Native Plants of Franklin

Sorry I'm late with the native plants this week! Here is the most recent mystery plant:



This is yet another native flower doomed to obscurity by the word "weed" in its name: jewelweed. This tender annual grows abundantly in moist, shady areas, and from mid to late summer it is covered in little orange orchid-like flowers.



The name "jewelweed" comes from the way water beads up into brilliant, flashing gems on its waxy leaves.

The Latin name of jewelweed is Impatiens capensis, which gives a clue as to what common garden plant this is related to: impatiens.

Jewelweed also goes by the name "touch-me-not", because when you touch the little bean-like seed-pods, they pop open violently! That aspect makes this plant especially fun for children.

This next plant is tricky. Forget about specifically what plant it is. If you can pinpoint what type of plant it is, then you're doing well. I'll give you a hint: this is a flower.



Happy plant-sleuthing!

Michelle Clay writes about gardening here in Franklin at the Clueless Gardeners Blog.

Franklin, MA

Native Plants of Franklin

Did you recognize last week's mystery flower?



This is joe pye weed, another lovely native flower that is cursed with the name "weed". Joe pye is currently in bloom in sunny fields of Franklin alongside goldenrod.



(Thanks to wikimedia for this image.)

There are several types of joe pye weed, or Eutrochium, which in turn are in the aster family of plants. Joe pye weed is typically a dusty purple color when in bloom.

Much like goldenrod, Joe pye weed produces a clump of flowers on a tall and spindly stalk. It can form dramatic clumps. Click here to see what joe pye weed can look like in a flower garden.

Butterflies just love this flower.

Next up: sure looks tropical, doesn't it?



Post your guesses in the comments section, and have a great week!

Michelle Clay writes about gardening here in Franklin at the Clueless Gardeners Blog.

Franklin, MA

Native Plants of Franklin

Hello Franklin! Did you recognize last week's mystery native, perhaps because it grows in the cracks of your driveway, or between the mulch and the curb of the grocery store parking lot?




This plant is called spotted spurge (Euphorbia maculata) and if you grow anything at all out-of-doors in New England, then you have likely plucked out this plant as a weed.




This is what it looks like when spotted spurge is left to its own devices for a few months. It grows absolutely flat against the ground, and has a lovely tinge of purple to its stems and leaves. Spurge is an annual plant that flourishes in hot, dry conditions that kill everything else.

I am a bit baffled as to why every source considers this plant to be just a weed, worthy only of killing, and I am currently leaving it to grow in parts of my garden to see how it does as a groundcover. So far it has been great! It was one of the only plants that didn't seem to suffer during the drought.




Just for fun, here is a closer look. This plant is in bloom. There they are: each flower is barely a millimeter across.




And here is next week's flower. Do you know what it is?




Feel free to post your guesses in the comments section here. Cheers!


Michelle Clay writes about gardening here in Franklin at the Clueless Gardeners Blog.

Franklin, MA

Native Plants of Franklin

Were you able to identify last week's mystery plant? Here it is, providing food to a hummingbird:




This is Oenothera biennis, otherwise known as common evening primrose. You've likely seen it in fields and weedy places, but you may never have noticed its amazing scent. Evening primrose blooms at night to attract moths. The flowers wilt under the hot sun, so the best time to see and smell this plant is early in the morning. Early in the morning is also when you are most likely to see hummingbirds feeding from its flowers.




Like many native flowers of North America, evening primrose is a biannual, meaning it goes through its entire lifecycle in two years. The plant grows as a small rosette of foliage the first year, and shoots upward with a flower stalk on the second. Under the right conditions, such as in a sunny location against a wall, it can grow eight feet tall and can produce hundreds of yellow flowers.



Seeds of evening primrose are easy to collect: simply break off seed-pods from a spent plant, and break them open. Seeds can then be scattered where you would like the plant to grow.

If you grow this plant in your garden, consider leaving the dead flower stalks standing through the winter to provide food for goldfinches.

And here is our next native plant:




Feel free to post your guesses here in the comments section!

If you would like to see more photos of hummingbirds here in Franklin, you can visit my blog at http://thecluelessgardeners.blogspot.com/ .


Franklin, MA

Native Plants of Franklin

Greetings Franklin! Were any of you able to identify last week's mystery plant?




This is a closeup of goldenrod, which is in bloom now in fields everywhere. There are many kinds of goldenrod, or Solidago L., and they are difficult to tell apart, but all of them are native to North America.




Goldenrod has a reputation for causing allergies. However, this is unfair and incorrect. The real culprit for sneezing right now is ragweed, which is also in bloom. Goldenrod has heavy pollen grans that fall quickly to the ground. The plant relies on insects to carry the pollen from one flower to another. Ragweed, on the other hand, has lightweight pollen which is small enough to float around on the wind.




