Volunteer and Docent Newsletter

Transcription

1 UPCOMING EVENTS You re Invited to the Perennial Awards Luncheon! Help us recognize Garden Friends Ginny and Vern Alexander, Southern Arizona Attractions Alliance, Thorne and Lucy Pierce, Juliet Niehaus, Debby Larsen, Shelly Abbott, Lisa Ribes, Debra Palmer and David Jester, and join us in a celebration of 30 years of Horticultural Therapy along with a special presentation by Dr. Juliet Niehaus: Bringing Horticultural Therapy to Guyana. May 2013 Volunteer and Docent Newsletter A Great Big Thank You To Suzanne, Susan, Libby, Violet, Debra and Sheila...for all of their hard work in working in the Grove Gift Shop!! They worked in all kinds of weather and did a magnificent job!! Our numbers in the shop were higher than last year! We couldn t have done it without you!!! We hope to see all of you next season! Thursday, May 2, 12:30PM - Tucson Country Club $50 per person RSVP by May 1st to , ext. 25 or development@tucsonbotanical.org ~~~~~~ We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. ~ Sir Winston Churchill On behalf of the entire Gardens staff, THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR VOLUNTEERS for another year of giving your time, talent, dedication, and passion to the Gardens. We couldn t do it without you. Have a great summer! What s Blooming at TBG? Although irises are not desert natives, our Iris Garden is now in full bloom, and every color of the rainbow is represented. Another tantalizing flower in bloom is the Columbine (Aquilegia chrysantha) with soft yellow flowers that seem to soar over the attractive foliage. The blooms have an exquisite, distinct threedimensional shape. Nearby, the Jerusalem sage (Phlomis fruiticosa) bushes are also flowering. Arguably the most impressive flowers of the year are opening this week the various blooming cacti (Trichocereus spp., Echinocereus spp.) make an incredible statement with such enormous gobletshaped blooms in incredible colors. They are an unexpected treat on a seemingly ordinary looking plant. Emily Rockey 2150 North Alvernon Way, Tucson, Arizona

2 BUTTERFLY MAGIC UPDATE Elizabeth Willott, Butterfly Curator Thank you to all who have been making this Butterfly Magic season so wonderful! Butterfly Volunteer Appreciation! Free entrance with family/friends to the greenhouse. May 1, 9AM-3PM As a token of our appreciation, we want you to feel free to bring family and friends, for free, to see the greenhouse on May 1. The exhibit closes to the public April 30, so this is a special day for just volunteers to visit. Recent Emergences We ve had several moths emerge over the past week and so we are optimistic that more will emerge before we close. We have had several of the Green-veined Charaxes emerge, some Savannah Charaxes, and lots of Autumn Leaves. A new crop of Lacewings, some more Great Orange Tips, and much more. The greenhouse looks great. The chrysalis exhibit is starting to look bare, though that s good for us financially since there s no point in providing lots of chrysalises for the Butterfly Pavilion in Colorado. What do we do with the butterflies when the exhibit closes is being asked frequently. Short answer: We send the butterflies to the Butterfly Pavilion, in Westminster Colorado (it s a suburb of Denver). Next question: How? That involves a longer answer. On May 2 nd we ll round them up. I ll come in early and start the coolers, so the butterflies stay cool and aren t flying much. This allows us to collect most of them just be walking up to them and picking them from their overnight roosting spots. Each butterfly is identified to species or genus, and each is placed in a glassine envelope (the kind we used to get stamps in), which is labeled with a code number for that particular species of butterfly. The envelopes are then organized, tallied, and packed carefully into boxes. I send them Overnight by FEDEX so they arrive the next morning at the Butterfly Pavilion in Colorado. Last year all of the butterflies shipped survived. (Other steps include that I a report to the person in charge at the Butterfly Pavilion and the USDA officials, listing what we send. Once a butterfly is confined within the envelope it typically becomes motionless and is just fine. Even those that don t instantly get calm, only wiggle a little and do not hurt themselves. We also cool the chrysalis exhibit room and the package they get packed in. That helps them stay calm, too. 2 BEE SWARMS IN THE GARDENS Emily Rockey You may have noticed a great buzz around the Gardens recently, and maybe also in your own neighborhood. Honeybee swarms are on the move in Tucson! This is the time of year when honeybee c o l o n i e s h a v e t h e opportunity to divide and start a new hive somewhere else. A new queen and a large group of workers move