Cuttings Barrie’s Garden Club http://www.barriegardenclub.com January 2011

Open Meeting Tuesday New Board for 2010 January 04/2011, 7:15 pm The new board members are as follows: Location: Southshore Community Centre Chairperson Catherine Waffle Treasurer Jean Varep Joint Meeting with the Brereton Field Naturalists Recording Secretary Catherine Waffle Speakers will be Ron Reid & Janet Grand. They Programme Co-ords Catherine & Jane have been involved in the exploration & protection Member 2+ years Clarinda Hamilton of the Carden Alvar for many years. Member 2+ years Gail Barr Member 2+ years Jane Falls What is an ‘Alvar’? Member 2+ years Susie Bruce An alvar is a biological environment based on Member 2+ years Joan Nieman-Agapas a limestone plain with thin or no soil and, as a result, Member 2+ years Judy Johnson sparse vegetation. It is also known as a pavement First Year Holly Wells barren, although this term is also used for similar landforms based on sandstone. This challenging habitat The program co-ordinators have lined up many dynamic supports a community of rare plants and animals, & sought after speakers, so get your memberships early including species more commonly found on prairie – you won’t want to miss any of them. grasslands. Lichen and mosses are common species. Trees and bushes are absent or severely stunted. Alvars can be found in southern Sweden, northwest Canada Blooms Bus Tour Estonia and around the Great Lakes in the US states of As previous year’s tours to attend the show have been Michigan, New York & Ohio and in Ontario & Quebec in so successful, the Club will continue to offer this no Canada . Alvars comprise a small percentage of the hassle opportunity to drink in the sights & smells of Earth’s ecosystems by land extent. Although some 120 spring. The new venue at the Direct Energy Centre exist in the Great Lakes region, they comprise only 0.2% offers expanded space for displays & vendors. Watch of the land area there. this space for further information on dates & costs.

In North America, alvars provide habitat for Coming Meetings numerous bird species whose habitat is declining February 01, 2011 7:15 pm Open Meeting elsewhere. Also associated with alvars are rare plants, Ettie Mountain of Botanix will talk on drought tolerant butterflies & snails. perennials. Not withstanding last year’s summer, coming years will be hotter & drier than we are used to. The use of the word "alvar" to refer to this type Know which plants with survive in tough conditions. of environment originated in Scandinavia. The largest alvar in Europe is located on the Swedish island of March 01, 2011 7:15 pm Open Meeting Oland. Lexi DearBorn of Dearborn Designs will enlighten us on lighting techniques for gardens & walkways. This is a To find out more about the Carden Alvar, check great opportunity to learn how to enhance your outdoor this link: space & create different moods.

http://www.natureconservancy.ca/site/News2? abbr=on_ncc_&page=NewsArticle&id=11309

Ten Neat Things About Birds chimney, braced by its tail feathers. It does nearly 1. How do birds keep warm in the winter? everything in the air, including mating & feasting on Birds look for sheltered spots in trees & under eaves flying insects. It builds its nest on the side of a to huddle out of the cold. They also fluff up their chimney or tree, collecting materials on the fly & using feathers, which are especially oiled to keep out the salvia to hold the twigs & other materials in to a half- damp & which provide a nice layer of warm air as cup shaped nest. insulation. Their legs & feet are specially designed so as to not ‘feel’ cold. They can regulate blood flow to 9. Perfect Pitch extremities to reduce heat loss. Birds have specialized hearing which may account for their lovely songs. While humans hear sounds in bursts th 2. Birds of a feather flock together. of 1/20 of a second long, birds can hear bursts of th Many small birds will huddle together to survive the 1/200 of a second long – ten times the number of cold. Small birds will roost in large flocks in a small notes we can hear in the same period of time. space to share body heat. Shivering helps too. Some enter into a state of torpor to conserve energy & 10. Talking in vitro survive the night. Their body temperature, normally Chicks can hear their moms while still inside the shell. 7-8 degrees higher than humans, will drop as much as Mother birds rely on the sound rather than sight to 50% in this state. recognize their young. They also identify their mates by sound. 3. Toothless & nothing taste good. The sensory stimuli that keep us eating too much are The Oriole not a problem for birds. They have no teeth & their In robe of orange, and of black, sense of taste is not that good. The jury is still out With mellow music in his throat, on how much some birds can smell. It is believed that Our fairest summer bird is back some migrating birds use this sense of ‘smell’ to find From southern woods and fields remote. their way home, but others believe they navigate by way of the earth’s magnetic field. Beneath the shading, glossy leaves The sunset gold upon his breast-- 4. Birds are hot!! The restless, little toiler weaves With a body temperature in the range of 104 to 106F, His hanging wonder of a nest! birds burn a lot of energy. Not only that, but their heart rates range from 400 – 1000 beats per minute And, as I watch him, flashing there, when flying. However, when in a state of torpor, My fancy deems the oriole heart rates can drop by 95%. A wand'ring blossom of the air, Endowed with wings, and voice, and soul! 5. Feathers are heavy. Feathers outweigh a bird’s skeleton. Air sacs make by Andrew Downing up to 20% of a bird’s weight. The Last Word 6. Birds are built for speed. The bluebird carries the sky on his back. When migrating, pigeons can reach speeds of 100 miles Henry David Thoreau per hour in flight. Other birds, such as hummingbirds, swifts, sandpipers, & doves cruise at 200 miles per hour.

7. High, high like a bird in the sky. Most birds fly around 500 feet above the earth, except during migration, when they like to cruise in the 10,000 to 20,000 foot range.

8. The amazing Chimney Swift This little bird was built for the air. In fact, it cannot walk & has only enough leg strength to cling to a