The leaflet - August 2004
Selected Articles


 

New Faces at the Arbo

Let us introduce you to the people you might have come across during your visits over the summer. For instance, the ghost-like characters covered in mosquito netting whom you might have found trapping tiny creatures in puddles and holes. They are part of research crews in the Department of Natural Resource Sciences. Leslie Ann Laduke is also one you should meet since, in this her 20th year working on the Campus, she has taken on an important role in the Arboretum office. We have asked them all to tell us about their impression of the place, their discoveries and what makes the Arboretum special to them.

Leslie Ann Laduke - Financial Administrator - Pines Cottage

"There are many things that I like about working at the Morgan Arboretum: the busy pace, varied duties and responsibilities, working with members and visitors and, of course, the location!
It's nice when members and visitors come to Pines Cottage (a treat when there are canine visitors as well) to chat, share observations or ask questions. Members truly care about the Aboretum and feel it is their little slice of heaven. They are a varied mix of personalities all of whom make this job stimulating and enjoyable, and give a real sense of community. Visitors are always impressed with 'our little woods' and leave refreshed and recharged. It's a pleasure to be surrounded by the trees and Mother Nature. Just this afternoon a deer bounced across the main road and there is the uniquely special odour of skunk in the office today (luckily he hasn't been seen prowling inside Pines Cottage!), and another day we found a gargantuan spider who decided this was home. It is my good fortune to work here, and hope to ensure members and visitors enjoy the Morgan Arboretum as well."

Christopher Cloutier - Technician, Entomology/Herpetology

"Except for black flies and mosquitoes, there are many interesting and beautiful creatures found within the forests of the Arboretum. Many plants and animals that inhabit the forests can only be found here, so the Arboretum is a great place to observe nature without actually having to leave the island."

Tania Motchula - M.Sc. Entomology student - Subject: Beech Bark Disease

"The best time I had in the Arboretum was collecting insects with Chris and the gang – sucking up the occasional one in the collection tube and almost swallowing it as a result when my cheesecloth fell out!"

Briana Schroeder - Forest Technician

"I enjoyed searching the murky forest waters for salamanders, frogs, and snails."

Alida Mercado Cárdenas - M.Sc. Entomology student & Fridays' Gatekeeper

"What is there to do at the Arboretum? I've received that question many
times while working at the gate. My answer is: walk and enjoy nature,
listen to the birds, insects, frogs, admire how fast plants grow and change
color. I am glad that the members of the Arboretum do know and appreciate
coming here. I enjoy very much doing my research at the Arboretum and
working at the gate. "

Annie Hibbert - Undergraduate student in Wildlife Conservation

"I am working on a undergraduate research project that has been designed to investigate the colonization ability of spiders in agro ecosystems and old-growth forests. My project has required many hours of observation in the Arboretum. My favourite sightings have been: a gargantuan dragonfly munching on a crane fly of equal size, an Ichneumid wasp flying with ovipositor fully extended (at least 15cm) and a beautiful jumping spider that has a light blue head and iridescent abdomen."

Rebecca Zeran - Research Assistant - Project: Mosquito biodiversity in vernal pools at Morgan Arboretum

"I like the yellow trail when it passes through the red pine with the above-ground roots - [it has a] very gothic kind of sherwood forest feel to it. I like the hemlock dominated stands with the rugged relief (deep pit and mound topography) and moss covered 'hummocks'. And I liked walking (carefully) around in the quarry water, watching all of the tadpoles wiggle away in front of me. "

 

King of the Forest
by Diana Beresford-Kroeger

After Diana Beresford-Kroeger gave a lecture in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue this spring, I received an e-mail from a delighted Friend telling me how inspiring the speaker was and how her speech had enhanced her own appreciation of the Arboretum Black Walnut plantation. Here is why.

Family members of the walnut are the aristocrats of the forest. They have waltzed through the millennia with an extraordinary genetic dance. Every aspect of these trees is fascinating, from their form to their formula for success. North America has seen them come and now we are silent witnesses to their passing. The natural enemy of the walnut is a deep and profound ignorance about these trees in our population. Ignorance is pathological, always has been..... throughout the history of mankind.

The family name of the walnut is Juglandaceae. The important trees to
Canada are the black walnut, Juglans nigra, and its sister tree, the
butternut, Juglans cinerea, which is presently under serious threat of
extinction. Other trees of this group include the hickories, the shagbark,
Carya ovata, the kingnut, Carya laciniosa and the more commonly seen member, the bitternut, Carya cordiformis. There are other lesser known siblings of the family. These are crucial to the entire family because they hold a gene pool that has not yet been expressed.

Walnuts set the ancient history of North America. They were the kingpin
trees against famine, the scourge that has always haunted this continent. The trees were owned by the aboriginal peoples independently of the land on which they grew. Such advanced thinking was crucial for survival on a continent rife with abrupt changes in weather patterns.

In daily living, the necessity for winter and seasonal storage of the nuts led to the development of a unique kind of architecture, an extraordinary type of water insoluble fibre, an extraction process, a unique packaging method, and an entirely different art of horticultural practice, the sheer genius of which is staggering in its simplicity. These creations led directly to the metropolis of Cahokia, an aboriginal city along the Mississippi River, which rivalled London England for population in the middle ages. Its population produced the earthen mound formations of Monk's Mound which even today surpass the great pyramids of Egypt in size.

Fortunately for us, the walnut family has not lost its value in the modern world. The value of the black walnut will outstrip any mutual fund in the stock markets of either Bay or Wall Street. The straight bole of a single tree can sell at auction for veneer. A price of $60,000 per tree is tops but not unusual. But.., this is killing the goose that has laid the golden egg.

