LOUA is planning to plant about 20 understory trees tomorrow, and we could use your help! If you are available, please show up around 9.30am on Saturday, April 13, 2013 at the LOUA kiosk across from the Indianola Informal K-8 on Weber Road. We’ll have gloves, shovels, everything you will need to add a little green to the neighborhood!
Hope to see you then!
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Big news! Most of the tree markers on both the Glen Echo and the Indianola Tree Walks are in. A HUGE thank you to the OSU students who, once again, showed up in force to help out (and to Laura for securing them). And a shout out to our friends from Indianola Informal K-8 who carted off the leftover soil – and more importantly, got all the markers in place yesterday afternoon. And thanks to Mike for contacting all those homeowners who have a tree on their private property so we can place their markers. Jason, our resident engineer, helped make sure the students all had proper training in how to put the markers in. I’m certain a slide rule was used. :-) Thanks so much to all for braving the less than spring-like temperatures to get all these markers in place.
The markers look very nice. They list the scientific and common name as well as an image of one of the leaves from the tree. Below is the first marker put in, appropriately enough, at the first tree ever planted in the Arboretum – an American Chestnut right across from the LOUA kiosk.
Each tree with a marker had mulch placed around it, too. This is the marker in front our our house – an Eastern Wahoo.
I have to tell you that as I went for my walk today and passed by our LOUA trees with their markers in place, it surely brought a smile to my face.
If you would like to see the tree markers for yourself, don’t forget our first tree walk tomorrow (Sunday) at 2pm. Meet at the LOUA kiosk on Weber. And with spring coming, we have plenty of things planned, especially in April. We have a tree planting next Saturday at 10am; if you can help out, come to the kiosk. Check out all the LOUA events here!
Until next time!
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This will be a short post – just wanted to link you into a few news stories on LOUA this week. We have been getting some excellent press!
We were mentioned in ThisWeek Booster as well as an article in OnCampus, Ohio State’s staff and faculty newspaper.
Gotta run – we are putting in the tree markers this morning – 10am at the LOUA kiosk.
Until next time!
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the Indianola Bridge that spans Glen Echo Ravine. You can park either along Indianola Ave. near the bridge or on Olentangy St. between Indianola and Medary. If you enter the ravine at the Indianola Ave. Bridge, there is a stairway on the Northeast side of the bridge that leads down into the ravine. At the bottom of the stairs, head west (to your right) and right after you pass beneath the bridge, be on the lookout for a trail that passes through an open grassland and eventually enters the forested area where we will be working. If you plan to enter the worksite via Olenangy St. Alley, there is a path that enters the ravine about mid-way between the Parkview Condominiums and the Xenos School. There is a city park sign near the path entrance. You can register to volunteer here. Put LOUA in the search box to pull up the Glen Echo site.Posted in General Information
It’s coming on that time of year (no, not when college hoops rules – although I am listening to the Bucks play the Arizona Wildcats tonight) when the birds migrate through Ohio. These birds are heading up from the south into Canada and the boreal forest or arctic regions, with some having flown from as far away as Central and South America. They have one more push to reach their final destinations, but Lake Erie is out there, one last – and rather large – obstacle to cross.
If you look at a map of Lake Erie, the western end of the lake isn’t as wide, providing an easier place to cross. So before these birds head out, they gather strength in the marshes and preserves in Northwest Ohio. By March, some of the birds are making their way 
north, although more will be traveling in May. In fact, in searching around the Internet, I found a site, Biggest Week in American Birding, which takes place this year in Northwest Ohio the week of May 3rd. It is, apparently, a big deal (and a lot of tourist dollars) to see all of these birds come in. Some of the more spectacular birds that fly through are: Kirtland’s Warbler, American Redstart, Mourning Warbler, and Black-and-white Warbler. The little beauty above is the Blackburnian Warbler. I can imagine why people would travel from around the world to have the chance to look at such a bird…If any of you have gone to Lake Erie to bird watch, let me know how it was.
When I was a kid, the biggest thrill for me (at least as far as birds were concerned!) was to see the first robin of the season. That told me that winter was over and spring was around the corner. Unfortunately, since then, I’ve learned that robins stay in Ohio all winter long; it was a bit like finding out that the Easter Bunny wasn’t real when I saw my first robin in December, happily munching on a hawthorn berry.
