Native Plants for National Public Lands Day!

Oct 14, 2014 by Stephanie

What a wonderful turnout and beautiful morning for our 4th National Public Lands Day!

On September 27, three dozen adults, teens, and kids helped us plant 46 native trees and shrubs! It was a busy morning filled with laughter, enthusiasm, and of course hard work. We worked with Delaware County’s Parks & Recreation and Conservation District to plan the plantings – to restore the construction area from this summer’s emergency streambank repairs. This “riparian buffer” of native plants also creates wildlife habitat, defines a pathway, improves stream water quality, and beautifies the park!

The week after National Public Lands Day, our Invasive Plant Removal volunteers planted 9 more trees and shrubs by the concert stage to help with erosion in the area disrupted by the 110-year-old White Ash that fell on the stage this summer. It was a chance to add native species to the park instead remove invasive ones – that’s a total of 55 plants for this project!

We have so many to thank for their help with this project… starting with all those volunteers!

Delaware County Council funded this summer’s emergency streambank repairs. Delaware County Parks & Recreation provided the funding for most of the plants and deer fencing, with additional project costs funded by donations to Friends of Glen Providence Park. Taylor Memorial Arboretum donated trees and shrubs again this year, and Delaware County Conservation District contributed additional trees and deer fencing. Earthwise Landscapes and Garden Influence provided expertise, and Media Providence Friends School students are preparing plant labels! The pizza donated by Pinocchio’s Restaurant was greatly appreciated by hungry volunteers. We are grateful to all of these people for making the plantings possible!

The next time you are in the park, look for these native plants along Broomall’s Run and by the stage, and check out the fun in the photos below – just click on one to scroll through them. Thank you to George Tate for the wonderful photos of National Public Lands Day.

Trees:

Flowering dogwood, Cornus florida – 2
River Birch, Betula nigra – 3
White Oak, Quercus alba – 1
Swamp White Oak, Quercus bicolor – 2
Basswood, Tilia americana – 1
Redbud, Cercis canadensis – 2
Hackberry, Celtis sp – 4
Tulip Poplar, Liriodendron tulipifera – 3
White Pine, Pinus strobus – 4
Sweetbay Magnolia, Magnolia virginiana – 1

Shrubs:

Highbush Blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum – 3
Buttonbush, Cephalanthus occidentalis – 4
Red Osier Dogwood, Cornus sericea – 9
Silky Dogwood, Cornus amomum – 8
Silky Willow, Salix sericea – 3
Fragrant Sumac, Rhus aromatica – 5