FRIENDS

OF

 THE

 NATURE

 CENTER

Winter Issue 2002

A Quarterly Publication

 


Species Profile

American Elm, Ulmus americana – is common all through Michigan, which is currently home to the “National Grand Champion” American Elm “Buckley Elm” located in Wexford County. Our champion is 112 feet tall and has a girth at chest high of 23.5 feet. As awesome as this tree is when seeing it from the road or even more so when standing next to it, it is unfortunately dying.
American Elms can be found in a variety of habitats but prefer moist, floodplain bottomlands or steam banks. Although it is known as a shallow rooted tree, the elm's roots can go deep into well-drained soils. Even though in the Hudsonville area, there are few large trees to be found, the average height is 75-100 feet. The truck can reach up to 6 feet in diameter on normal large trees and usually splits into multiple smaller trunks 20-30 feet up from the ground. The upper tree takes on a vase like shape as the larger limbs reach upward then outward. The bark on young stems is greenish and hairy, turning to red-brown and finally thick ash gray on larger trunks.
On older trees, the bark is deeply fissured with broad, scaly ridges that may have whitish edges.
Leaves are alternate on the twigs, 4-6 inches long and about half as wide. They are oblong to oval in shape with coarsely double-toothed margins. They are thick, dark green, and rough above while pale and pubescent on the underside. The small brownish to red wind pollinated flowers appear in late March to April before the leaves. In May, the once seeded, smooth, flat surfaced seeds mature. The margins of the seeds are hairy with a deep notch at the tip.

The wood is light brown in color with wider bands of lighter colored sapwood on the outer edges. The coarse grained wood is very hard, strong, tough, and difficult to split.

Nature in Your Backyard gardening Series

On three Thursday evenings in March and April. Hudsonville Naturalist and Master Gardner Craig Elston will present three different talks on gardening and attracting birds and butterflies to your yard. Two of these talks have been presented many times at Hoffmaster State Park and to various garden clubs and groups around West Michigan. They will be offered here at home in time to plan for the gardening season.
The topic on March 7 will be “Attracting Birds to Your Yard.” Areas covered will include types, construction, and placement of nest boxes. Sample nest boxes and plans will be available. Summer feeding possibilities including bluebird and hummingbird feeding as well as some tips on landscaping to

encourage the presence of songbirds in the yard.
On March 21, “Gardening with Wildflowers” will be covered. Special needs and landscape principles geared towards being successful with native plants will be discussed. Woodland, prairie, and wetland types will be covered with an introduction to native plants in the carefree water garden. The evening will finish with a quick slide tour of wildflowers.
The last in the series on April 11 will be “Gardening for Butterflies.” You will learn how you can attract butterflies to your yard, garden, or patio. Basic landscape practices will be considered and adapted to meet the needs of butterflies of all stages of life. Plant lists to help you get started will be available.
All three talks are free of charge and will be held in the Community Room of the Hudsonville City Offices lower level at 7:00 p.m. each evening. Advance registration is required by calling 669-0200 during the day or 669-3256 in the evening. You can also register by email to wildflower@triton.net. Please send your name, number, and specify which classes you would like to attend.

15th Annual Wildflower Conference

On March 3 and 4, the Wildflower Association of Michigan will hold its 15th Annual Wildflower Conference at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing. This year’s conference is titled Celebrating Michigan’s Natural Areas – Conserving Our Natural Heritage. William Cullina,

author of The New England Wildflower Society Guide to Growing and Propagating Wildflowers of the U.S. and Canada, will be the keynote speaker. A special teacher’s workshop will focus on developing native outdoor education habitats and the Michigan Invasive Plant Council will host its first symposium to focus on invasive plants. For more information, check the WAM website at www.wildflowersmich.org or contact Marilyn Case at 517-630-8546 or email at Mcase15300@aol.com.

Calander of Events

January 20, 2 p.m.

Winter Ecology Hike – Look for birds and signs of other animals and about what is going on out in the woods in winter. Learn to identify some of the trees and plants that are visible also.

January 25, 7 p.m.

Night Hike – Offered only to those who receive the newsletter. A leisurely hike through the Nature Center after dark listening and watching for Owls and other nocturnal animals.

February 9, 1 p.m.

Bluebird Nest Box Cleaning – Come help clean and repair the bluebird boxes at the Nature Center. See and learn about some of the nests that have been left by birds this past year. A good time to watch birds as well. Come prepared to hike off trail.

February 23, 1:30 p.m.

West Michigan Butterfly Association – Kelly DeWitt, NABA member and teacher at West Ottawa High School in Holland, will be presenting a beautiful and informative slide show on monarchs. At the Herrick Public Library in Holland.

February 24, 2 p.m.

Plants in Winter – Learn to identify many late season wildflowers and weeds, trees, and shrubs in winter. Winter can be a picturesque time to view wildflowers and weeks with the snow.

March 7, 7 p.m.

Attracting Birds to Your Yard – See article on series.

March 17, 2 p.m.

Looking for Signs of Spring – We will look for and discuss signs of plants growing, bird activity, and any other signs of spring in the woods and fields.

March 21, 7 p.m.

Wildflower Gardening – See article on series.

March 23, 1:30 p.m.

West Michigan Butterfly Association – Ranger Steve (Mueller), founding NABA member and WMBA Board Member, Director of Howard Christensen Nature Center in Kent ISD. He will share results from the 6-year “Atlas Butterfly Project.” Highlights of occurrence and distribution will be presented with information about the various species. At the Herrick Public Library in Holland.

April 11, 7 p.m.

Gardening for Butterflies – See Article for series.

All walks at the Hudsonville Nature Center are led by City naturalist Craig Elston and begin at the end of New Holland St. east of 32nd Avenue.  Come prepared for weather and other elements as walks will be held except in the case of severe weather. 

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