by Chris Earley

We have been doing a lot of bird banding in the last few weeks and have been taking photos of birds from different angles. This challenging quiz will see how you do identifying some of our feathered friends with only a section of them showing. Good luck! A printable version is available by clicking here.  The answers are at the bottom of the newsletter.

September is one of the busiest months for The Arboretum. Along with the day to day of everything that happens on our grounds, two of our largest events of the year take place in September: the Plant Sale and the Wall Custance Memorial Forest Dedication Service. As previously mentioned in last month’s newsletter the Plant Sale was a great success.

The annual Wall Custance Memorial Forest Dedication service was on Sunday, September 20. The weather co-operated with gorgeous temperatures and there were even sightings of a rainbow. Approximately 2000 family and friends came to remember their loved ones who are named on this year’s plaque. Each year the service consists of the planting of a native tree with ceremonial speeches that touch the hearts of those there to remember their family member or friend that passed away. The tree that was planted this year was a Yellow Birch.

Last week the Skyjack company was kind enough to lend us a boom lift to help with the harvest of seed from hard-to-reach treetops. Much of the seed harvest was carried out in our living gene banks – special plantings of rare and at-risk tree and shrub species that act as genetically diverse archives of each species. These seeds are an important part of one of our longest-running conservation programs, the Rare Woody Plants of Ontario Program. Arboretum volunteers and student volunteers joined in to collect seed from lower branches, while Sean Fox operated the boom lift. Thank you to both the Guelph Mercury and Guelph Tribune for publishing articles on this event: http://www.guelphmercury.com/news-story/5950055-skyjack-gives-arboretum-s-at-risk-trees-a-lift/

We would like to welcome Dawn Ann Webster, our new Bookings Co-ordinator back to The Arboretum. She worked here approximately 11 years ago as the Bookings and Marketings Co-ordinator while Barb was on maternity leave. She will be working Monday – Friday 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. Barb Watson- Ash is still at The Arboretum but her role has changed to that of Marketing and Office Co-ordinator. Dawn Ann can be reached at ext. 54110. Phone calls and e-mails regarding booking the space at The Arboretum should be directed to Dawn Ann.

Fall is definitely here and the grounds are alive with the stunning, brilliant colours of the leaves changing. Check out some photos taken on the grounds last week and posted to our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153230216853177.1073741834.226671253176&type=3

We hope you have some time to come and enjoy the fall colours and all that The Arboretum has to offer this fall.

                  
                   Sean Fox in Skyjack Boom Lift

                  
                   Skyjack Boom Lift
                                                               
                     
                   Dawn Ann Webster

by Sean Fox

With autumn in full swing, a wander through The Arboretum will unveil many an oak tree drawing admiring eyes while showing off their intense blazes of fall colour. Chipmunks, raccoons and blue jays are among the many critters that are equally distracted by the quest to busily harvest a crop of ripe acorns. While many people can easily recognize an oak tree, most don’t realize how many different types of oak there actually are, or how many of them make wonderful choices for planting in our cities and gardens.

Oaks (Quercus spp.) comprise a large genus of plants with 11 species native to Ontario, though many of these are not well known as they are rarely encountered outside of very particular habitats. 26 taxa (species and cultivars) of oaks representing 77 different provenances (parent tree origins) can be found in The Arboretum, with some particularly hot spots to catch a glimpse including the Fagaceae (Oak & Beech) Family Collection north of College Avenue, the Native Trees of Ontario Collection, the World of Trees Collection and the Ontario Horticultural Association Oak Grove near the main Arboretum entrance. With one of the most significant collections of oaks in North American, The Arboretum provides not only a wonderful opportunity to see the incredible diversity of this group of plants on full display, but also a convenient spot to compare oaks that are suitable for cultivating on our urban streets, or in our very own backyards.

Oaks often evoke images of grandeur and endurance. These noble traits, however, are usually coupled with a reputation for being slow growing and difficult to transplant. These are certainly relative terms that vary among species and are sometimes unfairly applied to a few standout species that are worthy of being cultivated more often.

The oaks that are most commonly planted in the urban areas of Ontario are red oak (Quercus rubra) the non-native English oak (Quercus robur) and the pin oak (Quercus palustris). Massive, old white oak (Quercus alba) and bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) are sometimes found as surviving relics from a time before urban development.

Pin oak (Quercus palustris) is a species that has gained widespread popularity as a street tree across North America, including southern Ontario. Considered to be a rapid grower with a pyramidal crown and intense fall colour, it is easy to see why. One major drawback with the use of this species is its poor performance in alkaline soils, and as a result it often suffers from decline due to iron chlorosis, both in urban areas sitting on limestone bedrock, as well as newly developed areas where the native topsoil has been stripped off and replaced with an alkaline fill.

Where pin oak fails, an often overlooked species that is more versatile in various soil conditions, is Hill’s oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis). It shares the smaller crown, deeply-cut, glossy leaves and intense fall colour of pin oak, but also adds greater drought tolerance, adaptability to both acidic and alkaline soils and increased cold hardiness. In fact, it is considered to be the most drought tolerant species in the black oak subgroup (those with pointed, bristle-tipped lobes). Also like pin oak, Hill’s oak is native to Ontario; in a small area between Cambridge and Brantford, as well as in northwestern Ontario near Kenora. This northern range extension on the west side of the great lakes alludes to the other common moniker for this species, northern pin oak.

