The Landis Newsletter Fall, 2019 Volume 37, Number 3
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Inside this issue . . .
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______________________________________________ From the Garden: This Fall, Introduce Your Kids to the Garden! - Erin Breglia, Landis Gardener Autumn offers many opportunities to bond with those we love. Families can come together to pick apples, explore a corn maze, or select the perfect Halloween pumpkin. When I was growing up, raking leaves to form the “biggest pile ever” was a tradition for my brothers and me. We would turn this chore into a championship and spend hours enjoying the task - and learn about composting in the process. After dumping the leaves onto the compost pile, my mom would have us turn it, mixing the leaves in with the dirt and other organic scraps. Occasionally, we would also spread the recently composted soil onto our vegetable bed. [Read more] "The Collector's Corner:" Roots and Shoots
- Amy Howansky Welcome to the Collector's Corner, the first in a series of newsletter columns that will coordinate with a new initiative at the Landis Arboretum. At our Fall Plant Sale, Director Fred Breglia noticed that an entire corner of the sales area was filled with interesting and eminently collectible plants. He dubbed the area “Collector’s Corner.” We will continue to use the corner during future sales to offer rare and unusual specimens. Small shrubs for small spaces, for example, could showcase the Weigela florida ‘My Monet’ that was available at the Spring Plant Sale. [Read more] Winter Birding for Families
- George Steele, Landis Nature Educator The swallows are grouping up on the phone lines. The monarchs are on the move. There’s the first hint of color in the maple leaves. Orion greets you in the early morning darkness. Winter is on its way. Time to get bird feeders cleaned and filled! Feeding birds in winter is a fun family activity. It’s a great way to learn how to identify the birds. Since many summer residents have migrated, there’s a smaller number of species to match with those in your field guides. And the birds are up close. You don’t have to crane your neck for that flick of feathers disappearing behind a branch full of leaves. [Read more] Please Help Us With Your Input
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From the Director's Desk: A Real Life Lorax
-The Lorax (with apologies to Dr. Seuss) An electronic billboard covers several stories and three sides of a building in New York City’s Times Square, one of the busiest public spaces in the world. It commands the world’s attention, especially relevant as several global environmental conferences are being held in the city. It proclaims: “There’s a Facebook Group for Everyone” in reference to Big Tree Seekers, a group that speaks for trees, especially those in the world’s oldest forests. One of the people featured on the billboard is connected with the Landis Arboretum, its executive director, Fred Breglia. [Read more} The Amazing Slug - Anita Sanchez
Rain, rain, rain. Seems like all it does these days is rain. But some creatures are thriving in all this precipitation. This is absolutely a banner year for slugs. No one, of course, is fond of slugs. Really, what good are they? They eat holes in lettuce and take bites out of tomatoes and, worst of all, they’re really, really slimy. [Read more] LANDIS PORTRAITS: A Series About the People Behind the Plants at the Arboretum
- Nolan Marciniec Gus Polli is happiest being outdoors and working with his hands. Volunteering at the Arboretum, he acknowledged, is a good fit. Gus and his wife Louise discovered the Arboretum during a ride out in Schoharie County, and started volunteering shortly after Louise retired. Gus demurred at pulling weeds but found that there were carts that needed repair, tires that needed changing, machines that needed maintenance, all jobs that were much more to his liking. [Read more] Fascinating Rhythm: Upper Catskill Strings Play
Gershwin at Landis - Chandra Burkhart A stormy morning filled with torrential downpours, thunder, and lightning gave way to cooler temperatures and a crystal blue sky: perfect weather for a summer concert at the Meeting House. A crowd of over fifty people gathered to hear the Upper Catskill String Quartet play the music of composer George Gershwin. [Read more] Grandfather and Boy: A Poem by Fred Lape
The grandfather was seventy, with brown red hair circling a bald spot, round Dutch face, and eyes that twinkled like sun on running water. The boy and the old man walked the fields together. They picked stones and threw them on a stoneboat. They went after the cows. They planted corn rolled in tar and flour to discourage the crows. They hoed the corn in season. The crows flew cawing overhead. “Look at our black chickens,” the grandfather said. [Read more] |
Meet Our Support Staff
Your membership dollars are critical to our economic viability and the sustainability of our collections, grounds, and educational programs. You can help by joining or renewing your membership. Consider renewing at a higher level. Encourage your friends, neighbors, and co-workers to do so as well. Give the gift of membership to the beautiful Landis Arboretum! Click here to join online using PayPal, or here to download a membership form to complete and return by mail to Landis Arboretum, PO Box 186, Esperance, New York 12066.
Our Business Members, Sponsors, and Allies
We have good friends in the community that help the Arboretum in a number of ways.
Please consider patronizing our Business Members, Sponsors, and Allies!
We have good friends in the community that help the Arboretum in a number of ways.
Please consider patronizing our Business Members, Sponsors, and Allies!
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THE LANDIS ARBORETUM NEWSLETTER is published quarterly for its members.
The Arboretum’s mission is to foster the appreciation of trees and other plants and their importance in our environment.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Fred Breglia; Erin Breglia; Gail Browning; Chandra Burkhart; Wilma Jozwiak; Lee Lattimer; Nolan Marciniec and Louise Polli, Co-Chairpersons
CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE
Erin Breglia, Fred Breglia, Chandra Burkhart, Amy Howansky, Nolan Marciniec, Louise Polli, Anita Sanchez, and George Steele
NEWSLETTER WEBSITE MANAGER
Wilma Jozwiak
PRINTER
Miller Printing and Litho, Amsterdam, NY
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Jim Paley, President; Wilma Jozwiak, Vice President; Nolan Marciniec, Secretary; Carolyn Edwards, Treasurer; Louise Polli, At Large; Chandra Burkhart; Karl Gustafson; Amy Howansky; Lee Lattimer; Jeanne Post-Sourmail; Ed Radle; George Steele; and Earl Van Wormer
ARBORETUM STAFF
Fred Breglia, Executive Director; Nancy Stuebner, Office Manager; Erin Breglia, Landis Gardener; Russell Glass, Groundskeeper
We value your input. Please address correspondence to:
Newsletter Editor, Landis Arboretum, P.O. Box 186, Esperance, NY 12066.
Website: www.landisarboretum.org
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