together as a swarm to find a place to live, sometimes resting along their journey to investigate and explore potential spots. The Gardens is an attractive site from the bees prospective with plenty of flowers for food. As much as we love bees and their hard work as pollinators, too many bees at the Gardens could be problematic with so many visitors and children. A honeybee swarm is surprisingly docile and does not usually interact with humans while in transit, but can become defensive of a home if they choose a permanent site. Thus, we have been monitoring the swarms that stop here to make sure that they continue on their journey. For those swarms that decide to take up residence in the Gardens, we call a local expert beekeeper to assist with relocation. The bees are safely removed and given a secure home off-property. The swarms will most likely continue until the early summer so keep your eye out for bees, and please alert Gardens staff to any new swarms. Emily feeling the swarm

3 HELP NEEDED Although things slow down considerably around the Gardens during the summer, we continue to rely on help from volunteers like you. Here are some upcoming opportunities. FLOCK PARTY, Saturday, May 18 Flock Party is a family-friendly day of presentations, performances and activities all about birds! Activities will include crafts, storytelling, live bird demos with Tucson Wildlife Center, and docent-led tours and Birds of the Southwest Discovery Carts. The Audubon Society will be on hand to answer avian questions, and the Doolen Middle School Orchestra will serenade visitors strolling through the Flights of Fancy birdhouse art exhibit. Shifts will run 9:45AM-12:15PM (includes set-up) OR Noon-2:15PM (includes cleanup). We need volunteers for the following: Helping children make pinecone bird feeders at the craft table (especially morning shift) Assisting artist Susan Libby in helping families decorate birdhouse ornaments Staffing the Birds of the Southwest Discovery Cart (afternoon shift) Please contact Amy Collinsworth: membership@tucsonbotanical.org or ext. 13. SEASONAL CLASS PROCTORS Many of our summer seasonal classes and workshops still need proctors. Proctors act as the Gardens host to students and outside instructors, assist the instructor with setting up the computer projector and other equipment, handle check-in of students, and facilitate evaluations of each class. This is a fun assignment as the volunteer gets to sit in on the class for free. If you are interested, please contact Christine Hoekenga education1@tucsonbotanical.org or ext. 39. OFFICE HELPER IN MEMBERSHIP The Membership Office needs summer help (now through October) on a weekly or bi-weekly basis for just an hour or two, cutting paper, stuffing envelopes, and filing. Please contact Amy Collinsworth: membership@tucsonbotanical.org or ext. 13. BUTTERFLY OFFICE Just because Butterfly Magic ends doesn t mean the work ends. There are still ways to be involved, so if you are in town and wish to be involved, please contact: Butterflyexhibit@tucsonbotanical.org or ext. 38. Additionally, if you have a preference for which shift you wish to do in the fall, please let us know, and we ll record it. We won t hold you to it if circumstances change, of course. See page 2 for the full Butterfly Update. YOUTH EDUCATION Alyson Greene would like to thank everyone who volunteered with youth ed this spring. It has been wonderful working with you all! We have some more opportunities coming up this summer, and you are invited. Please contact Alyson Greene: education2@tucsonbotanical.org 1) Assisting Alyson with Garden Nature Camp (mornings and/or afternoons OR to pop in for a 10-minute presentation) during the weeks of June with 3rd & 4th graders and/or July with 5th & 6th graders. Enchantment awaits! 2) Flyer distribution - ASAP through May. We are looking for folks to post Garden Nature Camp flyers at cafes, libraries, and other places families frequently visit. Even posting a few flyers at your favorite places would be very helpful for us as we get the word out. 3) Relaxed docent presence with a school group Friday, May 17, 9:00-9:45 (or longer if you wish) We need a volunteer to welcome a group of 46 students and chaperones to the Gardens and direct them in through the front courtyard (instead of the bookstore). Beyond that, it is up to you. You could make yourself available for questions and to be a general docent presence for as long as you like that morning. 4) Hosting the Desert Plants, Desert People Discovery Table, in Ed Building Friday, May 31, 8:30-11:00 Volunteers are needed to set up and staff a discovery table with the Desert Plants, Desert People Kit for a school group of 1st - 4th graders. You ll help them explore the objects with questions, give fun facts, and help them make raffia bracelets and play the stick game. SAVE THE DATE, September 17! We ll break from our Youth Ed meetings until September. Mark your calendars for Tuesday, September 17, for our first autumn youth ed meeting. There will be surprises! 3

