag is a feat in itself as these are cavity living birds and know how to get into and out of a tight spot. With all due diligence the bird is measured, weighed, analyzed for age and sex through looking at plumage, banded with band or bands, recorded, and released, none the worse for wear. This session we processed 9 chickadees and 2 nuthatches.

It was interesting to find that small species like these have very tiny plastic bands that slip on easily, available in all the primary colours and black and white. A bigger bird with a more powerful beak such as a cardinal or grosbeak needs a stainless steel band, administered with specially designed pliers. This banding will be useful in any future research projects.

Ann Estill

Looking for a great gift for the nature lover in your life? We have a series of 5 booklets: Feeder Birds, Wildflowers, Mammals, Dragonflies and Summer Garden Birds which would be a perfect choice for a gift. Each booklet is full colour and is $8. Details can be found on our website.

We also have a nature journal with a series of colour photos in the centre pages and lots of unique pages with leaf backgrounds for sketching or journaling. Each journal is $10.

Our Biodiversity placemats are $5 each or $50 for the set of all 12. Each double-sided, laminated placemat features a different group of local organisms.

Gift certificates are also available for our workshops. Owl Prowls make a fabulous family outing; or check out our other workshops.

To purchase these booklets, journals, placemats or gift certificates please call ext. 52358 or e-mail us at [log in to unmask]. We would be happy to mail these out to you (a mailing fee will apply).

Christmas is quickly approaching. If you haven't already booked your Christmas party then please consider The Arboretum. It is the perfect location for your Christmas event. We can accommodate up to 150 people for lunches or dinners with a view of the picturesque Arboretum grounds. For further information please contact Dawn Ann Webster, Bookings Co-ordinator at extension 54110, [log in to unmask] or check out our website. All catering is provided by Hospitality Services, University of Guelph. For further information on the catering please call extension 53350 or e-mail [log in to unmask].

Owl, Animal Tracking, Owl Prowl and Winter Landscape Photography 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 now 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.

Our landscapes have been amazing recently. The fall colour in October was the peak time for contrasts but we still have some larches stealing the show with their golden needles. The recent warm temperatures have produced some lovely foggy mornings, too. Fall migration is still happening as we welcome back our winter Dark-eyed Juncos and passing White-throated Sparrows. As you look for these ground feeding birds be sure to watch for our colour-banded chickadees. Currently 77 have been banded and many of these visit both the Gosling Wildlife Gardens feeders and The Arboretum Centre feeders. Details of this new project will be in a future newsletter, including how you can contribute to the data collection! Other birds banded recently include Downy Woodpeckers, Red-breasted Nuthatches, White-breasted Nuthatches, American Goldfinches, a Golden-crownedKinglet and a very cute Brown Creeper.

 
Brown Creeper                                     Arboretum Grounds
photo by Chris Earley                           Photo by Chris Earley

                        
                         Black-capped Chickadee
                         photo by Chris Earley

Be a part of the BetterPlanet Project by donating on-line:

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:

Ross Butler
Director, Gift Planning
at (519) 824-4120 ext. 56196 or by e-mail at [log in to unmask]