Article about the Native Seed Bank in Today's Reading Eagle

The Article by Tina Ehrig was in the Reading Eagle today

My picture of Coreopsis tripteris was with the article.

update: Here it is since the online article doesn't have the pictures. I don't have the picture of Kathleen sowing seed or I would post that also (that is Tina's photo.)

Upcoming Restoration Projects by the Berks County Conservancy

The restoration projects which the Berks County Conservancy will be using some of the native seed the Berks Native seedbank volunteers have helped collect, sort and clean.

Spring 2009

Riparian projects:

• At Red Bridge, in the Gring's Mill Recreation area, an area approximately 20 x 300' in size,this is a disturbed area not fully covered by earlier restoration efforts. Planting time not yet determined.
  

• At Stonecliffe Park along the Tulpehocken creek an approximately 20 x 300' area. Top soil has been newly spread in the area. Planting time not yet determined.

• At Angelica Park an area needs help. It has been sprayed to control invasives. Size? Planting time early spring before normal plants growth begins.

Photos above of Boltonia Asteroides (Aster-like Boltonia) and Verbena hastata (Blue Vervain) are by Mike Slater

Hillside at Alvernia College:

• A hill side area 60 x 200' in extent has been distrubed by mechanical activity and then regraded. There will be scattered trees planted with native meadow plants to be seeded in between. Planting probably in late February or early March 2009.

Saucony Creek Area Moist Meadow:

• An area of 50' by 200' wwhich has been spraed to control invasives will be overseeded with native meadow grasses and wildflowers. Planting probably in late February or early March 2009.

Kutztown Area Well Buffers:

• Several 300' diameter circular vegetation buffers around wells in a moist meadow. The total area to be restored is about 4 acres. Thie area will be planted with scattered trees and shrubs with native meadow grass and wild flower seed planted in between. The area has been farmed for corn up until the fall of 2008.

This area is also may be a good place to put some of the potted plants we are propagating in pots in this first planting year at the site. (Planting plants into an established meadow is difficult due to root competition with the pre-existing plants)

Fall 2009

Riparian areas which will be exposed due to Dam removal projects

• Witman Dam near Oley, Planting will probably in November 2009 or later.

• Bushong Dam on the Tulpehocken Creek at the confluence with the Schuylkill River. Planting will probably be in November 2009 or later.

Photos above of Boltonia Asteroides (Aster-like Boltonia) and Verbena hastata (Blue Vervain) are by Mike Slater
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Update:
The list of seed from the given to the Berks County Conservancy for planting in the above areas is on the 2009 seed list page.

The Native Plant Network

I just learned about The Native Plant Network

including the Native Plant Journal
The Journal has some good articles. Iin my quick scan of the issue with the Trillium grandiflorum I found the articles on Trillium propagation were by two people I know, Bill Cullina and Stephanie Solt. The Articles are available electronically (for 2006 and earlier only) so I expect to finad a lot of good reading!

and the
Native plant propagation Database
The protocols are based on large scale harvesting and cleaning but I expect to find a lot of useable information here as well.

The seed list of what we planted at the Union Twp Park last Saturday is up

The Lists of everything I had in the seed mixes for each plot is here in both PDF and MS Excel formats along with the key map of the planting area at the Union Twp Park.

See the previous post for more information about the planting day.

Asclepias tuberosa, Butterflyweed

Here are the aerial photo maps of the Union Twp Park with the planting areas marked

Planting day at he Union Twp. Park

We planted the new meadow strip today and It was muddy again just like 2007. About 35 volunteers showed up and slogged through the mud to plant the seed of native plants we had previously cleaned and sorted.

The planting plan I made shows we planted a 900' strip along the edge of the soybean/corn field and a little bit on the edge of the larger 29 acre field.

The main planting area was divided into 18 rectangles 30' wide by 50' long on the west side of the field.

Sections 1-6 and 13-18 and the little bit in the west field, "W" on the plan, received seed of taller plants like Big blue-stem (Andropogon gerardii), Tall coreopsis (Coreopsis tripteris) and Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis and V. glauca).

Sections 7-12 were planted with seed of shorter PA native meadow/barrens plants like Little blue-stem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) and Stiff-leaved Aster (Doellingeria umbellata syn. Aster umbellatus).

I will put the complete list on line in the next day or so. If any of you who were there today would like to contribute some pictures to post here you can send them to me at: paplantings@gmail.com not at the voicenet address. Thanks to everyone who helped. We can all enjoy watchin things grow and bloom this summer!













Update:
The seed list of what we planted

and

Here are the aerial photo maps of the Union Twp Park with the planting areas marked

Planting seed at the union Twp Rec Area February 14, 2009 at 1pm

The seed planting at the Union Twp Rec. Area is scheduled for February 14th at 1 pm.

Please tell everyone who is coming that we will need some more buckets than Jan and I can provide. If most of the people who come can bring a plastic bucket for mixing the sand and seed and then sowing from it we will be in good shape.

Directions
Directions and Map


Google Maps of Birdsboro area



Say tuned to this web site if there are weather related issued.

Seed Sowing Workshop January 24th, 2009

The plant list is here

Map of Birdsboro area

Union Township meadow project enlargement 2009

The Planting at the Union Twp Rec Area this February will be approximately 25' by 900' along the west edge of the field. The area is drier the the first area along the north edge. Here is the post about the first section of the field.

I plan on using the seed from the list for this planting.

The list is now online

Hi everyone,

I have just put up the 2008-09 seed list. (The link is also to the right under "Links"
It lists all of the seed Jan and I have collected this year (plus the collecting days at Lancaster County Central Park with Tim Draude). Quite a bit of this seed is in very small quantities which Jan and I will be sowing in pots and growing on to multiply it for future distribution. The seed we have in larger quantities is for sowing in native plantings in the area this year!

There is a column flagging the species I think we should use for the backyard seedbank program starting with the workshop next week.

There are a PDF and MS Excel Spreadsheet fole of the 2008 list and also of a "complete" of plants recorded for Berks County, PA.

I still have some of the leftover seed from 2007 to inventory. There is quite a bit of some things like Indian Grass (Sorgastrum nutans) and some other things which should still have good germination.