Speaking of birds, Pete and I were walking to the market when I heard a bird song that I didn’t recognize. I tracked down the bird on the top of a tree. Pete said it was a male chickadee with his mating call. He was so funny to watch with his head bobbing around. Pete said he was looking out any females in the neighborhood. So spring – and love – is in the air.
Basketball ain’t the only game in town!
Until next time!
It’s hard to believe that today is the first full day of spring. With temperatures in the 20s this morning, I had on a wool turtleneck, a wool sweater, and wool trousers under a long down coat. And I was still cold! And then there was the snow. As I walked around on campus, I got hit by this rogue snowflake that was huge. It crashed onto my coat and broke apart, it was that big. Funny thing, it was the only flake in the entire sky. And it attacked me – don’t know what I ever did to that snowflake. I like snow.
Speaking of spring, as I was driving home from work yesterday evening, I was listening to WOSU and “All Things Considered” that had a story about vernal pools in Ohio 
and how they managed to survive in weather like this – warm then cold. Of course, I had to call Pete to tell him to listen (calling only when my car was safely stopped at a light!) because I knew how much he’d enjoy the story. They mentioned Spring Peepers, a frog I’ve only heard a few times. The story talked about how loud they were, that you can hear them from hundreds of yards away. That reminded me of Pete telling me about the frogs in a cistern when he was doing research in the rain forest there. The males realized that if they called from the cistern, their voice was greatly amplified, so they tended to congregate there. Pete said they kept him awake they were that noisy. As for the peepers, I’ve only seen one or two but hear them all the time; they are very small to make such a commotion.
The story also talked about leopard frogs that have a bit of yellow on the inside of their legs. Predators see that yellow when they jump high in the air (they can 
jump five feet!), then lose sight of the frog so that it appears that the leopard frog has flown off. The frogs also use a zig-zag pattern when they jump to further confuse anything that wants to turn them into dinner. The most amazing thing was the call of the leopard frog; it’s very weird, like a growling purr. Pete had never heard one before; he said he would have remembered if he had.
They also talked about what was considered a vernal pool. I found a good definition at the Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society. What’s really important is that the water hangs around long enough for the reproductive cycle of whatever uses it. When I lived in Florida, it rained so much each day that pools would form in the backyard and stay there for weeks at a time. I remember walking around one afternoon, looking at the ground and puddles, wondering what it was wriggling around. On further inspection, it turned out to be tadpoles. Of course, the ones that got stuck in the drying bits of the pools were getting attacked by fire ants. As did I, so that walk was quickly cut short, never to be repeated. I don’t know if those frogs had a quick reproductive cycle or just were confused by the water being there longer than a typical puddle.
But soon, the vernal pools will be filled with frogs doing what frogs do. Until then, here’s a little poem to help us keep an eye on the prize: warmer weather and all that it brings!
Spring Lord Alfred TennysonNow fades the last long streak of snow,
Now burgeons every maze of quick
About the flowering squares, and thick
By ashen roots the violets blow.
Now rings the woodland loud and long,
The distance takes a lovelier hue,
And drowned in yonder living blue
The lark becomes a sightless song.
Now dance the lights on lawn and lea,
The flocks are whiter down the vale,
And milkier every milky sail,
On winding stream or distant sea;
Where now the seamew pipes, or dives
In yonder greening gleam, and fly
The happy birds, that change their sky
To build and brood, that live their lives
From land to land; and in my breast
Spring wakens too: and my regret
Become an April violet,
And buds and blossoms like the rest.
Extra brownie points if anyone can tell me what a “lea” and a “seamew” is!
Until next time!
I know that many of you have seen LOUA members sporting some very cool looking t-shirts at our events. Well, now you, too, can be the envy of all of your friends by proudly wearing your LOUA t-shirt. Or LOUA v-neck. Or LOUA tote bag. LOUA has teamed up with Screened, a website that allows you to upload an image (like our logos!) that can then be printed onto different items.
So if you would like to help support LOUA and look fashionable while doing so, please head over to skreened.com/loua and check out the merchandise we have available. Part of each purchase ($5) will be given back to LOUA. I’m going to get the tote bag and the v-neck!
Until next time!
