PIJBLI CATION OFFRIENDS OF IHE

WILD FLOWE FI GARDE N, I NC.

THE FRINGED GENTIAN*

SPRING 2OO2 Volume S0- Nlrmher' 2

Tahing part in a50r Anniversarytree planting onMay 12, 2002:

LeJi to right are

\-, Mayor R.T. Rybak,Eloise Butler lVild-flower GardenerCary George,Friends' PresidentSteve Pundt, lrlpls.Park Board Commis-s ioner Vivian Allason,Clinton B. Odell(Grandson ofJheFriends' FounderClinton M. Odell),& Iytlartha Hellander,(biographer ofEloise Butler).

President's Message -Looking Ahead to the Next 50 Years for the Friends

For the last 50 years we've worked to fulfill the purposes staoed in our bylaws:

Educate the public about Minnesota's native plants and their naJural environments.Safeguard the integrity of the Eloise Bufler Wildflower Garden.Support the Garden, financially and with volunteers.

We can feel good about the strenglh of the Friends and our accomplishments for theGarden. One example is our strong tradition of organizing volunteers to work at theMartha Crone Shelter. This tradition ofvolunteer support goes back more than 50 years,back to the 1930s when Clinton Odell started helping Martha Crone at the Gaden.

As we begin the 5lst year of the Friends, we must reaffirm our goal to educate the public (and ourselves) aboutpreservation of native plants. The Garden as a native preserve is constantly at risk. The Garden is threatened on allsides by alien invaders, with the main threats coming fiom gypsy moths- garlic mustard, buckthom and deer.

The arca around the Garden has been left in a relativell, wild state, providing somewhat ofa natural buffer zone.This dates back to 1964 when the Park Board declared the area of Wirth Park around the Garden to be maintained in anatural state, as a buffer for the Garden. However, this buffer zone is infected with invasive species such as garlic\- mustard and buckthom. Our vigilant gardener Cary George. eradicates these aliens within the Garden. but outside thefence in the buffer zone and throughout the Minneapolis parks the alien species are thriving. These non-native species

continued

are outromp€ting native plants for light, moisture,nutrients and space.

Glpsy moth infestation is extremely healy in partsof Wirth Park, which could mean the loss of manymature trees. (See Cary George's article at right.)

The other hostile invader, far from being an alien,is our own white tail deer. Deer have become amajor problem, feeding on plants throughout theparks in the mefopolitan area. We have suffereddamage from deer in the Garden in recent years, andassume they have either jumped tle fence or morelikely entered through a gate that was left open.

We must educate ourselves and the public aboutreasonable, cost-effective measures to combat theseinvaders. Survival ofthe Garden and our parksystem depends on it. I

.,D- v.,-)r-SA}.-^,.P I

- Steve Pundt

Hope and the fuare for me are not in lawns andcultivated fields, not in tot)ns and cities, but in theimpervious and quaking swamps- - -

. . . in wildness is the preservation of the world.

-Henrv David Thoreau

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Your Rerollections Are Still Wanted!Do you have stories, photos or records of memorabiliaabout the Friends ofEBWG? Please share them with usfor a 50m Amivesary Cornmemorative Booklet. Write toPam Weiner, Anniversary Committee, 248 Xerxes Ave.N., lvlpls., MN 55405. Or, phone her at (612) 377-3573.

Pick up a Schedule of Upcoming Events at the Garden!Take the advantage of an MPRB naturalist-led activity.

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The Eloise Butkr WdJlawer Gadcn & Bful Sanctua4ris an untaned garden and sonctuary for wild native floraand fauna. It is oflicially open from April I to October15, barring heovy spring snows- The Garden enlrance islocatedjust offTheodore Wirth Parkyay close to theintersection ofthe Parkway and Glenwood Avenue.

