by Chris Earley

Our 2nd annual bioblitz is coming up (see article below) so I thought I would do a quiz of some of the impressive species that we might see. All of the species we will find are spectacular in some way, but these often get Oooooh's and Aaaaah's from the crowd. What ones can you identify? The answers are at the bottom of the newsletter.

by Ric Jordan

On June 13th the campus celebrated Canada Garden Day as Landscape Ontario’s flagship event for the day. With our formal theme gardens and the Gosling Wildlife Gardens we were able to be a part of this event and many citizens took advantage of the shuttle buses going from venue to venue. Another opportunity to visit the campus and blend in with others is this coming weekend as alumni return for Alumni weekend. However as you know it doesn’t take a special day for one to visit and enjoy the Arb grounds, we are open dawn to dusk year round.

A number of staff will be away the week of June 23 – 27 attending the annual meetings of the American Public Gardens Association (APGA) in Denver. Although titled American this is an international gathering for staff of public gardens to share ideas and gather new info in their area of expertise to bring back home to implement here. For instance it was through a meeting in Columbus two years ago I learned of the Vanishing Acts travelling exhibit and we were able to bring it to Guelph for a 6 month stay.

We are about to begin treatment of selected ash trees (Fraxinus sp.) for Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in our collections and woodlots. We began this protocol 2 years ago and will continue for perhaps another 6 years in an effort to save some of the gene pool of native ash in the woodlots and those specimens in collections that we deemed important for teaching and research. We are also watching other specimens hoping that some may, for unknown reasons at present, exhibit a natural resistance or deterrent to the beetle. EAB has a genus target the same cannot be said for Asian Long-horned Beetle (ALB) which has a preference for hardwoods but will attack any broad leafed tree. At least one outbreak was discovered in Mississauga http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/a-battle-against-time-to-clear-out-asian-long-horned-beetle/article17024577/ recently and in an attempt to control the spread the municipality removed all suspect trees. Having driven through the area it is a changed landscape and not one that I would wish for any area. Although these beetles move on their own via flight humans unfortunately assist by moving firewood, skids or wood of other descriptions from one area to another. This accounts for many of the outbreaks that have been found outside quarantine areas so please refrain from transporting raw wood products from one area to area.

And finally a big thank you to the hundreds of you who have responded to our communication re the Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). The request for response in this newsletter will be the second last you will receive and then we are not allowed to send such requests out so if you wish to continue receiving the newsletter please act accordingly if you haven’t done so already.

Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you. - Frank Lloyd Wright

Ric

Garden Day Opening Ceremony
Photo by Action Photography

Canadian e-communication laws are changing, and we want to be able to keep you up-to-date on valuable news, events and activities at or related to The Arboretum, University of Guelph. Through our e-mails/newsletters/electronic communication we strive to provide timely information on upcoming workshops, lectures, products, and services offered by The Arboretum. Occasionally we also highlight products and services of similar organizations that are available. We may also include information relevant to trees and nature and announcements of events we are holding or planning in conjunction with other University of Guelph departments, environmentally focused or tourism organizations.

This information is provided through an e-newsletter or announcement format. You can easily unsubscribe at any time. Please be sure to unsubscribe the e-mail address that you are subscribed with and if your email address has changed please let us know so we can update our files. Canadian Laws require that we have your consent to continue sending you the information (e-newsletter and announcements) as we have been. To continue receiving this information please say yes by clicking here.

Alternatively, you can copy and paste the above two paragrapahs into the body of an e-mail and send it to "[log in to unmask]" with "CASL Agreement" in the subject line.

Thank you to all of you that have already responded!

It's time for our 2nd annual bioblitz! From 10 am - 4 pm, Sunday, June 22 at The Arboretum Centre you can come and join a variety of focused hikes on many different species groups. We will be looking for lichens, insects, trees, flowers, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fungi...everything! We have a variety of local naturalists coming to help out so it is an excellent time to learn.

We will have scheduled hikes starting at 10 am and at 1 pm with more impromptu hikes at others times depending on what everyone is interested in. You are welcome to come for the whole period or just for a short time. You can also hike around The Arboretum on your own and report back to us with your species lists. We will be providing binoculars, nets, guidebooks and clipboards for the day. Last year we identified over 400 species!  If you would like further information please contact Chris Earley at [log in to unmask].