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Last Wednesday, we had our monthly LOUA meeting. As we sat down around the table in the church basement, I looked around at the tables that were set up, thinking, “We won’t fill up all of these seats.” And then people started coming down the stairs. And more people. And then more people. And soon, the whole table was filled with LOUA members. I remember when we first started meeting; there would be maybe four or five people at any given meeting. There were over twelve people on Wednesday, and that wasn’t even everyone who could have been there. It amazes me how we have grown, that every time we needed some sort of expert, we found one who joined our group.
We had a great meeting, talking about the upcoming Earth Day events (more on that soon!), and the spring tree planting. We should have about 250 understory trees planted. Come next spring, the arboretum is going to be something to see. And finally, the Design subcommittee (which I am a member) reported on its first meeting. We came up with some projects that we wanted to do around the Arboretum, like native plantings and rain gardens. We have some really big ideas and plans for the future.
With the cold temperature back again, it’s hard to believe that spring will soon be here. I have seen some of the first shoots coming up through the ground. We’ve a 
few of the daffys poking up as well as some of the tulips. Some of the plants have buds on them. I know it will, eventually, get warm out (then I’ll probably complain about the heat!), but right now, it feels as if we are still in the dead of winter. But as I said, spring is on its way. If you head out to the Friends of the Ravines’ Annual Plant Walk, you should see plenty of new plants. The walk will be at 2:00 p.m. on April 13 at Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park, and will be led by park naturalists in hidden ravines. Meet at 2 p.m. at the new Nature Center at 1451 Darby Creek Drive, Galloway, OH.
Until next time!
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I thought I’d give you a few updates:
Squirrel Whisperer
Well, I have to admit that I’m not quite at the same level of Squirrel Whispering that my brother is…but I have made some progress. It’s amazing how little time it took for the few squirrels who visit our yard (and there might actually be hundreds – I can only ide
ntify one so far) to learn that when I call “Peanuts! Peanuts!” there is something good to eat to be had. We have what I call the “Front Porch Squirrel” and the “Back Porch Squirrel.” The front porch squirrel’s name is Mittens because he has something wrong with one of his front paws. The back porch squirrel, I thought, had white ears, but then I realized that all of them (many of them?) have white ears. The red squirrels that my brother has in Saginaw seemed much easier to tell apart!
Mittens seems to have the most courage. He’s come within a few feet of me to take a peanut, but not yet from my hand. Those in the back seem a little more skittish, but they have learned not to run away when I call to them. They get that I have food. I am hopeful that in the spring, when it’s warmer and the back door is in use, I can get one to take a peanut from my hand. Can’t let my brother be better at something than I am!
LOUA Design Committee
The LOUA Design Committee had its first meeting last week. Judy Bonette was kind enough to take on the duties of chair and host the first meeting. She and her husband, Pete (yes, another Pete in LOUA!) came up with many different ideas of how LOUA can make the Arboretum even better than it already is. We talked about rain gardens, native plantings, and some of the other projects that we can do. We also hope to work hard to educate our neighbors about the beauty and wonder of native trees and plantings. All in all, it was a very productive meeting, and I am very excited to see where we go from here!
A Tale of Two Talks
Pete’s talk about how the Arboretum started had about 30-40 people in attendance with lots of questions about what we’ve done and where we are going. There was also interest in other urban arboretums starting around Columbus. However, the talk didn’t start out so well. Pete got up very early (6am!) to make sure everything was in order. We were having our new stove installed around 10am. A few minutes after 10am the phone rang, and it was Shelby, asking if Pete was around. I said “Yes” and handed off the phone. Next thing I heard was, “Ten o’clock?! (Expletive) I’m on my way!!” Seems the talk was at 10am, not 11am as Pete had thought. But it all ended well; thank goodness we are very close to the Whetstone Library.
Mike Graziano’s talk about the turtles in the Olentangy had about 20 people. Mike, of course, wasn’t late to his talk…The presentation was very informative – Pete even said that he learned something new about the how turtle nests were being 
destroyed by racoons. There is such a huge diversity of turtles in the Olentangy: map, soft-shell, Midland painted and musk turtles. I once found a baby snapping turtle on the Olentangy bike trail. It was small enough to fit in the palm of my hand. Fortunately, Pete told me where the turtle needed to go (obviously in the middle of the bike path was not the safest place to be) and off he went to grow big and strong. Pete once moved one off of a road in Connecticut that was about half of his height. It was huge!
Until next time!
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Lower Olentangy Urban Arboretum 