Arbor Day Gardening Girls Study Club November 30, 2017 Arbor Day Celebration Thursday, November 30, 2017 11 am Andrew Jackson State Park You are cordially invited to participate in our Arbor Day tree planting ceremony. This site was selected to honor the celebration of 250 th Anniversary of President Andrew Jackson s birth and the 50 th Anniversary of the Boy of the Waxhaws sculpture. Welcome History of Arbor Day Tree Poem Planting of the Tree Blessing of the Tree The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit. Nelson Henderson
Arbor Day began in 1872 as the brainchild of Nebraska newspaper editor Julius Sterling Morton. He said that we need to put back what we use up so it will be there for those who come after us. Today, we call that sustainability, Little said. Morton understood the concept before the buzzword became popular, and certainly before becoming a committed green society came into being. The benefits of planting a tree include shade, shelter and food for wildlife. Trees absorption of carbon dioxide and production of oxygen make them a natural air filter. Plant a tree to save money, she said. Trees can reduce energy costs for heating and cooling homes. Think about the environment, and plant a tree because trees take nutrients from the soil and thereby help protect our drinking water, along with the water in our coastal byways. Our club is the Gardening Girls Study Club. Although small in number, we have members from all around the state of South Carolina who work hard to improve our environment, and educate the general public about the benefits of protecting Mother Earth. We chose the Red Buckeye Tree because it is a tree that would have been native at the time of Andrew Jackson s birth, and we wanted it to be a teaching tool for the many children and adults who pass through this beautiful Park. Little then read the poem entitled Trees, to commemorate the planting of the Buckeye. Betsy Steele gave important information regarding the selected tree: The tree planted by Gardening Girls Study Club for Arbor Day, 2017, Aesculus pavia - Red Buckeye, is a specimen of the genus Aesculus which comprises 13-19 species of flowering plants/trees with six species native to North America. These trees are deciduous. The red flowers are showy, insect or bird pollinated, with four or five petals. Tradition continues concerning the good luck that a buckeye brings. For generations, a buckeye in ones pocket guaranteed the carrier good luck. The legend stuck and has soothed many a nervous person about to begin a new adventure! All parts of the buckeye are moderately toxic. That is except to squirrels who enjoy the fruits. Avoid ingesting the tree in any form to prevent gastrointestinal problems. Native Americans had methods to use the fruits to stun fish. They then boiled and rinsed the fish several times to dilute any remaining toxins before enjoying their catch. Rev. Ronnie Boone then blessed the tree with a beautiful prayer. He was the perfect person to give such a wonderful, meaningful blessing. Our little tree is bound to prosper!
Rita Brewington, Rev. Ronnie Boone, and Laura Ledford Jamie Miller, Jackson Huneycutt, Peggy Little, along with Harvey and Sue Ross (West Virginia)
Laura Ledford, Rita Brewington, and Robert Burris Betsy Steele, Sarah Floyd, and Peggy Little shovel dirt around the base of the Buckeye Tree
Betsy Steele, Rita Brewington, and Peggy Little watch as Sarah Floyd gets the tree ready for planting. Jamie Miller and Jackson Huneycutt assist with tree planting. Right: Betsy Steele and Sarah Floyd
Ronnie Boone gives a blessing for the new tree. Rev. Betsy Steele, Rev. Ronnie Boone, Robert Burris, Peggy Little, Sarah Floyd, Jamie Miller, Jackson Huneycutt, Rita Brewington, Harvey & Sue Ross, and Park Ranger Kirk Johnston Members not present: Paula Bowen, Maida Dantzler, Katherine Doty, Cathy Forrester, Brenda Miller, Mildred Parker, Brigitte Shuler, and Ponza Vaughan.
Sarah Floyd places a protector on the trunk of the Buckeye Tree, as Betsy Steele and Peggy Little help with planting. Anna Hyatt Huntington Structure of Andrew Jackson on his horse Joyce Kilmer "Trees"
I think that I shall never see A poem lovely as a tree. A tree whose hungry mouth is prest Against the earth's sweet flowing breast; A tree that looks at God all day, And lifts her leafy arms to pray; A tree that may in Summer wear A nest of robins in her hair; Upon whose bosom snow has lain; Who intimately lives with rain. Poems are made by fools like me, But only God can make a tree.