November 2015 Turnip News Master Gardeners Prince William Editors: Rebecca Arvin-Colón Maria Stewart Inside this issue: MG President’s Message Upcoming Events and t’s hard to believe that it is already November. How did this happen MGPW Meetings - At a 2 Glance so quickly? I hope you are finding time to finish all of the garden I tasks you promised yourself you would tackle in 2015. If you have A Diary of My Garden Visitor 3-4 everything at home under control, consider coming out to the Teaching Garden on the remaining workdays. Dog Park Transformation 5-6 The 2015 Master Gardener class graduation will be held on December Creating Pollinator Traffic 7-8 14. This year, we will combine the Master Gardener Social with the graduation ceremony. Please join us on this date to welcome the new Japanese Barberry - Thorny in Many Ways 9-11 class and mingle with fellow Master Gardeners. Recap: Orchids 12-13 The Executive Committee has completed working on proposed changes to the MGPW, Inc. Bylaws, Standing Rules, and Handbook of Parlia- Holydays and Holidays 14 mentary Procedure. These documents will be posted on the website for you to study. We will vote on accepting these changes at the Recertifica- Upcoming Events and tion meeting on January 26, 2016. Elections for President Elect, MGPW Meetings 15-16 Secretary, Treasurer, and Member At Large will also take place at Recertification. Trees Matter Symposium 16 If you are traveling over the Thanksgiving weekend, safe travels. If you Prince William Guide to are preparing the Thanksgiving Day meal, may the turkey be roasted to 16 Recycling perfection (and ready on time). If you are celebrating with family and friends, may the conversation be free of politics. In other words, Get to Know a Critter 17 HAPPY THANKSGIVING! PUZZLER 18 -Jane Wyman, President Master Gardeners of Prince William, Inc., [email protected] Turnip News Upcoming Events and MGPW Meetings - At a Glance November WEDNESDAY SATURDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY-SUNDAY 4 7 12 20-22 Trees Matter Teaching Garden MGPW Board of Holydays and Symposium Work Day Directors Meeting Holidays December January THURSDAY MONDAY TUESDAY 10 14 26 MGPW Board of Master Gardener Master Gardener Directors Meeting Class Graduation Recertification February SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY 6 13 20 27 Sustainable Sustainable Basics of Basics of Vegetable Gardening Vegetable Gardening Gardening /Pruning Gardening Class March SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY 5 12 19 26 Sustainable Vegetable Basics of SNOW DATE: SNOW DATE: Gardening Gardening Basics of Sustainable Gardening Vegetable Gardening 2 Turnip News A Diary of My Garden Visitor by Jannell Bryant - Photos by Jannell Bryant September 8th at 2:13 p.m. to be precise, I just happened to glance at the large planter on my front stoop, and to my delight, hanging from the lip of the pot like a lovely holiday bauble, was a beautiful lime green monarch chrysalis. It has been some years since I have found a chrysalis in my yard, so this was indeed a special surprise. The contractor working at my house was captivated by the chrysalis and took pictures and asked many questions about monarch butterflies. He happily headed home with milkweed seeds and planting instructions in hand. September 9th – Today the chrysalis was just a slightly darker shade of lime green with the spotted horizontal jewel-like band clearly visible. September 10th – No visible changes, but it rained lightly earlier today, and the tiny droplets of water on the chrysalis sparkled in the light. I continued to monitor the chrysalis over the next several days with little change in its status. September 14th – Today the butterfly wings are visible through the chrysalis shell. September 15th 9:42 a.m. – This morn- ing I noticed that the chrysalis has changed dramatically, and is a very dark greenish-black color with a black top dome above the horizon- tal jewel-like spotted band. The butterfly is very clearly visible inside the chrysalis shell, and it is obvious that the butterfly will emerge some- time later today. This is so exciting! By early afternoon the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) had emerged. When I returned outside, it was hanging from the chrysa- lis shell drying its wings. As it continued to dry its wings, and then began flexing its wings, it became difficult to get a good picture. 