4 SUMMER PROGRAMMING, EVENTS, CLASSES Most classes require pre-registration and are subject to cancellation due to low enrollment. You can register for classes online: or by calling our class registration line at , ext. 19. GROWDOWN! DESIGNER FORUM Thursday, May 30 4:30-5:30PM Self-guided Tour of the Growdown! Gardens 5:30-7PM Designer Forum & Special Screening of the Growdown! Short Film By now, you ve no doubt seen the four beautiful small gardens that were installed near the Pavilion this March in the first ever Growdown! The Great Tucson Garden Design Challenge at Tucson Botanical Gardens. The local designers who created them (Scott Calhoun of Zona Gardens, LLC; Chris Jeffrey of LJ Design & Consulting; Ezra Roati of REALM, an Urban Organics Co.; and Janis and Phil Van Wyck of Van Wyck Projects) will return to the Gardens for an evening Designer Forum on Thursday, May 30 th to discuss what inspired them, the process of bringing the gardens to life and tips for incorporating some of their approaches in your own landscape. They will be joined by filmmaker and Fellow at the Hanson Film Institute, Marcus De Leon, who documented the Growdown! process in a short film. Arrive early, and take one of the last opportunities to visit the gardens while they re on display (through the end of May). Free and open to the public. AQUAPONICS EXHIBIT & WORKSHOPS There is some fishy activity going on at Tucson Botanical Gardens this summer aquaponics! We ve teamed up with Local Roots Aquaponics, a homegrown Tucson business, to host a basic system near the Native Crops Garden. What exactly is aquaponics? Aquaponics is an efficient and productive method of food production that combines aquaculture (raising fish) and hydroponics (growing plants in water with nutrients) in a contained and balanced ecosystem. Although it may appear to be hightech, it is free of artificial inputs. The fish s outputs feed the plants, and the plants roots filter the water for the fish with no inputs of fertilizers, pesticides or antibiotics. Additionally, these aquaponics systems are extremely efficient to operate: only 35 watts plus the energy from the sun to grow the plants! In terms of water usage, modern aquaponics requires 90% less water than traditional farming, and the plants grow twice as fast. Please plan for the whole family to participate in the aquaponics exhibit by watching the vegetables and fish as they grow over the summer, and maybe even feed the fish when you come to visit. The Gardens system will (continued next column) 4 (continued from previous column) be complete with White Nile Tilapia fish and plenty of tasty tomatoes, peppers, basils and other desert-adapted vegetables. The exhibit opens May 1, and we will offer several opportunities to take aquaponics workshops this summer. See our class schedule for more details: SEASONAL CLASSES We have an exciting line-up of classes over the summer. Here is just a sampling from May and June. Please see the full calendar in your Member Newsletter or on-line: adult-classes-trips/. Preregistration is required for most classes. Please visit our website or call , x 19. YOGA IN THE GARDENS Thursday, May 2, 16, 23, 30, 8-9AM (four-class series; no class May 9) **Also offered Thursday mornings in June, July & August** Start your day off on the right foot with weekly sessions of invigorating and centering yoga practice in our beautiful garden setting. Led by Laura Greenlaw, a certified yoga instructor with nine years of teaching experience, each one-hour class will include centering hatha yoga poses taught using good alignment and breath work. Students will learn to create both flexibility and strength in their bodies. No previous experience necessary. After class, take time to wander the Gardens (class price includes admission on each class day). One month $40, $30 members POETRY IN THE GARDENS First Saturday of the Month May 4: Cactus and Succulent Garden 10-11:30AM Art and literature have always reflected the natural world. In this new monthly series, hosted by the Tucson Botanical Gardens and the University of Arizona Poetry Center, lovers of nature and poetry are invited to visit a different garden space each month and explore those connections. Poetry Center docents will provide participants with a packet of poems focusing on the natural world and invite all to join a light and informal conversation of how literature and nature work together. No prior knowledge of poetry is needed, but a pen and notebook are recommended. Free with Gardens admission. No pre-registration necessary.

