Posted: July 13, 2021
The restoration project of the Master Gardener Demonstration Garden located at the Western Pocono Community Library in Brodheadsville, PA is now called Project NatureScape. Read about the progress of the transformation of the demonstration garden into a habitat for birds, insects and pollinators.
Photo by bugwood.org
Project NatureScape Update…Progress Continues
Garden workday, Saturday, June 26th
Though numbers were fewer than usual, volunteers accomplished a lot.
Efforts continue to be focused on the conversion of the two front half-moon shaped beds to two sample garden meadows. Several of the nonnative blue fescues that for years have fronted the edge of the left moon bed were removed and have been given new homes off-site. Seven native Prairie Dropseed grasses were installed at the front of both the left and right meadow beds. Eventually, the remaining blue fescues will be removed from the meadow bed. Though they are nonnative, they are not known to be invasive and will possibly be incorporated into a future Project NatureScape garden bed. They have been left in place for the time being to cause less disturbance to the bed in an effort to minimize weeds.
Additional meadow plants installed last Saturday include six Little Bluestem grasses, six Butterfly weed (three in each bed) and two Rattlesnake Master. All are larval host plants that support different species of butterflies and moths. Of the three, perhaps the best known is Butterfly weed. As a type of Milkweed, it serves as a host plant for the Monarch larvae. Little Bluestem is a larval host plant for many skipper butterflies and Rattlesnake Master is a larval host plant for the Rattlesnake Master borer moth. Though this moth is not found in the eastern U.S. when in bloom, Rattlesnake Master is a magnet for many nectar and pollen-seeking insects. To make room for new plants, some existing plants needed to be removed. This meant digging out sections of Obedient plant. Although Obedient plant is wonderful for pollinators, the straight species can be an aggressive spreader. The plan for the meadows is to leave small amounts of Obedient plant in place and plant tough clumping plants such as Little Bluestem to help keep the Obedient plant in check.
Project NatureScape's Eastern Prickly-pear Cactus is in Bloom!
A cactus native to PA? Yes indeed. Opuntia humifusa has a wide range in eastern and midwestern North America. In Pennsylvania, it occurs scattered primarily in the southern counties, growing on dry, open, rocky ground, such as on shale barrens, slopes, and cliffs.