Ffiznds ofthe lliW Flower Gafulen, Inc., is a nonproJitorganization of private citizens vhose purpose is toeducate by enhancing visitors' appreciation andunderstanding ofl,finnesotq's native plants and theirnatural envitonments. It aims to enhance and safeguardthe interests of the Gdlden-

The Fringed Gentian is published on a qtarterly bosisfor metnbers and supporters of Friends of the WildFlower Garden. Editor is Lisa Locken, 1227 Edtifi ptace,L:finneapolis, MN 5 5 4 I 6.

Notes from the Gardener-

Gypsy Moths:

The Fight Begins

by Cary George, Gardener

Anyone who visits the Eastem U.S. in the summeris well aware ofthe economic and aesthetic havocglpsy moths have created. Rated as the mostdestructive pest to the trees and shrubs of America'sforests, gypsy moths have leapfrogged from well-established populations in Wisconsin to the TwinCities. There are two sustainable populations inMirmeapolis: one south of l,ake Harriet and theother one herc in Wirth Park. Most experts agree thatthe glpsy moth genie is out of the bottle -- never tobe recaptured.

The glpsy moth was fint brought to the U.S. in1869. As part of a misguided and failed attempt tohybridize with silkworms, it soon escaped and theyhave been slowly spreading across the counuy* forover a cenfury.

The male moths are a gray-brown and do not fly.The females are white with black spots and do fly.The problem, of course, is the larvae or caterpillarstage. They are 'eating machines'with a preferencefor deciduous hardwoods. Their favorites are oaks,maples, and elms, but they're not choosy and willattack birch, popular and even conifers such as pinesand spruces.

With this menace quite literally at the Garden'sgate, the question is: what is being done by our

Added to the Gardenthis spring:Gardener Cary Georgehas increased thenumber ofthe highlypopular Virginiabluebell plants (Mer-tensia virginica)shown at right, oswell as favoitesincluding SpingBeauty (Claytonavirginica) and RoundLobed Hepatica(Hepatica americana).

govemment agencies and what can be done on anindividual basis to stop it? Perhaps, since the plagueofDutch elm disease destroyed most ofthe Garden'stree canopy i-n tle mid-70s, notling has seemed sothreatening to our woodland wildflower collection asthis pest. First, on a govemment level all coordin-ation is being done by the Minnesota Departsnent ofAgriculture. If you do call the Minneapolis ParkBoard with concems, they will refer you to the StateAgriculture Departonent. This is done so there willbe just one collector of information.

The coordinator ofthe gypsy moth program isKimberly Cremers and she has established a GypsyMoth Hotline at (651) 296-MOT[I and a website atwww.mda.state.mn.us

Individuals who tlrink the have seen glpsy mothsshould report their sightings to this hotline. This isespecially important early in the year when the beigeegg masses can be seen attached to tree branches,fences, lawn fumiture - really just about anfhing.Ifyou aren't sure what to look fot many brochuresand handouts are available from the state and thePark Boarrd Forestry Deparuaent. Additional infor-mation is available from the U.S. Department ofAgriculture aI (612) 725-3678.

Aerial spraying will take place this spring in theheavily infested areas of southwest Mfumeapolis andin and near Wirth Park (now scheduled for an earlymoming in late May). While no one likes the use ofpesticides and their use will always be controversial,in this case a pesticide called Bt (Bacillus thuringien-sis) will be applied after notifuing the affected neigh-borhoods. This is a naturally occurring bacteriumthat kills the gypsy moth larvae after they haveingested it. To date, no scientific research has foundBt to be toxic to people or any non-targeted species.

Finally, can our beloved Garden survive yetanother environmental threat? My concems centeraround our historic hemlock grove by the back gate,the white pine collection near the restrooms, and thered and white oaks that are the backbone ofourhardwood forest and oak savanna. These species areall primary food choices for gypsy moths.

Ifthe Park Board, the State Departnent ofAgriculture and ultimately individual taxpayers arewilling to finance a very expensive assault, maybethis pest can be slowed down. Much like Dutch elmdisease, ifwe can spread the costs and the damageover a 1 0-to- I 5 -year time frarne, the aesthetic blightwon't be so noticeable, the financial burden will beacceptable and, just maybe, scientists will discoveran environmentally-safe control.

