October 2011 Blog Posts (21)

Most people think that any tree or plant is an asset to their community, and that may be true 90 percent of the time. However, there are certain trees that were not meant to grow in all regions and will wreak havoc on neighboring plants if grown. These dangerous trees are known as invasive…

Monetizing ecosystem services of trees might be in the near future.  The City of New York spent $1.2 billion dollars (over ten years) to restore and protect watersheds in effort to avoid spending $8 billion dollars on a new water filtration plant.  Last week,…

Community members of the City of Guelph in Ontario, Canada have created a website to promote Urban Forestry.   It is a great effort and it's author posts some informative blogs including one about Mycorrhizae. Below I have posted an excerpt of the article and a link to the website. 

Mycorrhizal partnerships…

The Sustainable Sites Initiative (a.k.a SITES) addresses green building from a land perspective and incorporates incentives to retain and plant trees. The Sustainable Sites Initiative's Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks are modeled after the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building…

I read this little poem on the pediatricians wall when my children were small, (my youngest is now 28) and wrote it down because it touched me so much.  I keep it in the back of my mind. The authors' name wasn't written on it, but it relates to my favorite thing....Nature!

What need we teach a child with our books and our rules?

Let him walk among the hills and flowers,

Let him look out on the waves,

Let him gaze upon the stars,

And, he will have his…

Apple users....check out my new gardening app......Karen's Garden Secrets.   It is a monthly guide for a better landscape.

I believe that the conservation of trees and other resources should be taught to children at a very young age. They seem to understand the beauty of nature and can appreciate things a lot better at a young age. They marvel at the sky, trees, butterflies and flowers that a lot of grown-ups take for granted. So I think if somebody is willing to show them the beauty of it all when they are young, they will carry it with them forever.

From New York Times

by By MARIELLE ANZELONE

Recently, there were a string of days that felt stolen from summer. Tuesday, the day of my site visit, was the last of these. The warm sun flooded the woods of Inwood Hill Park with light, creating long shadows that foreshortened the scene. Harshly lit patches straddled pockets of deep shade.…

Poetree is an ecofriendly alternative burial method thought up…

What does your tree say about you? After you find your birthday, click on the link below and find out!

http://www.paradiseawaits.com/Tree.html

December 23 to January 1 ...........…

As many of you may know, yesterday was the conclusion of the Do You Know Your Grove? seek-and-find contest. We'd like to thank each and every one of our 25 contest participants and hope that you'll continue to check back on The Grove for our latest contests and activities. Of the 25 submissions, 8 were correct in that there are 11 differences to be found in the images below. …

Below is a link to six different quizzes about how well you know common trees in North America. Magnolia, Dogwood, Sycamore? Good luck!

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Here is a suggestion for the faint of spirit, the downcast and downtrodden; an elixir for the noise in your brain and incessant vibration of the urbansphere.  When the ginkgo tree is wearing the full yellow of autumn, go and stand next to her skirt of leaves in the late afternoon sun and discover (perhaps for the first time) what light is.  Likewise, if you walk inside a Japanese maple on just the right day with the sun shining down from a blue sky you will understand what red is.  You will…

'Most of us like trees. These incredible organisms clean our air and water, provide valuable habitat for wildlife, increase our property values, and make us feel happier through their beauty. They also seem to make urban roads safer.

Most of…

Public image, citizen pride and financial assistance are just a few of the many benefits a city has when it becomes part of Tree City USA. Being a part of the program is an indication to prospective businesses and citizens that the area is committed to its neighborhoods’ quality of life. The program can also influence…