Goldenrod is perennial that grows in dramatic clusters. It attracts many insects. If you aren't a fan of insects in your yard, consider them to be bird food. All birds, especially baby birds, require insects in their diet.

And here is next week's puzzler, being visited by a hummingbird:




Hint: it's another common flower that is in bloom and feeding hummingbirds right now. Post your answers in the comments section, and have fun!

Franklin, MA

Native Plants of Franklin

Were any of you able to identify last week's native plant? If you said milkweed, you win!



(Thanks to Wikimedia Commons for this second image.)

Common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca, is better known for what eats it than for its flowers; but don't let that give you any wrong ideas about its flowers! Milkweed has stunning spheres of blossoms that from up close look like they have been folded from origami.




And of course, what eats the plant are the larvae of monarch butterflies. They eat milkweed, and nothing else. Here is a female monarch looking for leaves to lay her eggs on.




And this is what the caterpillars look like.

If you want to see more monarch butterflies in your yard, plant milkweed! Seeds can easily be collected in the Autumn from meadows where milkweed grows, or they can be ordered from sources such as easywildflowers.com.





And here is our next mystery native flower. Hint: I've zoomed in rather close. Another hint: it's in bloom now.

Don't forget, you can post your answers (or wild guesses!) in the comments section. Happy botanical sleuthing!

Franklin, MA

Native Plants of Franklin

Hello Franklin! It’s time to reveal what last week’s mystery plant was. Were you able to figure it out? Loretta was close, and Susan correctly identified it. Here is the picture again:



If you said it was pinesap, you are correct!

I photographed this pinesap, at the Franklin State Forest last September, which means you have some time to get out and look for this elusive plant yourself. This patch is visible from the trail that leads straight into the woods from the YMCA.



The trick to seeing pinesap, Monotropa hypopitys, is that it only grows above ground like this for a very brief window of time. You may notice that the plant isn’t green. It actually contains no chlorophyll, which means it isn’t getting its food from the sun. Instead, it is a parasite that feeds on a fungus, which in turn is in a symbiotic relationship with tree roots. Don’t ever try to transplant this type of plant, because its growing conditions are so complex that removing the plant from its environment would kill it.

A more common relative of pinesap is Indian pipe, Monotropa uniflora, which also grows in undisturbed, shady woodlands, and is in bloom right now.



Indian pipe is frequently mistaken for a fungus, but like pinesap, it is a parasitic flowering plant.

And here is our next mystery plant:



Happy plant-sleuthing!


Franklin, MA

Native Plants of Franklin

Hello Franklin! My name is Michelle Clay, and you could call me a bit of a garden geek. Here in Franklin, we have a lot of lovely suburban gardens, but most of the plants in a typical suburban yard come from other parts of the world. We have many fascinating and beautiful plants that are native to the Franklin area that most people don’t know about. Each week I will feature one native plant here, and the following week, I will identify what it is, and tell you a bit about where it can be seen.



Can you guess what this one is? I’ll give you a hint: this is a very unusual plant. It has no chlorophyll, so it never turns green. Post your guesses in the comments, and happy sleuthing to you!


Franklin, MA

What's your name?

I've wanted to re-open the "Where in Franklin?" series and had the thought today on how to do it with a twist (of course).  I recall taking a walk along a state park trail with a naturalist when my daughters were young. The naturalist was able to name every plant along the way. Well, at least it seemed like she could. That is one area where my own development is lacking. I can recognize some vegetation (common trees, poison ivy, cherry tomatoes, etc.) but generally to walk in the woods, I feel a loss in that I don't know the names of the trees, plants and other vegetation.

Let's start with some simple things. Walking along the streets in Franklin, folks have various flowers and plants adorning their yard. Some of them are more attractive than others but all have a place in the circle of life. All of them have a name. As I walk around town and take pictures, I'll post good ones to find out the name.

You can play along in at least three ways:
1 - name it
send me an email, or leave a comment to identify the item shown

2 - send me a photo
of an item you would like to know the name of. I'll post it so we can all learn together

3 - you can also be less active and just read along
learning and sharing as we find out 'who's who' in the plant kingdom

This is not a contest where the first person who correctly names the item wins. We will all win by learning, and sharing and yes, perhaps having a laugh together, over what we know (and don't know).

This will be a new series. I'll have a separate page to collect the individual posts, pictures and results.

How does that sound?

I believe that learning, sharing, and laughing are the three things that I try to do everyday. Will you join me in this? Would you like to play along?

Yes, that is good. Then here is the first challenge. I found this gorgeous flower in a yard along King St.

Ms Flower - what's your name?

Note: If you have a Flickr account, you can also click through and comment on the photo in Flickr. I'll also post this to the Franklin Matters Facebook page.