Bob Meisch, District Arborist with the Forestry Divisionofthe MPRB, uses a car key to illustlate the size ofanegg mqss that is attached to siding on o private home inSouth itfinneapolis.

"If lefi alone, lhis egg mass will result in hundreds ofmoths," Meisch said. "Typically the females will plasterthese buff-colored, fuzzy egg masses on the under-sides ofeaves, funtiture and in wood piles, qs well as on trees. "

BLUE SPOTS

RED SPOTSFemale g,,psy moth

At left is the cater-pillar whichfeeds ontrees for 5 to 6 weeks.

,iTree beferences of Gypsy Moths:

Their Iavorite trees: Apple, Aspen, Bqsswood, Birch(gray, paper and river), Boxelder, Crab Apple, Haw-thorn, Oqk, Poplar, Tamarack, Il'illow and llitchhqzel.

Ifpreferred hosts are not qvailable: Beech, Birches (otherthan above), Buckeye, Cherry, Elm, Huckleberry,Hickory, Hombeam, Larch, Maple, Pine and Spruce.

Trees they generally @oid: Aborvitae, Ash, Balsam fir,Black walnut, Buckthorn, Butternut, Catalpa, Dogwood,Locust (honey and black) and Red cedar.

-l Jonv Jrgectr

A commemorotive Bur Oak was planted.(For photo identification of tree planters, see page one.)

Fiends' members John and JoanHaldeman chaued wilh Joy Davis.a Fiends' Director.

Mayor RT. Rybak was among thespeakers at the 5th Armiversary OpenHouse on Mother's Day, Jlanked byis his wife, Megan, at lefi, and his mother,Lorraine. Looking on at far right isyivian l.lason, fufinneapolis Park BoardCommissioner.

A group of Friends of the Wild Flower Garden

The audience was 'all smiles' as they listened to speakers.

-r/ e onteruatioot

Clinton B. Odell and Lynda llander display pictures of theit respective

grsndparents who shared the vision to permanently preserve a wild,

untamed, wildflower garden within the city.

For the people who flocked to Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden on a

somewhat chilly Mother's Day, the Friends' 50m Anniversary Open House

served as a reminder ofthe precious heritage loft by the first Friends and

farsighted people within the Minneapolis Park Board.

For Llnda Wander and Clinton B. Odell, the event brought back penonalmemories of their grandparents - people who made a difference for the city.

Lynda Wander is the granddaughter of Martha Crone, for whom the Martha

Crone Shelter was named. Martha followed Eloise Bufler as the curator of the

Garden, serving as a Park Board employee in this capacity from 1933 to 1959.

During her tenure Clinton M. Odell, whose namesake is Clinton B. Odell,

became a benefactor ofthe Garden, and in 1952 he founded the Friends.

Above, Clinton B. Odell, holds an oil painting ofhis grandfather, who was

perhaps best-known as President of the Burma-Vita Company, makers ofBurma Shave. Odell's strong interest in nature had been sparked by Eloise

Butler hersel! who had been his high school science teacher. In comments

at the anniversary celebration, Clinton B. Odell paid tribute to his grandfather,

as well as to his two living aunts who were unable to attend the event -- Moana

lv[artha Hellanderautographed copiesof her book TheWildGardener, a biograplryof Eloise Butler.

Odell Beim and Barbara Odell Coleman. Clint's father, Allan, and his uncle, Leonard, are both deceased.

In the photo above, Lynda Wander displays a fi'amed copy of a story by Barbara Flanagan about Llnda'sgrandmother, Martha Crone. Lynda has donated this picture to the Friends for permanent display in the shelter

which bears her grandmother's name. Written in 1969 about the dedication of the then-new Martha Crone Shelter

which was built entirely with Friends' donalions, it features a photo of Martha with her great-grandson, Alan

Wander, then age 3, who had taken part in the dedication ceremonies by hammering in a golden spike. Now, over

30 years later, Alan attended the Friends' 506 Anniversary, this time with children of his own -- the great, great-

grandchildren ofthe woman who so strongly influenced preservation ofthe Garden.

