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| RIWPS News |
Photo by Karen Asher  |
RIWPS Seed Starters visit Nasami Farm
Members of the RIWPS Seed Starters visited Nasami Farm on May 13th. Nasami Farm is the newest property owned by the New England Wildflower Society and is located in Whatley, MA. It is a native plant nursery, where NEWFS now does most of its propagation.
We had a tour of the propagation greenhouses and then had a special workshop on propagating ferns given by Kate Pawling, their propagation specialist. We visited the small demonstration gardens, had an opportunity to buy native plants, ask questions, etc. We had the place to ourselves, as it is open for tours only on Thursday and Friday, and open to the public (no tours) to visit and buy on Saturday and Sunday, from April to June and in September and October.
Photo by Kate Lucey
 | Newport Flower Show
The Rhode Island Wild Plant Society Award
Deborah Van Dam and Dorthy Swift judged in the Newport Flower Show for The Rhode Island Wild Plant Society Award. It is awarded "to the best native Rhode Island plant entry in any class. The recipient need not be a blue ribbon winner." The winning entry was a flowering stem of butterfly weed, Asclepias tuberosa. This entry came from Libby Moore of Little Compton RI and also received a blue ribbon in the class 108, for native wild flower in bloom.
Photo by Karen Asher | Medicinal Plants of the Field and Forest
Liz Hassinger, herbalist and veterinarian, led an excellent walk on Medicinal Plants of the Field and Forest at the Carolina Management Area on June 26th. Participants learned about the medicinal uses of Plantain, White Pine, Lady's Slipper, Wild Indigo, Wintergreen, Milkweed and Princes Pine, among many others. Who knew that the roots of that nasty invasive, Knotweed, can be used to treat Lyme disease. We got to taste her homemade herbal tea and try an ointment good for insect bites. She recommends two websites for more information: Herbalists and Alchemists and the American Botanical Council.
St. Johns wort oil, Photo by Karen Asher |
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Karen Asher holding a jar of St. Johns wort oil |
| Events of Interest - July 17th Garden Tour in Wickford | |
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| NATIVE PLANT ADVENTURES - Upcoming RIWPS Programs - September-October |
Photo by Joan Pilson.
 | VEGETATION OF THE SUCCOTASH SALT MARSH
South Kingstown, RI
Saturday, September 18, 1 to 3 pm
Rain date: Sunday, September 19, 1 to 3 pm
Come and explore the diverse plants of the tidal marsh habitat. Many of the species are found only in this ecosystem where some have adapted to daily inundation by saltwater in the low marsh, and others to the sandy, dry conditions of the upland border. We will visit the marsh at low tide; however expect footwear to get muddy. So plan to wear old shoes or rubber boots that won't be ruined by the mud and salt water.
Leader: Carl Sawyer
Moderate
Pre-registration required at least 48 hours prior.
Fee: Members $5, Non-members $10.
Minimum 8, maximum 15
Directions and meeting place will be sent to those who have registered.
SEED COLLECTING, SAVING, AND SHARING
Portsmouth Free Public Library 2658 East Main Road
Portsmouth, RI
Saturday, September 25, 9:30 - 11 am
Fall is a grand time to plan for changes to be made in your garden. Collecting and saving the seeds from your favorite plants is a good way to begin and can be a rewarding experience. Sharing your extra seeds will help someone else expand their garden pallet.
Come to this lecture to learn how to collect seeds, what storage treatment they may need and to find out when to start planting the seeds so they will be just the right size when spring arrives again. The presenter, Marty Fisher, enjoys blooming plants along with ripening seed heads in her garden. All of her plants have been grown from seeds that she has saved, collected, or bought. The fun of propagating seeds continues year after year.
Attendees are invited to bring seeds to share.
Leader: Marty Fisher
Pre-registration required at least 48 hours prior.
Fee: No fee
Minimum 5, maximum 30
Harvard Forest Pre-Settlement Forest 1700 AD | TOUR OF HARVARD FOREST AND FISHER MUSEUM
Petersham, MA
Sunday, September 26, 12 noon (on site) to 3:00 p.m.
This will be a memorable afternoon, spent with John O'Keefe, co-author of New England Forests Through Time, and long-time Coordinator of the Fisher Museum. The tour will begin with a video and discussion of the history and mission of Harvard Forest, followed by an interpreted tour of the Museum's main exhibit, the internationally acclaimed dioramas portraying the history, conservation and management of central New England's forests. Finally, we will take a walk into one of the most intensively studied tracts in North America, the 3,000-acre site for Harvard Forest studies and long term ecological research. We will see a variety of woodland communities and the different species composition patterns resulting from 270 years of varied land use.
Leader: Garry Plunkett
Moderate
Pre-registration required at least 48 hours prior.
Fee: Members $10, non-members $20.
Minimum 8, maximum 15
Directions and car pool arrangements will be sent to those who have registered.
Photo by Noel Rowe | MUSHROOM WALK AT ALTON JONES
Alton Jones Education Center
West Greenwich, RI
Tuesday, October 5, 3 - 5 pm
Rain date: Wednesday, October 6, 3-5 pm
Fungus is everywhere but mostly we only notice it when it decides to send out its spore producing fruit, the mushroom. At the Nettie Marie Jones Nature Preserve the variety of habitats, from the mixed hardwood forest to streams and old fields, should give us a diversity of mushrooms to look for and learn about. We will pick one of each type and try to identify it to a major group. There is NO collecting on this foray. You are advised never to eat a wild mushroom unless you are positive of its species. Many mushrooms look alike, but some are deadly.
Leader: Noel Rowe, experienced amateur Mushroom Enthusiast
Easy
Pre-registration required at least 48 hours prior.
Fee: Members $5, Non-members $10
Minimum 5, maximum 15
Directions will be sent to those who have registered.
Photo by Joan Pilson |
FALL FOLIAGE IDENTIFICATION
Pulaski State Park
Western Gloucester, RI
Sunday, October 17, 1 to 3 pm
Rain date: Sunday, October 24, 1 - 3 pm
This program is the fourth and final event in the Paul Dolan Tree Identification series for the 2009-10 season. This time he will take us to Pulaski Park in northwestern RI -- one of the best areas in the state to see fall color. The kaleidoscope of changing leaf colors contrast with the woods around Peck's Pond to remind us how fortunate we are to live in this part of New England. Access for most people will be via Route 44.
Leader: Paul Dolan
Moderate
Pre-registration required at least 48 hours prior.
Fee: Members $5, Non-members $10.
Minimum 5, maximum: 15
Directions and meeting place will be sent to those who have registered. Leave plenty time to get there!
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| RIWPS -- Volunteer Opportunities | |
July 2010
Our organization continues to grow and we are sorting out the tasks we want to address. That is producing an opportunity for volunteer services - most of them for a short duration.
Following are a number of possibilities:
 ALDRICH HOUSE GARDEN -- Providence
Graham Gardner could us a crew of several people to help with the Spring clean-up the garden at the Aldrich House in Providence, and then to wrap it up in the Fall. May be some minor intermittent pruning, etc. as well. Aldrich House houses the RI Historical Society and is at the corner of Cooke and Benevolent Streets. Please contact Graham at 265-6986 or graham@gardnerwoodwrights.com.
PROGRAMS
Angela Deller, our Vice President for Program is always looking for folks who want to help with program matters - speaking engagements, logistical support, etc. Feel free to contact Angela at 274-6571 or angela.deller@cox.net.
There will be other opportunities as well. These should be enjoyable functions, working with some great people. How about participating?
Jules Cohen
President
To learn more about volunteering click here |
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