-----

The Answer - my friend from Hawaii, Rosa Say, left a comment on the Flickr page to identify these as hibiscus.  More on hibiscus can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibiscus


Franklin, MA

Franklin Area Blogs: environment

There are a couple of blogs based in Franklin writing about the environment and living green.

The Clueless Gardeners - Michelle is a frequent commenter here and should be followed. She and her husband are doing some good stuff in their garden.

"Welcome to our garden! Since 2007 we have been striving to turn our lawn into something beautiful, tasty, ecologically sound, and a centerpiece of our community here in Franklin, Massachusetts. We hope you enjoy your visit! -Michelle, Chris, and Gabe Clay"

The Experimental Farmer and The Green Suitcase. Maureen writes both blogs as she is

"A New England gardener and purveyor of all things vintage"

The most recent updates from each of these blogs can be found in the Franklin Area Blogs section, along the far right column here on Franklin Matters.

Click through to visit them from time to time and let them know you heard about them here!

Enjoy!


Franklin, MA

Green with a little green!

Susan sent me an email with the text and picture attached. Comments don't allow pictures so I am posting this separately:

Buzz has planted what he calls his "two dollar garden" - left over lattice strips and seedlings that were on sale a couple of weeks ago - all less than $2.

See, something green can be accomplished with just a little green!


Franklin, MA

What gets you going?

There are plenty of choices to get involved this evening. Be active!

Exercise?
Join the Franklin Citizens Rail Trail subcommittee meeting to plan for a fund raising road race.
Meeting at the Y at 7:30 PM

Environment?
The EPA will hold an information session and immediately following a public hearing to solicit feedback on their new storm water regulations.
Meeting at 6:30 PM at Tri-County Regional Voc Tech

Education?
The School Committee holds their second scheduled meeting for June this evening.
Meeting at 7:00 PM in the Council Chambers at the Municipal Bldg


Franklin, MA

Franklin, MA: raised garden beds in progress

I was away this weekend and missed the Earth Day activities, the clean up and the building of the raised garden beds. I visited the Senior Center, ECDC and the Charter School to view the work they did complete on the raised beds.

The raised bed at the Senior Center is located off to the left (facing the front of the building) next to the garden they already have.

A close up of the bed shows it empty.

A walk down the path connecting the  Senior Center to the school complex (Oak St, Horace Mann, and ECDC) revealed the raised bed at ECDC located next to their playground area near the front door.

As you can see, their bed has soil in it and it appears ready to be planted.

Walking over to the Charter School to find their beds eventually led us on a walk around the school.

They have two beds between the school and the Hayward property line. One of the beds is already partially planted and covered with plastic.

The chose a great location. Clear to receive the sunshine and help the garden grow!

The sponsor sign has been located in one of the beds. Thanks to the help from all the volunteers, the YMCA and all the sponsors. This is a good start for Franklin, MA!

"Thank you to the following organizations for Helping our Garden Grow!"

The post announcing the raised garden beds can be found here:
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/04/franklin-raises-garden.html

"We're helping the community"

Despite gray skies, a small army of local residents yesterday helped make Franklin and Medway green in honor of Earth Day.

In Franklin, about 100 students, residents, and even non-residents donned rain jackets and boots as they picked up trash and planted flowers at Beaver Pond.

Read more about the Earth Day activities in the Milford Daily News here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x53547818/Franklin-and-Medway-clean-up-for-Earth-Day


Franklin, MA

Saturday Plan of Events for Garden Prep and Build

Hi All:

Thank you for your work and support on this event!

Because the ECDC may not have families available we will meet at the Franklin Senior Center at 9 AM.

Please note this is a CHANGE. The pre-built raised bed should be brought here.

All those involved in the building (as lead point people) should arrive at 9 AM to review the build structure, ask questions, gain necessary information to lead your volunteers and team in their build at the alternate sites.

All other sites should instruct their volunteers to meet at their designated sites at 10 AM.

We are lucky to have great sponsors who are dropping off our supplies and soil/fill at EACH site!

The build, fill and possible planting will take ~ 1 hour/1.5 or so.

Please consider joining us after at the Franklin Rail Trail site on Grove Street for a trail clean up (in support of Franklin's Earth Day Clean up)!

Thanks again for all your support and hard work. See you all Saturday (for now Rain or Shine) unless you hear otherwise!

Please pass this along to anyone who may not have made the list. 

Lauren

This is an update to the Franklin raises a garden post

FRANKLIN, MA: CELEBRATE EARTH DAY - April 17th

SATURDAY, APRIL 17TH

VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED FOR TOWN-WIDE CLEAN UP, KIDS ACTIVITIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL EXHIBITS AT BEAVER POND

(FRANKLIN) – Franklin will celebrate Earth Day on Saturday, April 17th with a roadside clean up, spring plantings, and new environmental activities for all ages with activities based at Beaver Pond.
 

