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Four springs ago, I tucked dozens of blanketflower seeds into bare spots in the pollinator garden at Gwynedd Friends Meeting. A few of them took. They never made a blanket, but they occasionally announce themselves with one or two stunning sunshine blooms. Walking by the garden yesterday, now stiff stalks and seed heads of russet and gold, I noticed a new splash of color. One blanketflower decided November was the time to shine.
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Blanketflower (Gaillardia aristata) provides nectar for pollinators and seeds for birds. It is native to North America but not to southeastern Pennsylvania. I had seen it in a Virginia garden and assumed it was native to our region, but I now know that a quick search of BONAP will determine where a plant is native, down to the county level. I also now know to aim for planting as many plants native to our ecoregion as possible (Wild Ones has a great explainer and searchable map).
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Gardening for wildlife means a lifetime of learning, and I am grateful for all the scientists who are informing our understanding of plant and animal relationships, the web designers and educators who make this data accessible to the public, and the nurseries who are sourcing local seeds to grow the beautiful diversity of plants that we plant.
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In this season of thanks, I am tremendously grateful for the 82 volunteers who gave 299 hours this year to remove invasive species, plant native plants, sort Pollinator Palooza plants, and share information at our tabling events. I am thankful for the 105 yard owners who planted Pollinator Palooza plants in May and the yard owners who worked with us to add native plants to their landscapes. Together, we added 5,619 native plants to our local habitat.
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I am thankful for all the local EACs who are working with us to make it easier for their residents to add native plants to their yards. With their help, 210 yard owners will pick up Pollinator Palooza plants next spring.
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I am thankful for the speakers who provided such engaging presentations at our spring, summer, and fall gatherings, for our incredibly knowledgeable experts at our first Bioblitz, for Grace McMackin, who taught us about bees, and for Stacy Kent Wyckoff, who designed our new shirt.
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I am deeply grateful for our hard-working board: Angie, Anna, Jenny, Klara, and Lisa, who give so many hours to our work because they believe in our mission.
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And I give thanks to you, the Journeywork community of supporters, volunteers, members, and donors, who see the need to restore the habitats where we live and are eager to learn how.
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Our fabulous fall gathering
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Katie Fisk gave an engrossing talk at our gathering on November 2, filled with useful tips and facts about creating wildlife-friendly yards (and an adorable duck video). It was a lovely afternoon of tasty snacks, good questions and conversation, and community.
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Transplanting a woodland garden
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Last November, Journeywork volunteers removed bush honeysuckle from a section of woods at Gwynedd Friends Meeting and planted black cherry, chestnut oak, red chokeberry, and winterberry.
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We recently learned that the woodland garden (right) planted for Gwynedd Friends School needed to be moved. Journeywork volunteers sprang into action on November 22 to transplant sedges, penstemon, blue mistflower, golden alexander, and bee balm
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into the tubed tree and shrub area.
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Many thanks to our volunteers who pitched in and moved every plant!
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Whitpain Sustainable Property program
& Pollinator Palooza raffle on December 2
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The Whitpain Environmental Advisory Council has created a fantastic program to encourage homeowners in Whitpain Township to prioritize the natural environment in their yard care. They will be sharing all the details on December 2 and raffling 10 free Pollinator Palooza plant sets to residents who attend!
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Check out our Bonfire store for holiday giving
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If you didn't have a chance to buy one of our new shirts and hats during our recent campaign, you can order them now through our Bonfire store. You can also find all our previous shirt designs there.
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If you buy my book from the Journeywork store, Journeywork receives $6. If you buy it online, we receive 38 cents. So buy from us, and we will mail it right to you!
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the Journeywork journey
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Now is a great time to make plans for invasive species removal this winter--Journeywork can help with that! We are also doing consultations now for spring designs and planting. Consultations are $50. During a consultation, I will make recommendations and suggest resources, and I can give you an estimate of the cost to do whatever you want to do, from removing bush honeysuckle and privet to installing a pollinator garden.
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As an example, Shirley in Glenside wanted to get rid of a patch of pachysandra and replace it with shrubs that offered lots of food for birds.
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Shirley dug out the pachysandra herself and hired Journeywork to suggest native shrub species and their arrangement, to find the shrubs, and to help her plant them.
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One patch of pachysandra became a wildlife-supporting mix of New Jersey tea, bayberry, grey dogwood, American hazelnut, and black chokeberry. Shirley will add groundcovers and flowers in the spring, creating a diverse and rich habitat to host caterpillars and other insects and support many bird species.
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November bug sightings
Karen in Upper Dublin sent us some photos of insects she found recently in her Pollinator Palooza garden while she was sheet mulching to expand the garden. The insect on the left is a large milkweed bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus), which feeds on the leaves, seeds, and stems of milkweed plants and sports the same color combo as monarchs, alerting predators that they taste bad.
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The insect on the right is the Carolina mantis (Stagomantis carolina), which is native to North America and an ambush predator of a variety of other insects.
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Thanks for sharing your garden visitors with us, Karen!
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winter reading
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Below are a few of the books on my to-read pile, all of which are available from Montgomery County libraries (minus the three copies currently checked out to me). If you wanted to buy any of these online and support independent bookstores, you can purchase through our Bookshop.org affiliate page and support us too!
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Speaking of reading, for the month of December, I will be doing a Great Rereading of all my notes from the conferences and webinars I have attended since Journeywork began and shouting out wonderful projects and resources on Facebook and Instagram. If you don't follow us in one of those places, go ahead and follow and join us there! (And if you don't do social media, I will distill it all in the January newsletter:)
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If Journeywork inspires you to sheet mulch, start seeds, or plant some native plants in your yard, please send us a picture! Or a donation! Let's celebrate and support each other!
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