Shumard oak (Quercus shumardii) was added to Ontario’s list of native trees in 1978 when some variable “red oaks” in Essex County were keyed out and identified as a separate species. The value of this tree for urban areas has been known for some time in the US, though it is only more recently that it has been utilized in Canada. Shumard oak (sometimes called swamp red oak), is able to withstand periodic flooding, and this ability to tolerate low oxygen levels in the soil has also made it a strong performer in the heavily compacted, low oxygen soils in many core urban areas. This species has rapid growth on favourable sites, yet is adaptable enough to survive in droughty conditions. Shumard oak is very similar in appearance to red oak, though the sinuses between the leaf lobes tend to be more deeply cut and the acorns have larger, shallower caps. The glossy, green leaves often change to an outstanding scarlet-burgundy colour in the autumn.

Bur oak is one of the most urban tolerant trees that exists for cultivation in Ontario. Its appearance is often described as being coarse, but for durability in dry, compacted, alkaline and clay soils, this species is tough to beat. Where the space exists to accommodate its wide-spreading crown, and when care is taken to allow for initial establishment after transplanting, the reward will be a specimen of grand beauty as it attains a great age.

Two species that will provide a similar effect to bur oak, without ultimately growing quite as large, are swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor) and chinquapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii). These species can both be found growing in harsh habitats in the wilds of Ontario – a fact that helps explain their strong performance in tough urban areas.

Swamp white oak, as the common name suggests, is often found growing in low-lying areas that receive regular flooding. Like Shumard oak, this ability to tolerate low oxygen levels in the soil translates well to success in the compacted soils in urban areas. This species has few serious pests and the dark green leaf surfaces, contrasted with whitish undersides, provide interesting contrast in the summer months. Fall colour is usually yellow, but some individuals show a touch of purple.

Chinquapin oak can be found growing naturally in Ontario along the shores of Lake Ontario, Lake Erie and the southern portion of Lake Huron. It is not uncommon to find these trees thriving on hot, dry limestone pavement (alvars) where few other species will grow. Sounds a little like many of our streetscapes, no? This species tends to transplant more successfully than bur oak or swamp white oak, and, on sites with favourable conditions, grow rapidly despite a reputation for slow growth. The characteristics of this species can be somewhat variable, but you can generally expect glossy, dark-green, chestnut-like leaves with rough bark and small acorns that blue jays enjoy gobbling up. While a tough performer, this species, as well as bur oak and swamp white oak, lack the intense fall colour that can be seen with red oak, Shumard oak or Hill’s oak.

The species described thus far are those considered the most versatile for a range of planting conditions in Ontario, however, the depth of diversity and ecological value among the oaks takes us even further beyond the scope that this particular discussion will allow. As a brief glimpse, other species of oak native to Ontario include black oak (Quercus velutina), a lover of dry, sandy soils, and even two shrubby species with very particular ecological niches; bear oak (Quercus ilicifolia) and dwarf chinquapin oak (Quercus prinoides). Further exploration of the Arboretum will lead you towards eastern US natives such as scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea), chestnut oak (Quercus prinus) and shingle oak (Quercus imbricaria). Rounding another bend might move you past a sawtooth oak (Quercus acutissima), Mongolian oak (Quercus mongolica) or Caucasian oak (Quercus macranthera). Several hybrids and cultivars of note provide even more reason to investigate.

We hope you’ll enjoy some time to explore the wonderful world of oaks at The Arboretum this month, and perhaps take the first step toward choosing the perfect species to someday plant yourself.

 
Shumard oak (Quercus shumardii)        White oak (Quercus alba)

                              
                               Quercus x columnaris - A natural hybrid
                               between red oak (Quercus rubra) and
                               pin oak (Quercus palustris)

by Joy Killen

Annually, our docent (teaching volunteers) group does what is called "Docent Day." This is a full day docent training session that adds to our regular 2-hour monthly sessions. On Docent Day, each docent picks a topic and teaches the rest of us about it. Recently, Joy Killen chose the topic of "vision" and read us this lovely article that she wrote. We thought we would share it with you.

To read Joy's article please go to our homepage: http://www.uoguelph.ca/arboretum/


Docent Joy Killen with a Praying Mantis on one of our docent training walks

As The Arboretum wraps up many of its outdoor activities for the year we would like to say THANK YOU to all our wonderful volunteers. Our volunteers include the people who staff the front desk, the grounds crew, the docents, the gardening group, the seed collection and cleaning crew, the plant sale group, the individuals who go out to staff a table at events, and those that volunteer a weekend for the plant sale. The Arboretum couldn't be all that we are without your contribution!

Christmas is just around the corner and The Arboretum is a perfect location for your Christmas party. We can accommodate up to 150 people for lunches or dinners with a picturesque view of The Arboretum grounds. Special Christmas party room rental rates are available. 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]">[log in to unmask].

Auditorium

Gulls and Black and White 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 we are running 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.

Fall bird migration is in full swing and we have lots of great sightings recently. Local birders have found Winter Wren, Whip-poor-will, Yellow-throated Vireo, Blue-headed Vireo, Orange-crowned Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Northern Parula, Hermit Thrush, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Pileated Woodpecker and Horned Lark. There is also a Merlin that has been seen near The Arboretum Centre feeders, so little birds beware! We also had a hatching of baby Snapping Turtles near the Nature Centre with five little loonie-sized monsters walking along the path. Fall colours are really starting now so a visit is definitely worth while!

 
baby Snapping Turtles                            Fall Colour
photo by Chris Earley                              photo by Chris Earley

                          
                           Merlin
                           photo by Ian MacDonald

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]