Earth Day kicks off “rain or shine” at 9:00 a.m. when volunteers start a town-wide roadside clean up of litter and set out plants and flowers. After this winter’s snowfall, many of the town’s most scenic streets can be quickly restored to an attractive roadside with just a few hours of time. Please bring gloves for each person and rakes.
 

All volunteers are asked to sign in at Beaver Pond between 9:00am-11:00am, so that the areas most in need of a spring clean up get attention. To nominate a town road which needs a cleanup, please call or email the DPW as soon as possible.
 

This year, volunteers will be given a trash bags for collecting cans, glass bottles, trash and litter. Volunteers simply leave the bags along the roadside by 1:00 p.m., after which Franklin DPW trucks will pick up the bagged trash.
 

Last year’s clean up brought out about 250 volunteers and the trash picked up filled one 40 yard dumpster. Over one ton of litter was collected.

Community service certificates are issued to youths and adults who sign in before and after. Earth Day t-shirts are given to the first 300 volunteers and there will be free pizza and beverages starting at 1:00 p.m. for returning clean up crews.
 

Volunteers are also needed to help pick up donated goods, help run events at Beaver Pond and assist with the registration table.
 

Also on site will be family recycling crafts, environmental booths, demonstrations, and entertainment. Dean Radio WGAO, will be on site to broadcast live from the event.
 

Sponsoring groups and businesses this year so far include: Signs by Cam, Rehrig Pacific Company, Waste Management, Comprehensive Environmental, Inc., CDM, Malcolm-Pirnie, Garelick Farms, Aubuchon Hardware, State Forest Advisory Council, Metcalf Materials, Hillside Nurseries, Domino’s Pizza, Bimbo Bakeries, Dunkin Donuts, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Various boys and girls scouts, Hillside Nurseries, Franklin High School Green Team, Franklin Garden Club, Franklin Citizen’s Rail Trail Committee, Green at Dean College, Dean Community Outreach program, Coles Tavern, and Metacomet Land Trust.

Originally posted on the Franklin website here
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_News/0155CD91-000F8513

Green recycling for the holidays

From Franklin Recycling comes these tips on recycling for the holidays

‘Tis the season for gift giving and with it comes large amounts that can be recycled before it goes in the trash. Remember the trash limit is 3 bags; so recycling makes even more sense. More than 60% of trash can be recycled so if you are putting more trash out than recycling, there is more you can do.

You can read the reminder online at the Town website

Or view the document here:

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

Note: email subscribers will need to click through to the website to view the document.

Franklin Area Climate Team - active blog

I have been working with the Franklin Area Climate Team to update their blog and enhance the communications around their efforts.

The Franklin Area Climate Team (FACT) is a locally organized group committed to fighting the climate crisis by promoting carbon-reducing practices in our homes and communities. We are an ever-expanding group of citizens from Bellingham, Foxborough, Franklin, Norfolk, Plainville, Wrentham, and other area towns.

Consider visiting the Franklin Area Climate Team site to find information on climate change, energy savings, and more about the world-wide effort to reach 350:

Become a fan and loose weight (CO2 weight)
11 Steps to save money and reduce your energy use
Cutting through the hype (video)
350 is the number!

Consider subscribing to the Franklin Area Climate Team blog to keep up with their activities. You can subscribe to receive updates via email or RSS feed.

DON’T DRINK THE WATER!

A Powerful Presentation on How to Stay Safe During Water Emergencies

Geoff Ventura, Environmentalist and Owner of Green Solutions, will be hosting two FREE presentations on the Water Emergencies, and what the public can do to protect themselves in the future.

Presentations will be held Saturday, August 29 at 10:30 a.m. and Wednesday, September 2 at 6:30 p.m. at Milford High School, Milford, MA.

The presentations will examine:

• Micro-organisms in your water (viruses, bacteria, parasites)
• Chemicals in your water (chlorine, chloramines, pesticides)
• Heavy metals in your water (lead, arsenic, mercury)
• Brita Systems, Ionization, Reserve Osmosis Systems
• Affordable water purification systems for homes and businesses

Call 617.328.6300 for reservations as space is limited.

###########################################################

Green Solutions was founded in 2008 to provide consumers with safe, eco-friendly products for every day living. Green Solutions is a “sister company” to WholeBody Solutions, a holistic wellness center founded by Dr. Ann Doggett, D.C., L.D.N in 1989.

www.wholebodysolutions.org


For more information on this topic or to schedule an interview with Geoff Ventura, please call Maggie Ryan Flaherty at 617.328.6300 or e-mail Maggie at Maggie@wholebodysolutions.org

The Story of Stuff

Annie Leonard spent time doing some research and then managed to produce this video that tells the story of stuff.



I plan on reading the annotated script which you can find here.

You can find other resources on their web site

You can follow the updates on their blog

What do you think of the Story of Stuff?