Janet George withher husband, Cary,the current GardenerAT EBWG.

Nicki Bygd, Intake Specialist at theWldW Rehobilitation Center oflufifiEsota, holds the recoveingSummerTanager-

TaIe of a TanagerBy Debbie Keyes

There was a flurry o f excitementd tho Wildflower Garden duringthe last week of April with thearrival ofa Summer Tanager(Piranga rubra).

The bird was an brightly-coloredimmature male, about 7 % incheslong, with pdchy green and redplumage. (An immdure malemolts into its adult rosy-redplumage at the end of it's second

summer.) Commonly nesting incentral and southeastem parts ofthe U.S., the closest to Minnesotathis species usually appears issouthsm Iowa.

Word of this rare visitor spreadquickly, and bird watchers flockedto the garden to get a glimpse oftle colorful male en route on hisfi rst northward migration.

The diet ofa Summer Tanagerconsists of insects and {iuit.Because April in Minnesota isearly for both these food sources,the bird was having difficultyfinding enough food. Naturalistsobserved it cracking open seeds

obtained from the bird feedersoutside the Martha Crone shelter,but he was unable to eat tlem. TheTanager was in danger of stax-

vation. In bis weakened state, hebegan to spend more time on theground than in the trees, where onewould normally expect to find aTanager. Finally, &e little birdflew into a window ofthe shelter.

Luckily, a Garden Yisitor withunderstanding of tlre bird's pre-dicament rescued him. He wastaken to the Wildlife Rehabilitation

Center of Minnesota for care. TheTanager was indeed malnourished,and had also suffered a fracturedbone in the shoulder and wing. Atthe time of this writing, the birdhas shown major improvement.

What will be the fate of this littlebird? Tlpically, when an injuredbird makes a full recovery, theWildlife Rehab Center releases itback to the location where it wasfound. Howevel if the bird is farout of its natural range, its bestchances for survival are not in theenvironment where it was found

Thus, in the interests ofthe bird,the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centcris making plans for the bird's'flight' to a happier future. 'Wewill authorize it's release andconnect with a bird group in itsnative range," said Philip Jenni,Executive Director of the RehabCenter. '"Then we'll put him on anairplane, and he will be flown tohis natural habitat where he willbe picked up and released in theenvironment where he belongs."

Debbie Keyes is o shelter volunteerand a former MPRB naturalist.

Annual Meeting Eeld

The Friends of the Wild FlowerGarden Annual Meeting was heldon Monday, May 13, 2002, andwas followed by a meeting of theBoard. Gardener Cary Georgegave a report on the 'State of theGarden," providing an optimisticview, ia spite ofcertain negativessuch as invasive species. 'By andlarge, things are going well," hesaid. "Our plant collections arehealthy and growing; the foxes areback and we have a family of them,and also the garter snakes are back.These are positive indicators. "

Jeff Lee, Manager of Environ-mental Operations for the MPRB,

reported on recent state legislationto allow spraying for the gypsymoth, on potential development ofmountain biking trails in anotherarea of Wirth Park, and on t}teaddition ofplants to the Garden.

Arnong other topics discussed althe meeting was the gred successofthe 50s Anniversary celebrationheld on Mother's Day. Concemsvoiced at the meeting included howbest to handle illegal picking ofplants, whether done innocently ordeliberately. Several individualsalso expressed their strongopposition to development ofmountain-biking trails and thepotential for serious environmentaldamage in adjacent, off-trail

wooded areas which already haveshown some highly-visible erosionfrom mountain biking. A letter tothe Mayor and Mirureapolis ParkBoard Commissioners is beingprepared to express these concems.