5 SUMMER PROGRAMMING, EVENTS, CLASSES Most classes require pre-registration and are subject to cancellation due to low enrollment. You can register for classes online: or by calling our class registration line at , ext. 19. RECYCLED METAL FLOWERS Sunday, May 12, Happy Mother s Day, 11AM-1:30 PM After a visit to the DeGrazia Gallery, instructors Rich and Ann Bates were inspired to re-create the colorful metal flowers that graced its gates and fences. Spend the afternoon with them learning how to create these easy-tomake flowers from recycled soda and tin cans. A variety of empty cans, glue guns, scissors and spray paint will be provided. Please bring your own found objects seed pods, beads, pictures, strings, coins to personalize your flowers. Let your imagination soar. $15, $10 members YEAR-ROUND GARDEN MAINTEMNCE Saturday, June 8, 10AM-Noon Good design and the right plant in the right place will minimize your maintenance. However, plants are living things and have to be cared for. Learn how to maintain your Tucson garden without back-breaking work. In this class, horticulturalist Solveig Palanek will cover when and how to prune, pest management, fertilizing, tool care, mulching, weeding, irrigation checks and more. Learn how to develop an annual maintenance plan and prepare your garden to thrive all year. $14, $10 members AQUAPONICS WORKSHOP I BUILDING SESSION Sunday, June 2, 9AM-Noon Aquaponics (AP) is an efficient method of food production that combines aquaculture (raising fish) and hydroponics (growing plants in water) in a contained ecosystem free of artificial inputs. In this session, instructors from Local Roots Aquaponics and Tucson AquaPonics Project will show you how to build a single-tank system from start to finish, discuss different options for AP systems and building materials and the basics of getting them running. They provide an instruction manual for you to build your own single-tank system, complete with recommended sources for parts. Each student receives a 10 percent off coupon for supplies at EcoGro (some tanks excluded). $40, $30 members AQUAPONICS WORKSHOP II ClASSROOM SESSION Sunday, June 2, 1-4PM Aquaponics (AP) is an efficient method of food production that combines aquaculture (raising fish) and hydroponics (growing plants in water) in a contained ecosystem free of artificial inputs. In this session, instructors from Local Roots Aquaponics and Tucson AquaPonics Project will offer advice on how to successfully run an AP system, the different choices you will have (e.g., fish, plants, controlled environments and materials), local conditions and where to get supplies. Each student receives a summary document of the material presented and a 10 percent off coupon for supplies at EcoGro (some tanks excluded). $40, $30 members Sign up for this classroom session on its own or together with the building session. Receive a discount for taking both sessions the same day: $65, $55 members **Aquaponics Workshops will also be offered June 23, July 21 and August 25** REDUCE YOUR ENERGY WASTELINE WORKSHOP Saturday, June 22, 10AM-Noon **Also offered August 10** Specially trained energy coaches from the City of Tucson and the Metropolitan Energy Commission will show you how to save money by saving energy at home from properly applying weather stripping to installing low-flow shower heads and more. Each student will leave with a conservation toolkit filled with supplies you can use immediately to make your home more comfortable and energy-efficient ($40 value). Free with Gardens admission, but pre-registration is required. ~~~~~~~~~~~ DOG DAYS AND DOG MEMBERSHIPS Dog Days of Summer is back this year! Every Tuesday from May 1 to September 30, the Gardens will open our gates to leashed dogs for a small admission fee of $3. This year, these furry visitors now have the opportunity to become our first four-legged members! TBG s human members may now add dog family members to their membership. For $20 you ll receive: Unlimited all-day Tuesday admission for your dog during the summer months (May through September) and a special canine membership card with ring that can be attached to any collar or leash. Additional dog members may be added for only $10 each. Dog memberships can be purchased in the Gardens Gift Shop or by calling 520/ , ext

