{"id":5763,"date":"2015-09-30T13:46:56","date_gmt":"2015-09-30T17:46:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/glenprovidencepark.org\/?p=5763"},"modified":"2015-09-30T17:07:28","modified_gmt":"2015-09-30T21:07:28","slug":"wildlife-habitat-plantings-at-kirk-lane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenprovidencepark.org\/2015\/09\/30\/wildlife-habitat-plantings-at-kirk-lane\/","title":{"rendered":"Wildlife Habitat Plantings at Kirk Lane"},"content":{"rendered":"

For our 5th<\/span>\u00a0National Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 26, we installed wildlife habitat plantings at the lovely Kirk Lane entrance to Glen Providence Park!<\/strong> On the day of Pope Francis\u2019 visit to Philadelphia, 33 adults, teens, and children volunteered a combined 116 hours digging, planting, mulching, installing deer fencing, raking, and watering! It was a fun and fulfilling morning spent with wonderful people.<\/p>\n

We planted 31 native trees and shrubs, and over 24 native perennials<\/strong> \u2013 the complete list is below. The plants benefit wildlife by providing seeds, nuts, fruits, and nectar for mammals, birds, butterflies, and other pollinators. We planted milkweed<\/strong> specifically to help the Monarch butterflies<\/strong> \u2013 milkweed is the larval host plant for their caterpillars.\u00a0As the Delaware County Conservation District<\/strong> pointed out, the plantings should also help slow down and absorb surface storm water runoff that might be flowing off the Kirk Lane road surface into the park.<\/p>\n

The Kirk Lane entrance felt like a fitting planting location in this 80th<\/span>\u00a0anniversary year for Glen Providence Park<\/a>.<\/strong> The trees in the lawn area replace trees that had fallen, shrubs along the lawn edges extend wildlife habitat areas, and the planting beds in front of the entrance wall benefit\u00a0pollinators and beautify the entrance. The Blueberry shrubs and Serviceberry and Pawpaw trees also produce fruit edible by humans!\u00a0<\/strong>We left room in the right planting bed to install a replica of the original 1930\u2019s \u201cGlen Providence Bird Sanctuary and Arboretum\u201d Kirk Lane entrance sign, which you can see in the gallery below.<\/p>\n

We love the community spirit at these planting events, which extends past the planting day.<\/strong> Several local residents remarked how they would continue to enjoy the plantings, and thanked us for our project. The day after the planting, we discovered an Upper Providence resident who had asked permission to run a 150\u2019 hose from a house neighboring the park, and he was watering the plantings! We greatly appreciate this generous and helpful act.<\/p>\n

We have so many to thank for their help with this project\u2026 starting with all those volunteers!<\/em><\/h3>\n

Delaware County Parks & Recreation<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0provided the funding for the plants and donated the deer fencing.\u00a0Taylor Memorial Arboretum<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0donated native trees, shrubs, and perennials again this year, and\u00a0Delaware County Conservation District\u00a0<\/a><\/strong>delivered their Conservation Planting Trailer full of all of the tools and supplies we could need! Garden Influence<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>and Redbud Native Plant Nursery<\/a><\/strong> provided expertise, and\u00a0Media Providence Friends School<\/a> <\/strong>students are preparing plant labels. We are grateful to all of these people for making the plantings possible!<\/p>\n

The next time you are at the Kirk Lane entrance, look for these native plants, and check out the fun in the photos below \u2013 just click on one to scroll through them. Thank you to George Tate and Marcia Tate for the wonderful photos of National Public Lands Day.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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Trees:<\/h3>\n

Pagoda dogwood,\u00a0Cornus alternifolia<\/em> – 1
\nYellow birch, Betula alleghaniensis<\/em> – 1
\nChestnut oak, Quercus prinus – <\/em>1
\nServiceberry, Amelanchier arborea<\/em>\u00a0– 1
\nPawpaw, Asimina triloba<\/em> – 3
\nAmerican sweetgum, \u00a0Liquidambar styraciflua<\/em> – 1
\nBlack walnut, Juglans nigra<\/em> – 1
\nHawthorne, Crataegus sp. <\/em>– 1<\/p>\n

Perennials:<\/h3>\n

Christmas fern, Polystichum acrostichoides<\/em> – 3
\nCinnamon fern, Osmundastrum cinnamomeum<\/em> – 3
\nSwitchgrass, Panicum virgatum<\/em> – 2
\nMilkweed,\u00a0Asclepias <\/em>\u2013 5
\nBee balm, Monarda –<\/em>\u00a05
\nMistflower, Eupatorium coelestinum<\/em>
\nWild ginger, Asarum canadense<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 6
\nHairy alum root,\u00a0Heuchera villosa<\/em>
\nPipevine, Aristolochia<\/em> – 3<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Shrubs:<\/h3>\n

Inkberry Holly, Ilex glabra<\/em> – 2
\nChokeberry, Aronia arbutifolia\u00a0<\/em>– 1
\nArrowwood viburnum, Viburnum dentatum <\/em>– 1
\nMaple leaf viburnum, Viburnum acerifolium <\/em>–\u00a01
\nLowbush Blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium <\/em>– 2
\nHummingbird Clethra, Clethra alnifolia<\/em> – 2
\nRed-osier Dogwood, Cornus sericea<\/em>\u00a0\u2013\u00a04
\nButtonbush, Cephalanthus occidentalis <\/em>– 1
\nBayberry, Myrica –<\/em> 4
\nVirginia sweetspire, Itea virginica<\/em> – 2
\nOakleaf hydrangea, \u00a0Hydrangea quercifolia<\/em> – 1<\/p>\n<\/div>

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