3 Turnip News After a while, it flew down onto the grass. My husband put his hand down next to it and collected it on his hand. It eventually flew up into a nearby tree. September 16th – The butterfly returned at midday, alighted on the blood flower (Asclepias curassavica) to nectar, and continued flexing its beautiful and perfect wings, measuring almost 5 inches across. The blood flower, along with obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana) and mistflower (Ageratum), are the only blooming flowers left in my garden. The butterfly clearly liked the blood flower, continuing to visit it, but also visited the other flowers for another couple of days and then it was gone. A brief summary of the monarch lifecycle: ♦ 4 – 6 days from being laid to hatching ♦ 2 – 3 weeks as caterpillar ♦ 5 – 15 days chrysalis stage A monarch butterfly lifespan is from one to three months for the first three genera- tions. Fourth generation monarchs migrate to the mountains of Northern Mexico to winter over and return north the following spring, living up to nine months. Reference – Stokes Butterfly Book, Donald & Lillian Stokes, Ernest Williams. 4 Turnip News Dog Park Transformation by Traci Lovelace - Photos by Traci Lovelace he Ghent Dog Park, also known as Barkley Gardens, is a .52 acre, fenced, off leash dog park located in the Stockley Gardens T area of Ghent, in Norfolk, VA. It was the first dog park in the United States to be located in a historic district. The park is surround- ed by beautiful, high value homes. Owned by the City of Norfolk, the Ghent Dog Park is managed by a 501 (c)(3), the Ghent Dog Park Association. The City provides a water source, and grass mowing, but the Association is responsible for all other aspects of managing the park. The park is open year round from sun up to sun down, with a planned spring and fall closure to allow the grass to recover. The park is also closed for 24 hours following rain. It’s primarily planted with Bermuda grass. Due to lack of volunteers, the park grounds fell into disrepair in early 2015, and it was closed indefinitely. My family’s dogs have been coming to the park ever since we bought a home in this area, and the closure prompted me to step up and get involved. Working with Nancy Berlin, Paige Thacker, and especially Thomas Bolles, we developed a master plan for turf care. Over the past 9 months, this plan has allowed for soil testing, the addition of lime and com- post, over seeding Bermuda grass seed in the late spring, and recently, over seeding a perennial rye mixed with white clover for the fall planting. I cannot stress enough how challenging it is to keep a dog park looking good. The sur- March, 2015 rounding neighbors expect our park to be well maintained, and the dogs provide a constant source of damage to the turf. Owners are required to remove dog waste and keep their dogs from digging holes but something always slips through. Because we are technically a public park, we cannot require dues from people, but we do ask for donations from patrons in order to fund the costs of upkeep and improvements. We are blessed with generous patrons who have been very supportive of our goals. We are working with the City of Norfolk to gain permission to in- October 2015, stall an in ground irrigation system so we can put away the hoses compost topdressing and sprinklers. This system will be more efficient than our current 5 Turnip News methods, and will allow us to maintain better control over keeping the grass appropriately watered. We are also working to develop a plan for hardscaping and landscaping to improve the looks and usability of the park. The success of the grass project is a direct result of the seed that was planted in me by the Master Gardener program in Prince William County, and the efforts of our board and volunteers in carrying out the project plans for turf management. July 2015 October 2015 Omar enjoying a drink Traci Lovelace is a Prince William Master Gardener and the President of The Ghent Dog Park Association www.facebook.com/ghentdogpark www.ghentdogpark.org 6 Turnip News Creating Pollinator Traffic by Marion Ashley - Photos by Rachel Crowe "Forty million acres of lawn cover the Lower 48," according to a 2005 NASA estimate from satellite imag- ing. “Turf grasses occupy 1.9 percent of the U.S. surface. Thus, this is the single largest irrigated crop in the United States." Turf provides little sustenance or habitat for pollinators and wildlife. Seventy-five percent of the world's food plants are de- pendent on pollinators to produce the food we eat. It is estimat- ed that one in three bites of food we eat depends on pollinators. Sedum autumn joy flowers attract If you were fortunate enough to attend the presentation given hummers and butterflies. by Natural Resource Specialist, Nancy Berlin, for the Prince In winter, the seed heads William Wildflower Society, you learned the basics of establish- provide food for birds. ing a natural habitat for pollinators. This does not require many acres. In fact, even a small area dedicated to a meadow is an asset to the environment and can be far more attractive and interesting than a grass rug.