Join Christina, our Summer Interpretive Naturalist, for Wednesday Night Walks at The Arboretum until the end of August. The cost is only $2 with children under 5 FREE! Walks take place every Wednesday evening from 7 - 8:30 p.m., beginning at the J.C. Taylor Nature Centre.

For more information please contact The Arboretum at 519-824-4120 ext. 52363 or go to our website.

Nature Photography 101 - June 25
From landscapes to macro-photography to creeping up on things that just won’t stay still! We will learn how to capture nature at its finest in an evening of nature photography. We will have a photo scavenger hunt through the Arboretum and get some great shots of Ontario’s flora and fauna. Don’t forget your camera!

The Secret Lives of Gardens - July 2
We can all appreciate a beautiful garden, but what is going on that we are not able to see, or do not pay attention to? We will answer this question and learn about some of the native plant species here in The Arboretum that you can incorporate into your own garden to attract local wildlife.

Nature’s Engineers: Nests and Other Amazing Structures - July 9
Animals have been building nests for millions of years; there are even fossil records of dinosaur nests! Over time nests have become very complex and from birds and turtles to termites and wasps we will explore this fascinating world. We will also look at other amazing structures built by animals, including spider webs and burrows!

Bee-hind the Scenes - July 16
There is a story behind every plant and often that story begins with a bee. Come learn about the native, and non-native, bees working behind the scenes to pollinate our nation. We will then get to see some of these creatures at work in The Arboretum!

Turtle Talk - July 23
These 220 million year-old reptiles roamed the earth with the dinosaurs! From fresh water ponds to the middle of the ocean, turtles are masters of survival. Ontario is home to many different species of turtle and after learning about them we will explore The Arboretum to try and find some.

The Truth About Insects - July 30
Join us to dispel some common myths about our insect and arachnid friends and discover some of the important services they provide for us. From pest control, to pollination, and cleaning up our messes they do more good than harm! They are pretty amazing creatures when you get to know them.

Sometimes it is easier to identify animals and plants if you can see a lot of images at once instead of looking through a book. We have double-sided, 11 X 17 inch, laminated sheets called Biodiversity Sheets that allow the viewer to scan through 53 colourful images in a flash. We have field tested most of these on all ages, from preschool to retirees, with great results - everyone loves them! Some are organized to cover specific habitats and some concentrate on specific groups of organisms. The sheets also make great placemats; one of our volunteers has grandson who at 2.5 years old could identify all of the insects on the goldenrod sheet and he learned them all while eating at grandpa and grandma's house! The sheets are $4 each (includes tax) or the full set of 12 is $40.

Ever wonder who is visiting your feeder or what that dragonfly might be called? How about identifying that pretty flower in the woods or who left those tracks? To increase awareness of local wildlife, The Arboretum has put together five booklets to help you and your family connect with nature. Spring Woodland Wildflowers of The Arboretum features the showy forest flowers of May. Mammals of the Arboretum not only shows what furry animals might be in your neighbourhood, but what tracks they leave. Feeder Birds of the Arboretum covers winter birds that you might find in your backyard and Summer Garden Birds covers summer birds that you might find in your backyard. Dragonflies of The Arboretum shows the diversity of these mosquito eaters and helps you learn how to identify dragonflies. The booklets are $8 each including tax.

For anyone who enjoys sketching or if you want an interesting book for note-taking we still have copies of our Arboretum Nature Journal available as well. These are $10 each including tax.

Further information on the bio-diversity sheets, booklets and journal is available on our website. To purchase any of the above please contact us at 519-824-4120 ext. 52358 or [log in to unmask].

Butterflies, Dragonflies and Damselflies, and Night and Low Light 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.

Registration is available on-line which will allow 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 note 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 has been a wonderful month for some special sightings here at The Arboretum. We have added two new dragonfly species to our list: Painted Skimmer and Arrowhead Spiketail. Both of these are classified as "S2" species for Ontario, meaning they are considered to be "imperiled" here. Once again, this shows how important The Arboretum's wild habitats are! Swamp Darners (also an uncommon species and our biggest dragonfly) have been plentiful this year so far, too. Our "Moth Volunteer Team" has also added more moths to our moth list (now at a whopping 653 species!) and a new butterfly (Silvery Blue) was added, too. Not to be outdone by the insects, we also had a very rare Cerulean Warbler spend a morning singing in our World of Trees collection. This species population size is being closely monitored as it is increasingly rare in Ontario.

  
Swamp Darner                                        Painted Skimmer

                                  
                                   Silvery Blue

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]