Officers elected at the Boardmeeting were as follows:Presiden! Steve Pundt; Vice-president Lyle Johnson; Treasurer,Gary Bebeau, and Secretary,Juanita Lussenhop, and Directors:J. Stephen Benson, Flarriet Betzold,Joy Davis, Ann Godfrey,Margurerite Harbison, LisaLocken, Gloria Miller, ConstancePepin, Sally Pund! ShirleySchultz, Jack Schultz, Pam Weiner,and Cary George, ex-officio.

Book Corner

Wat's Doin' the Bloomin'?by Clayton & Michele Oslund,with photography by the aut}on,Plant Pics, LLP, 2002 ($19.95)

Reviewed by Pam Weiner

Would youlike to take a'virtual'wild-flower walk fromearly spring tolate fall throughnortheastem

Minnesota, guided by an informaland interesting narrative describ-ing the blooming plants and theirhabitats ? Ifso, this attractive andnonintimidating book could be awelcome addition to your wild-flower library. It could also be ahelpfirl book for someone just dis-covering the world of wildflowers.

The book concentrales on her-baceous plants, with short sectionson woody plants, grasses and fems.Organized by seasons, it featuresphotography more than text, with apreponderance of close-up shots,most ofgood quality, in-focus andtrue-to-color. Plants are identifiedand indexed by common andscientific names, and there is somereference to plant families andstructurc, but t}re emphasis is onvisual identification and basicinformation. The authors have triedto create a user-fiiendly book, withcolor-coded page-tabs for eachsection, a nice touch, but I foundthe lack of section separationbetween pages to confusing. I alsonoticed a few missed edits, al-ways a little urnerving.

As stated by the Oslunds in t}Ieirintroduction, other resources aremore substantive ifone is honingin on plant structure and compar-ative identification parameters. TheNewcomb, Peterson and Audubonguides are much more compre-

hensive and detailed for suchinvestigations, as is the Moyles'rev ised Northland Wi ld-fl o w e rs(2001) with John Gregolsexcellent visuals and extensiveinformation on structure, environ-mental conditions, regionaldifferences and background lore.

I did enjoy reading and reviewingthis book. An undertone ofgenuineappreciation of wildflowers andconcern lor their habitat and sur-vival permealed tle commentarywithout being heary-handed. Afeeling that this book was a laborof love came tlrough quite clearly.And I do believe it could be a finecompanion on a dreary March

day when those ephemerals seemlike a distant dr:eam.....

Pam Weiner is a shelter yolunteerand member of the Friends Board.

Membership Report

by Joy Davis, Membership Chair

Welcome, new members:

Susan Dean, MinneapolisRosalee Forlaner, Norlhfi eldMatt Karl, St.PaulDebbie Keyes, MinneapolisJane Lincoln, MimeapolisMary & Frank Plant, FridleyBarbara and Jim Smith, Golden

Valley

Meet the Volunteer

Gloria Miller has wom many hatsduring her years ofvolunteeractivity with Friends of the WildFlower Garden. Currently a Boardmembel she was President of theFriends (1986-1988 and 1997-1999), as well as serving for manyyears as a volunteer in the MarthaCrone Shelter. Also, as an adistand former art teacher, Gloria hasshared her graphic skills. As adesigner, she created the distinctiveconeflower logo used on Friends'stationery, envelopes and notecards. As a photographer, she

supplied all ofthe color photos ofwildflowers that appear in thebooklet, For Friends from theFriends, whichis used as agiftitem for new members. Soonto gointo its second printing, the bookletincludes poetry written by Gloria'shusband, Lon, who also lovesnafure.

A native of North Dakota, Gloriasays that she grew up enjoying theprairie wildflowers that were so

abundant in the North Dakotacountrvside. Her favorites are

Gloria lvfiller with the bookletcontaining her photography

are the beautiful, blue harebells andwild roses, she says.

Gloria is a graduate of ValleyCity State University in NorthDakot4 and also did graduate workat Moorhead Stirte University. Shetaught art in Montana and northemMinnesota prior to teaching in theTwin Cities. Currently Gloria is atutor for Minneapolis PublicSchools for home-bound andhospital-bound students.