6 An Ear to the Ground Massimo Boscolo April 6, 2013 With the creosote bushes in flower and the Mesquite trees finally leafing out, the Sonoran spring is well under way at the Gardens. A lot has happened in the last three weeks. Plants have begun to flower, at first almost tentatively, as if they were worried about winter striking back, but soon enough, one after another the large Rosa Banksiae growing on the arbor, the Cherry Plums and the fragrant Viburnum in the historical garden, and the Evening Primrose in the bed near the café, all bloomed abundantly, warming up the stage for the next act. After a few days, a riotous succession of flowers spilling out onto each other took over the Gardens with all the Justicia and Penstemon showing their vibrant colors, followed by the Mexican Buckeye, the Sophora, the Sage and all the annuals and mixed ornamentals decorating the sensory gardens. The scent of the citrus blossoms has been guiding the many visitors along the gravel path (the long way) toward the butterfly exhibit, inducing them to stop and hang around, sit in the dappled shade and take in all the fragrance before visiting the rest of the garden. Being a newcomer myself to Tucson, and indeed to the New World, I am often amazed by plants that I have never encountered in my gardening career. Right now, I am enamored with Salazaria mexicana. It is a shrub in the mint family native to Arizona and the Southwest. I have been observing its grey, bushy but elegant and almost feathery stems all winter, waiting for something to happen. Then, small oval leaves, also grey-green, born without petioles appeared, immediately followed by the rich deep violet flowers. The blooms are arranged in pairs on opposite sides of the branch and as they mature, produce a sort of small papery capsule, similar to a bag, from which it takes the common name of Paperbag bush. Peeking inside, you can already see the tiny seed developing. Wildlife has been very active too. A few morning ago, I had my first close encounter with Coop, our resident Cooper s hawk. It glided effortlessly above the café and landed on the fencepost at the entrance of the cactus garden, just twenty feet before me. I stopped still and for the first time I could properly see the large head and shoulders and the distinctive banded tail. I then made the classic rookie mistake of trying to get closer to take a picture. It just turned toward me with a look of mild annoyance before flapping away. I was obviously cramping its style. Usually I see the hawk from a distance and recognize only the flap-flap-glide pattern of its flight; more often, I have to deal with the messy and sometime gruesome remains of its prey, which we try to clean up before visitors arrive. Leaf-cutter ants have also been busy and at times I come across long, colorful ribbons of blue or pink fragments of petals and green leaves ending in a splash of color sinking into the dirt. They look like oversized paintbrush strokes left randomly on the ground until closer scrutiny reveals all the frenzied movement of a complex harvesting project. The ants don t actually eat the plants, but collect them down inside their nest as a growing medium for a fungus upon which they feed. I am always amazed at this sight and at the idea that these ants are actually performing some sort of elaborate gardening procedure underground. Of course, they stop being interesting as soon as they attack Emily s potatoes or any other valuable plants, in the same way that the cottontail stops being cute when it relentlessly mows down my corn seedlings. With sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-eighties, visiting and working in the Gardens and indeed, living in Tucson, couldn t be any more comfortable, and I am enjoying these days very much preferring not to think that soon enough, these balmy daytime temperatures will be our nightly lows... ITEMS WE NEED Please save small to medium-sized boxes for the June Weird Plant Sale. Boxes can be brought back to Sycamore House. Thanks! We can always use paper napkins, plates, cups, and plastic flatware in the Volunteer Office. If you are cleaning out your cupboard for the season or see a great deal on these items and want to pick up an extra package, we would greatly appreciate it. Please bring them to Christine in the Education Office. Thanks! 6

7 2150 North Alvernon Way Tucson, Arizona 85712