Walnuts produce nut meats. Pound for pound they are equal to steak in food value. The ratio of essential fats they carry is perfect for the brain development of the very young and old. These fats also protect the functioning heart. These high quality fats are essential for healthy cell functioning and are quite rare in the plant world. They are also found in wild deep sea fish such as cod and salmon.

The nut meat of the black walnut is in itself unique. The chemistry of the protein is very stable. It does not change in taste when it has been processed unlike most other nuts. This puts the black walnut first and foremost in the world nut market. There simply are not enough of them grown, the demand is increasing without a corresponding increase in supply.

This situation is also true for the principle species of food producing hickories, the shagbark, Carya ovata, and the kingnut, Carya laciniosa. These are our northern siblings of the pecans, a little smaller, but just as sweet. These nut meats were extracted in ancient times to make a delicious nut milk and cream which was served with many species of fowl in a delectable way. This nut milk is like a creamy version of tofu. Also, it was fermented to make a mild alcoholic beverage which was much enjoyed in the past.

All of the walnuts can be grown in a two-tiered method of agriculture which will double the profit of any working farm. They were used before in North America and they can be used again.

Probably the most singular aspect of the walnut family is their ability to manufacture a biochemical called ellagic acid. This chemical acts like a fisherman's net and can snag the most toxic elements of fossil fuel combustion out of the air. They detoxify these killing compounds into something quite harmless. So they are important for the urban forest especially around day care centres and schools.

In the end, it is something else that walnuts do which should attract the attention of the world. The ellagic acid complex offers an ambient protection to breast cancer. It comes in an explosive form from epidermal microscopic hairs called trichoma. There could also be some other glandular tissue formations on the leaves' mesophyl and on the surface of the nut husks. I can only make an educated guess. You see, there is so very much more to know....

Diana Beresford-Kroeger is a botanist, medical and agricultural researcher, lecturer, and self-defined "renegade scientist" in the fields of classical botany, medical iochemistry, organic chemistry, and nuclear chemistry. She is the author of Arboretum America and A Garden for Life -University of Michigan Press. Both publications are presently available at Wildlifers in Baie d’Urfé.

 

Autumn Propagation... Fun and Rewarding
by John Watson

The summer months are quickly passing and soon we will be enjoying cooler autumn temperatures. At this time, you are either enjoying the beauty and bounty of your garden or fighting to control weeds or other types of unwanted mass vegetation. Whatever your situation may be there are some gardening exercises you could be practicing that are not only stimulating but also very rewarding.

We are all aware of the cost of trees and shrubs, so let’s produce our own.

Let’s start with the reproduction of deciduous flowering shrubs by cuttings. If you have a favorite hydrangea or forsythia, you can easily reproduce these beauties at extremely low cost. As evening temperatures start to cool, the plants start to harden or think about the winter sleep (dormancy). Between August 15th and September 1st is usually the ideal time for this type of cutting. A simple test is to take a sprig and bend it. If it snaps cleanly the time is ripe.

Using a sharp knife (sterile, of course) take your cuttings which are the top 6 inches of the branches. Keep the cuttings moist by wrapping them in wet newspaper. To prepare a cutting for planting, remove the lower leaves leaving approximately 5-6 at the top. Make a clean cut at the base on a slight angle and make one or two incisions along the stem at the base. Finally, dip the cutting in #2 hormone which you can purchase at most garden centers. Flick off any excess hormone prior to inserting the cutting in your medium.

My favorite medium is equal parts sand and perlite. If you are reproducing on a small scale a simple greenhouse can be made with plastic bags. Simply place the bag over the flat and seal. Place the cuttings in a shady nook of your garden and mist as often as possible. If you plan on going into competition with your local pepinière, technology may be necessary.

Build a frame with 2 x 4s and plywood. Cover the bottom 8-10 inches with sand and perlite. Install a pipe fitted with nozzles every 18 inches across the top of the frame. Connect the pipe to a solenoid switch which in turn is connected to your water supply. Set a timer to trigger the solenoid switch to mist your cuttings every 20 minutes for 10-15 seconds. Cover the frame with a transparent tarp and voilà, 4-6 weeks later, rooted plants identical to the parent plant. When the cuttings are well rooted, transfer to a well prepared seedling bed and protect for the winter. It’s fun, it’s easy, it’s inexpensive.

Now let’s look at seed collection and reproduction. As we move through autumn the seed of many deciduous trees can easily be propagated. When collecting seed it is important that it be ripe. This is indicated by color or some of the seeds dropping to the ground. At times it is hard to collect the seed before the rodents (squirrels) get it, but seed can be taken slightly early and ripened by placing in the sun temporarily. My father used to sit in the walnut plantation and watch the squirrel activity, leading him to a fine cache of juicy seed.

Once the seed is ready for sowing prepare a seedbed of 10-12 inches of sand. After a very light frost start sowing the seed in labeled rows. If you sow too early and there is rain followed by a warm snap, the seed may rot. Nut tree seed is sown 4-6 inches deep and smaller seed 2-4 inches deep. Remember, the squirrels are still looking for food and revenge so cover the seedbed with a tight wire mesh. Late May to mid-June enjoy the reward of your toiling. Transplant the seedlings to a well fertilized seedling bed and help replenish our tree supply.

I hope you all have a great gardening autumn and … leave the Arboretum seed alone!!!

John Watson is the Arboretum’s Manager of Forest Operations

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